1. Business Writing and
Professional Communication
Facilitated by:
Brandan Oates and Sarah Roth
Honors Professional Development Night
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
2. Tonight’s Workshop
Topic Facilitator(s)
Requests for Letters of Recommendation Sarah
Professional Emails Brandan
Getting Started with Résumés and Cover Letters Sarah
Scholarship Application Tips for Success Brandan
Questions and Handouts Sarah & Brandan
6. Tips for Success
• Give your recommender 2 weeks’ notice
• Provide name of award/scholarship/position/etc.
• Incorporate links associated with the opportunity
• Scholarship description
• Company website
• Include your resume
7. Tips for Success cont.
• Describe preferred type of letter
• Hard copy or electronic attachment
• Include submission instructions and mailing address, if needed
• Some may feel uncomfortable giving the student the letter
• Provide final due date needed for opportunity
• Include preferred date to you
• Send a polite reminder, as needed
8. Additional Considerations
• If the letter needs to be mailed, it’s generous to provide a stamped envelope
• A handwritten thank you note is a nice touch
• So, did you get it?! Keep your recommender posted!
10. Email Expert Activity
Backstory:
You are the email expert. You have worked at a
variety of companies during your career and
have encountered a plethora of situations,
especially when it comes to email
communication.
Instructions:
• Mark each of the given emails as “Good” or
“Poor”.
• If you mark an email as “Poor”, provide at
least one reason for justification.
• You have two (2) minutes.
11. Purpose of Email
• Communicate information quickly, when a telephone or
conversation is not necessary*
• Send a file/document
• Inquire**
• Send non time-sensitive information
• Deliver information to a large group of people
• Have a written record
*Information should be concise and clear
**Question to consider: Can you find the answer yourself?
Professionalism Tip √
If the email’s content is:
• Long and/or complicated
• Can be easily misinterpreted
• Confidential
…consider a different communication medium.
12. Know Your Audience
Relationship with Recipient Formality Requirement
Unknown Recipient (Never met) Formal
Professional Relationship Formal
Casual Colleague or Peer Formal-Casual
Casual (Know well) Casual or Formal-Casual
13. Tone of an Email
• Written communication → feelings are hard to express
• Tones to avoid
• Demanding
• Offensive
• Angry
• Blame
• Use “please” and “thank you’
• Reminder: Email ≠ Conversation
• Never send an email on impulse
Professionalism Tip √
If you have doubted the tone of an email, it is NOT fit to be sent.
14. Email Format
Left-aligned
Font: Times New Roman,
Arial, Calibri, or company
default
Color: Black is safest (red is
okay for emphasis)
Keep font consistent
Proper punctuation
Standard language – avoid
abbreviations
Remove “Sent from my
smartphone” signatures
Greeting / Salutation
Examples:
• Dear [Name],
• Hello,
• Hello [Name],
• Hello everyone,
• To Whom it May Concern,
• Greetings,
• [Name],
*Use a comma after the greeting!
*Address the recipient with the appropriate
title (highest title or the best fit based on
context)
*Spell the recipient’s name correctly
Content
Emails should cover only one main
topic/idea
Paragraphs and lists are welcome, but
should be clear and concise
Closing
Examples:
• Best,
• Best regards,
• Regards,
• Respectfully yours,
• Thank you,
• Best wishes,
• Sincerely,
Examples to avoid:
x Yours Truly,
x Cheers,
x See you around,
x Be well,
x Thx,
Other Closings to Avoid:
x Have a wonderful bountiful lustful day,
x Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
x This email is off the record unless otherwise indicated,
x Waiting to hear your reply, with best regards,
x Snuggles,
x TTFN
x A smiling face is miles more attractive than just a pretty one.
x Thanking you in anticipation,
Email Signature
Full Name
Title/Position
Company/Organization
Contact Information*
*Phone Number,
Email Address,
Mailing Address,
Website
**Modify settings in your email client
to automatically insert your signature
at the bottom of every email
Subject Line
Always include a subject line
when sending an email!
Subject lines should reflect the
main idea of the email, not be
the email itself.
RE: = Reply of an email
FW: = Forwarded email
15. Set Your Email Signature (Office 365)
Step 1: Click “Mail”
1
16. Set Your Email Signature (Office 365)
Step 2: Click the gear icon 2
17. Set Your Email Signature (Office 365)
Step 3: Click “Options” in the settings menu (after clicking the gear icon)
3
18. Set Your Email Signature (Office 365)
Step 4: Click “Email signature” in the left pane
Step 6: Compose and format
your email signature!
