Resume and Cover Letter Analysis

Purpose I am providing you with this memo so you can get a basic understanding as to why I included particular elements in my resume and cover letter. I have included a job description to detail the responsibilities and requirements of the job I chose to focus on.

I also included an audience analysis to give you a little more insight into my company’s vision, core values, and culture. Lastly, I included a rhetorical analysis of, both, my resume and cover letter to detail how I tailored them to be effective for the particular position and company presented.

Job Description In this role, you may have the opportunity to: • Use your skills in impactful projects, meetings and presentations to senior leadership. • Gain knowledge of daily business operations. • Attend learning programs and training sessions. • Participate in networking activities with other interns, professionals and business leaders.

• Manage your projects while constantly being challenged to generate smart solutions. As a Finance Operations Summer Intern, you may work in these areas: • Billing Integrity • Revenue Assurance • Fraud Prevention • Payment Management and Controls • Commission Processing • Payroll Operations • Accounts Payable Qualifications Must have:
• Current enrolment in a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or Economics at an accredited college or university with an expected completion date of June 2018. • Experience with MS Office Suite of Products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). • Willingness to be located long term in Lake Mary, FL

Audience Analysis

Verizon, more formally known as Verizon Communications, is a broadband telecommunications company headquartered in New York, NY. They are an incredibly innovative and profitable company, in recent years having become the largest U.S. wireless communications provider.

They also own the subsidiary, Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Basking Ridge, NY. Verizon now employs over 150,000 employees and has a global presence in 150 countries. Verizon focuses on innovation and development of technology and works to improve upon global networks, information systems and mobile technologies in communities around the world.

Verizon strives to maintain a corporate culture that exemplifies the core values of integrity, respect, performance excellence and accountability.

Rhetorical Analysis When updating my resume and crafting my cover letter for this particular position, I worked to highlight key aspects of my experience and qualifications. When working on my resume, I eliminated older less relevant material, and tried to highlight my new job experience and new leadership experience that I gained last year.

In my cover letter I tried to focus more on how my education at Penn State as well as the relevant classes I’ve taken thus far will have prepared me for the position. Even though my work experience from this past summer may not qualify as relevant experience, I highlighted how I gained essential skills from the experience and how it helped me develop as a business professional.

Resume goes here.

478 E Calder Way, #601 State College, PA 16801 September 12, 2016 Director of Finance Operations Verizon 1 Verizon Way Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Dear Director of Finance Operations, I am submitting the following letter and resume to express my interest in the Finance Operations Internship position (Job #434750) for the Summer of 2017.

I’m currently a junior at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, majoring in accounting and working to pursue a CMA certification. I’m very excited about the various responsibilities of this position and the experience that I could gain by working at a company as innovative and creative as Verizon.

I’m very keen to demonstrate my ability to take on new and unique projects and my proficiency in accounting and finance operations. My education in accounting and finance thus far has given me a solid skill set in basic financial operations such as accounts payable and payroll operations, and has also given me proficient problem-solving and decision-making skills when tasked with new challenges in a work environment.

The accounting courses I’m currently taking, managerial and intermediate accounting, will further my knowledge base in accounting functions and fully prepared me for the operations I would be preforming for this internship. I spent the past summer working at a medical clinic as an administrative assistant in the back office.

I performed an assortment of tasks, which included preparing paper files for billing, preparing and delivering deposits, and even helping to enhance a method for mail distribution and record-keeping around the office.

Because I was given a multitude of responsibilities to juggle at my previous job, I think that I am well prepared to take on multiple, diverse and challenging projects at once. I also feel as though my previous job has prepared me to create inventive solutions when facing obstacles in the workplace. I am also very involved on campus, through my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta.

I hold the position of programming chair, which has given me many responsibilities such as organising events and information sessions that promote chapter development and education on subjects such as drug/alcohol awareness, anti-hazing, and sexual assault.

This leadership role has taught me how to manage and delegate tasks as well as how to work with different people to organise and accomplish a project and goal. I think these skills will serve me well when working with other interns or while managing projects and presentations.

I am very enthusiastic about the possibility of working for and learning from a company as pioneering as Verizon. I would appreciate the opportunity for an interview to further discuss why

my qualifications and experience make me a good candidate for the Finance Operations Position. Please feel me to contact me by phone at (818) 606-6466 or by email at vmw5067@psu.edu. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Sincerely,

A Recommendation Request Email TO: Lori Pietruszka

FROM: A former employee

SUBJECT: Letter of Recommendation Request

Hi Lori,

I hope things have been going well for you and the rest of the Del Carmen Staff since I left this past summer. I know it’s been a few weeks since we last spoke, but I’m in the process of applying for internships and co-ops that directly relate to my selected major and professional career.

Working at Del Carmen gave me essential professional experience and also helped me improve on my problem-solving and multi-tasking skills. I feel that while working under you, I developed as a business professional and demonstrated some my core values such as integrity and dedication.

