Professional Communication

Overview

Strong professional communication skills are crucial for students to advocate for, promote, and represent themselves professionally, so this unit builds those skills explicitly. The resources here cover the topics of writing resumes and cover letters, practicing for job interviews, and using communication tools. We recommend doing a few of the activities on the Career Exploration page before jumping into Professional Communication, so students can practice utilizing career databases, researching career requirements, and identifying relevant transferable skills for a career.

Objectives

Students should be able to:

Understand the parts of and sequences for resumes, cover letters, and job interviews;
Analyze and evaluate examples of resumes and cover letters;
Create a tailored resume and cover letter;
Create and evaluate responses to common interview questions, and
Practice differences in communicating, based on environment, purpose, and relationship

Introductory Questions

How do you like to communicate? Consider modes (verbal, written, bodily, etc.), methods (texting, e-mail, hand-written notes, etc.), and environment (one-on-one, small groups, big groups).
Why is it important to communicate well?
How do you want others to perceive you when you speak? What about when you write?
What are some of your notable achievements, in school, at work, on a team, and in your life?

Suggested Class Sequence(s)
Class sequences are connected topics with activities, worksheets, and readings which take two or more days of class to complete.

PROJECT: Create a Career Portfolio

Project for applying to a job; students select a job of interest, complete an application, create a resume and cover letter, practice interviewing, and write a follow up note.

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Videos
Short videos help tap into multiple modes of learning and can provide a good introduction to or illustration of a topic. See suggested protocols for classroom viewing.

How To Write A Resume – 5 Simple Steps – Animated (4:48)
Covers five steps to start a resume: research the industry and company, list your qualifications, follow some rules of thumb, include all parts of your resume, and get feedback. Works best as a preview for a resume assignment.
8 Tips for Writing a Winning Resume (13:00)
Covers the purpose of each section and how to optimize for students or new job seekers. Great to use once students know what a resume is and need to understand the “why” behind each part and how to make it work to their advantage.
How to Write a Cover Letter (1:55)
Breaks down the sections of a cover letter and what employers are looking for in each section.
Top 10 Job Interview Questions in English (12:04)
Discusses interview questions: what they mean, why they’re being asked, and what kind of response is expected. Great practice for ELL students and new job seekers alike.
Interviewing for a Job – Everyday English Dialogues (2:09)
Example dialogue between an interviewer and interviewee. Demonstrates common vocabulary, expressions, pronunciation, and intonation.
Rules for Interacting with College Professors (20:43)
Covers communication norms in the college environment. Conversational and not concise; recommended to watch in sections: e-mail, office hours, questions to ask, reasonable requests, missing class, and how to dress.
Microsoft PPT Tutorial (26:15)
Walks through the basics of Powerpoint using screen sharing. Very detailed, so best used independently so students can pause and skip around by timestamps.
How to use Microsoft Word for Beginners and Beyond! (56:54)
Detailed explanation of using Microsoft Word using screen sharing. Best used independently or in time stamp sections. Recommended: 5:15-7:13 new document and font formatting; 9:04-10:57 saving documents locally or in the cloud; 10:58-18:32 font, paragraph, and list formatting; 21:29-28:16 page layout settings; and 52:08-54:28 headers, footers, and page numbers.

Readings
All readings should be paired with a structure or protocol, especially if any reading will be completed in class.

Cover Letter and Resume
Detailed explanation from Modern Blueprint for College and Career Success OER chapter of cover letters and resumes, including videos, multiple linked examples, and embedded activities.
Interviewing Skills for Success
Detailed explanation from Modern Blueprint for College and Career Success OER chapter of the job interviewing process: preparing, the interview, and follow up. Covers the types of interviews, interview locations, common questions, unconventional questions, and how to stay away from red flags.
How to Email Your Professor (Without Being Annoying AF)
Informal and informative article about e-mail norms in college, with an annotated example.

Activities
Activities include individual or group tasks that can be completed in less than one class period; some activities may be repeated in a sequence and are re-listed here for ease of access.