SAMPLE FORMAT 2:
Full Name
Title/Position
Company/Organization
Contact Information
SAMPLE FORMAT 1:
Full Name
Title/Position
Major
Institution
Contact Information
Step 5: Check the “Automatically
include my signature on new messages
I compose” option
4
5
6
19. More About Email…
When to Send
Do not expect a response outside of
normal business hours (Mon-Fri 8:00-
5:00)
Remember: you are not always
available!
Quantity
One is best!
Excessive emails decreases their value
and can annoy the recipient
Reply, Reply All, Forward
Reply: To one user
Reply All: To all original recipients
(avoid unless necessary)
Forward: Copy to new recipient
Cc and Bcc
Cc: Carbon copy – send to recipient
who is indirectly affected by email
Bcc: Blind carbon copy – same as Cc,
but addresses do not appear (avoid in
most cases)
Last Minute Check √
Be sure to double-check:
• Recipient emails
• Subject line
• Attachments
• Punctuation/Grammar
23. Cover Letters: An Introduction
• Cover letters serve multiple purposes:
• To demonstrate that your qualifications fit the requirements of the position
• To show that you have done your homework on the position and organization
• To demonstrate you have the ability to write well
Source: http://careercenter.illinoisstate.edu/student/resume/
24. Cover Letter Outline
• Paragraph 1: How I heard about the job
• Paragraph 2: Why I want the job
• Paragraph 3: Why I’d be great for the job
• Paragraph 4: How I’m going to follow up about the job
Source: http://careercenter.illinoisstate.edu/student/resume/cover_letters.shtml
25. Utilizing Your Resources
• “Resume Record” template Honors website
• Use before you have a resume and/or “on the fly”
• Career Center
• Free resume paper, resume printing & business cards
• Walk-in resume critiques vs. Resume review
• Career Resource Guide
• Resume Basics, pgs. 4-8
• Cover Letters, pgs. 9-10
26. General Recommendations
• Leave adequate time to update your resume/cover letter
• Customize them to the opportunity
• Connect your personal skills to the posting/description
• Utilize their key words (e.g. flexibility, teamwork)
• Demonstrate knowledge of their terms/lingo
(e.g. Honors Learning Experiences)
28. Applying to Scholarships
1. Read and understand the criteria
2. Prepare and plan ahead
3. Ask questions (if needed)
4. Check, double-check, and check again
Source: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2015/03/scholarship-basics-make-application-shine/
29. The Essay
Know the Prompt Organize & Edit the Draft Utilize Past Work
o Reread the prompt
o Align statements with
the donor’s hopes and
intentions
o Include specific
examples
o Make sure all parts of
the prompt are covered
o Utilize standard essay
structure
o Proofread! Have another
person also double-
check spelling, grammar,
and punctuation
o Enrich your sentences:
simplify and vary
o It is okay to reuse parts
of previous scholarship
essays
o Double-check that the
award name is correct
o Consider a new
approach for previously
unsuccessful essays
Source: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2015/04/scholarship-basics-write-winning-essay/
Distinguish
yourself!
31. Scholarships: Final Thoughts
√ Start gathering application materials early!
√ Letters of recommendation, transcripts, résumé, etc.
√ Ask questions if anything is unclear.
√ Utilize the ISU Scholarship Resource Office:
http://financialaid.illinoisstate.edu/scholarships/
√ If you meet the criteria, APPLY! Smaller, local scholarships can add up quickly.
√ Ensure the application is complete at time of submission.
33. Tonight’s Event Schedule
Event Time
Check-In 5:15pm – 5:35pm
Keynote Speaker 5:30pm – 6:10pm
Session I 6:20pm – 6:45pm
Session II 6:50pm – 7:15pm
Session III 7:20pm – 7:45pm
Networking Reception 7:45pm – 8:30pm
Honors Professional Development Night
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
5:30-8:30pm
Hinweis der Redaktion
PR & CSPA
COUNTRY- 2 years
Honors- 6 years
As advisor, send/receive a TON of e-mails, write letters of rec, help students with scholarship applications, review a lot of Honors apps & write Student Stories
We have both requested and written letters of rec, but when Brandan and I asked others to write letters for us, you can bet it didn’t look like this…
Example of a poor request
Here’s an example of a strong request for a letter of recommendation. Jackie explains what she’s applying for and why she needs the letter, as well as why she feels this person is a great fit to write this letter. She gives the timeline. Overall, it’s professionally written.