I am now trying to gather a few letters of recommendation from trusted mentors and professors that have been witness to my strong work ethic, diligence when tasked with new assignments and projects, and ability to learn and grow. So, with that being said, would you be willing to write me a strong letter of recommendation for my internship?

I am willing to send you my resume, school transcript, and any other additional information you’d need to write the letter. I’d also be willing to speak with you on the phone if you’d like to have a more in-depth conversation about the subject.

I understand that you are very pressed for time between all the work you do at the office and finding time to spend with your family, so if you don’t feel comfortable writing me a strong letter of recommendation, I completely understand.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider my request. You can reach me by email at blah@psu.edu, and by phone at (128) 626-6466. Sincerely,

Subject: Verizon Finance Operations Intern Interview Student Follow Up

Good morning Mr. Smith, Thank you so much for your time and for the privilege of having an interview with you yesterday about the Finance Operations Intern position in Lake Mary, FL. It was a pleasure meeting you and learning more about the position and the company as a whole.

The program you detailed sounds like a, though somewhat demanding, ultimately very rewarding and beneficial experience and I look forward to hearing back from you with your decision. As I noted yesterday, I will be a rising senior during summer 2016. After hearing more about the position, I am certain that I would be a great candidate for the opportunity.

As we discussed yesterday, I believe that my background in accounting and finance, various leadership positions, campus involvement, and previous professional experience would all give me the capabilities needed to perform the responsibilities of this position.

I’m very excited about the possibility of joining your team over at Verizon and look forward to hearing from you soon. If you need any further information, feel free to reach me by email at xxxxx@psu.edu or by phone at (122) 636-6466. Regards,

Major Assignment #1: Job Market Materials Packet

Due: Sunday, February 23 at 11:00 pm

Point Value: 250 points

For this assignment you will prepare documents related to the job search process including a résumé, cover letter, and other essential documents. My hope is that you will be able to use (with alteration) these documents upon graduation to find the job you desire.

For this assignment you will prepare:

• A resume;
• An application letter;
• A recommendation request email;
• A follow-up email;
• And a cover memo addressed to me that details your work on this project, including how you adapted your application materials to best fit the job opening you’ve targeted and a justification of those choices.

I will post examples of well-written materials. Feel free to contact me with any questions via email.

About the Resume

Please be sure to prioritise what information is best suited for inclusion in your resume. A resume should not simply be a list of everything you have done. Rather, it should include the information that best makes a case for why an employer should grant you an interview.

If you choose to use a resume template, you should endeavour to alter that template as necessary so your resume reflects attention to basic design principles. You should also try to limit your resume to one page in length, unless your career field typically expects a longer document.

About the Application Letter

Your application letter should follow the proper conventions and format for a block or modified-block letter, and it should be no more than two pages long. At the very least, you should consider having a paragraph in your letter for each of the following items:

• Your introduction;
• Your education and training (including specific courses and projects if they are relevant);
• Your work experience (including specific details and relevant discussion);
• Your other relevant qualifications, activities, skills, and interests;

and your conclusion.

About the Recommendation Request Email

An effective recommendation request makes a compelling case for why the recommender should recommend you. It provides useful information for the recommender to consider, such as what you’ve applied for and why, and it makes clear to the recommender your accomplishments and qualifications.

The better you prepare your recommender, the better your letter of recommendation will likely be.

About the Interview Follow-up Message

For this document, you will pretend that you have had an interview with an employer, and you are sending a thank you message afterwards. Follow-up messages, whether they be sent as emails, letters, or hand-written cards, are simple courtesies, yes, but they are also strategic opportunities.

They provide an occasion for you to follow-up on something you said in the interview, for you to clarify a particular point or issue, and for you to express your continued interest in the position, among other things.

About the Cover Memo

This memo is addressed to me, your professor, as a rationale for the decisions you made in tailoring your job market documents to the job call. It should be approximately 1-2 pages and cover the following issues:

• The purpose of the memo
• a description of the job to which you are applying (including its specifications)
• An analysis of the audience (a description of the overall organisation to which you are applying, such as their vision/mission statement, core values, and brief history)
• a rhetorical analysis (a description of what you highlighted in your materials to meet this organisation’s job call).

Evaluative Criteria

Your assignment will be graded on the following criteria:

• Content-wise, the resume is well-organised and represents well your accomplishments and qualifications.
• The resume’s design reflects attention to basic design principles and the contexts of its use. It must follow the proper formatting and style for each genre/document.
• The application letter makes a compelling case for your candidacy for the position, especially considering the company that is your audience for the document.
• All materials are well-written, free of mistakes in spelling, grammar, and mechanics, and conform to appropriate business writing conventions.
• The cover memo adequately details the work you did preparing your materials and justifies the decisions you made in targeting your chosen job opening.

Project Submission

Submit your materials as a single PDF to the D2L folder (Assessments > Assignments > Major Assignment #1 Job Market Materials). By submitting it as a PDF you do not need to worry about formatting changes between computers and word processing programs.

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