Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

Instructions/Descriptions

Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

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Instructions

Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés
Instructor:

The assignment:
The goal of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to get feedback on another form of writing that should be useful to you. You will be writing application materials for the next stage in your professional development: graduate school, professional school, internships, or employment. Choose either option # 1 or 2:

1. For a graduate/professional school application:
   If you are interested in a particular program, go to their website to review their application requirements. Prepare the following items:
   1. a cover letter to the professor you would like to work with in graduate school or program administrator (depending on the program)
   Typically, this would not be submitted with your application, but would be sent to the professor before you apply to express interest in working with him or her. Use a three-paragraph format similar to the cover letters used for jobs.
   2. a résumé, one page long
   3. an essay/personal statement
   Identify the prompt for an essay or personal statement within the application requirements and follow the instructions for length (Include a copy of the essay question at top when you turn in your paper.)
2. For a job or internship application:
   Select an actual job (try searching Handshake or another job search site) that is similar to one that you will be applying for either as a student or a new graduate. Attach the job ad to the bottom of your assignment.
   1. A cover letter to a potential employer; use a three-paragraph format
   2. A résumé, one page long
   3. A personal statement
   In a job interview, your prospective employer would assess your fit for the position and whether your previous experiences have prepared you for the job you are applying to. For this assignment, write a general personal statement that addresses your qualifications for the job. You might address your interest in the job/field, how your experiences have prepared you for this position and also shaped your interest, and show/not tell the positive characteristics that would make you a strong candidate. This essay should be a cohesive piece of writing that is 2-3 pages long (12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1 inch margins).

Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

Résumés, cover letters and personal statements will all be discussed at length in class. In addition, there are lots of examples, detailed instructions, and ideas on the Moodle site.

Writing goals:
• Focus on using concrete language, especially verbs.
• Use the active voice
• The key component of writing a personal statement essay is “Show, don’t tell.” For example, don’t just tell us you are a hard worker—give us an example that demonstrates it.
• Try to hit that sweet spot between being too humble so that your good qualities are not clear, and being over the top in your claims of excellence. It is important to come across as a likeable person as well as a competent person.
• Don’t forget to proofread your paper for proper usage of punctuation, parallel construction, tone, and all the other aspects of writing we have covered.

Submitting your final paper:
For the final draft, submit the following:
(1) A cover letter addressed to your instructor. This cover letter should do the following:
• Summarize the peer comments that you received.
• Summarize how you responded to peer comments. (You may elect not to take advice, but you need to defend that decision here.)
• Identify any improvements you made to the paper above and beyond what your peers suggested.
(2) Your final cover letter, résumé, and personal statement, carefully proofread so that spelling and grammatical errors are eliminated.

Course-wide Late Policy:

To avoid a late penalty, you must submit an electronic copy via TurnItIn before the due date.
Late final drafts receive a penalty of 3 points per day for a max of 9 points. Since this is the last assignment of the class, and grades are due VERY soon after this due date, late assignments will very rarely be accepted unless extenuating circumstances.

Evaluation checklist for Paper 4 (total points possible: 65):
___ Cover letter to instructor as described above. (2 points)
___ Includes information on the graduate program or job sought. (2 points)

Cover letter (14 points)

Correctly formatted with a salutation and closing & organized into three paragraphs. (3 points)

The tone is appropriately formal, even if it will be sent as an email to a prospective grad school advisor. (3 points)

Specifies the position that is sought. (4 points)

Highlights the applicable skills and experiences from the writer’s résumé, which are specific & apply to the position sought. (4 points)

Résumé (14 points)

The format is flawless, with careful alignment. (3 points)

Information is organized into relevant sections as described in class. (3 points)

Each section includes at least two, but no more than five, bullet points. (2 points)

Descriptions are relevant to the position sought. (3 points)

Descriptions use a variety of action verbs & strong descriptive word choice. (3 points)

Personal Statement (33 points)

Content (16 points)

Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

Makes reference to the specific position and your unique fit. (4 points)

Highlights relevant and applicable skills and valuable experiences. (4 points)

Demonstrates your fit for the position using “show, not tell”. (4 points)

Includes information that makes you seem valuable to the employer/graduate program and does not focus only how employment or admittance to a program will benefit you. (4 points)

Form & Organization (17 points)

The paper is well-organized, cohesive, and flows logically. (2 points)

Strong introductory and conclusion paragraphs. (2 points)

Sentences are well-constructed and vary in length to keep the reader’s attention. (2 points)

Punctuation and affect/effect are used correctly (see Writing Skills 1&3). (2 points)

Wordiness is reduced (see Writing Skills 2) and word choice is strong. (2 points)

Parallel structure & active voice are used when appropriate (see Writing Skills 4). (2 points)

Paragraphs are well-structured, with topic and conclusion sentences. The sentences & paragraphs flow well from one to the next & effective transitions are used (see Writing Skills 5). (2 points)

There are few or no grammatical or spelling errors. (2 points)

Length requirements (2-3 pages, or as otherwise specified) are met. (1 points)

Psych 392 Application Essays, Cover Letters and Résumés

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