If you want to go back and look at this for inspiration, you can read the whole thing in our PowerPoint on the Honors website.
My first tip when asking for a letter of recommendation is to give the person you’re asking at least two week’s notice. Of course, you want to tell them exactly what you’re applying for and include any links so that the recommender doesn’t have to look up more information about it. It’s a nice bonus to include your updated resume, or at least a list of your activities & involvement.
Do you need a hard copy letter that’s mailed directly to the organization? Should it be submitted online? E-mailed as a PDF to the student? I’ve seen and done all of these as a recommender. You need to be specific with your recommender about the submission instructions.
One thing to note is that I know some professors and advisors across campus who feel uncomfortable sending the student the letter, directly. Don’t take offense to this or take this personally. It doesn’t mean they’re secretly saying bad things about you! But these may be professionals who are accustomed to the old-school way of doing recommendation letters where it was mailed as a hard copy, in a sealed envelope, with a signature across the sealed flap to ensure it hadn’t been opened. We were paranoid, apparently. So that used to be the standard and now there are of course a lot more digital options.
Lastly, give a final due date, of course. It’s a good idea to include a preferred date, and you can send a polite reminder a few days before.
Some final considerations…
If the letter does need to be mailed, it’s considered generous to provide the recommender with a pre-addressed, stamped envelope. A handwritten thank you note after the letter is submitted is a nice touch. And lastly, keep in touch. Let us know what happened. This is a way to keep the lines of communication open with a professional contact.
And how are you going to keep us updated? You’re going to send an e-mail! And that’s what Brandan’s going to discuss next…
Obviously, we could talk all night about resumes and cover letters! But I wanted to spend just a few quick minutes to talk about resumes and cover letters, particularly for those of you who are freshmen or who aren’t business majors and don’t have as much exposure to these topics.
So again, don’t do this. Paragraph style is a no-no. Ugly fonts are bad. It’s hard to read.
You need an organized layout and a strong visual hierarchy. You want a nice balance of text and white space so it’s easy on the easy. You want to make sure it’s easy to read.
A lot of you are somewhat familiar with resumes, even if you don’t have one yet. But many of you may be thinking, “What in the world is a cover letter?” Well according to our Career Center, cover letters serve multiple purposes. They help to set you apart and give you an edge by demonstrating the fit between you and this position, to demonstrate your knowledge of the organization and that you can write.
Here’s a general outline of what a cover letter looks like. If you address all of these things, you’re off to a great start in building a solid cover letter that you then tweak and customize to each opportunity.
As ISU Honors students, you have access to some pretty cool resources we want to make sure you’re aware of. We have our own Resume Record template that you can access from the Honors website. It will be one of the Prof Dev Night resources. And this is a document you can use to get started building your resume, or as a running list that you add to as you participate in service activities or win an award, you jot it down on the Resume Record before you forget about it but don’t worry about the perfect wording or formatting for your resume just yet.
The Career Center has free resume paper, resume printing and business cards for all undergraduate students. A lot of students don’t think about the Career Center until they’re seniors, but it’s something you can take advantage of as you’re searching for internships or scholarships too. They also offer quick walk-in resume critiques and you can schedule a half hour resume review with the career advisor assigned to your specific College.
Lastly, the Career Resource Guide in your Prof Dev Night folders is another great resource. They cover Resume Basics on pages 4-8 and Cover Letters on pages 9-10, so check that out for information on action words, transferable skills and formatting tips.
It takes a lot of time to keep your resume updated and to adjust your cover letter to every opportunity, but it’s worth it. I have a friend in HR at Growmark and she said you would not believe the number of cover letters she gets that are addressed to a different employer, and then they go on to say in the letter how detail-oriented they are.
In general, recruiters scan your resume and cover letter for key words that match the open position to make their “fit/no fit” decision. It’s really a “pattern matching” activity.
So pull key factors out of the job description and integrate them into your resume as much as you can. Make that connection in your cover letter as well. And if there are no connections or you’re really struggling to match the two, the position may not be the right fit for you. It’s another pet peeve in HR when people apply over and over again for whatever jobs are posted, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with their qualifications. That’s not using your critical thinking skills.
But when you can, use their key words in your resume and cover letter. And in your cover letter, demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and you know their terms and lingo. When we’ve done interviews in Honors or when I read Honors applications, if they use the right terms, like Honors Learning Experience, that’s an immediate point in your favor.
And now Brandan is going to talk briefly about scholarship applications where you also want as many points in your favor as possible…
