COVER LETTERS
The main purpose of a cover letter?
What is to introduce yourself/connect your skills to the job/opening?
One key difference between a résumé and a CV?
What is Résumé = short/ brief & tailored; CV = long & academic?
draft the basic outline of a professional email
what is clear and brief subject line, proper saluation, body text and signature
the three core elements of the rhetorical situation?
what is Audience, Purpose, Context
Why is conciseness essential in job docs?
what it Saves time + improves readability
Ways to tailor cover letter to the specific job ad
what is use the keywords like the job title, specific skills from the ad itself or company name
Type of verbs that should begin résumé bullet points?
What is Action verbs ?
the purpose of a memo in workplace communication?
what is to Inform/update/request internally
Why is analyzing the audience essential before drafting job materials?
what is it Helps tailor tone, structure, and content
Rewrite this in active voice: “Responsibilities were handled by me.”
what is “I handled responsibilities.” / “I managed duties.”
The paragraph that connects your skills directly to the job posting
what is the middle/second paragraph?
One optional résumé section that also strengthens an application.
What is volunteer work, activities and honors or awards
one common mistake students make in professional emails?
what is Casual tone, missing greeting, no subject line or signature
Name the prewriting techniques from the reading (e.g., freewriting).
what is Freewriting, listing, mapping, (asking questions)
Why is parallel structure important in résumés?
what is it Keeps bullets points consistent + clear
one thing a cover letter should never include
what is Generic templates/ repeated resume bullet points/ overly long texts?
to “tailor” a résumé means ?
What is to adjust it to match job description ?
Name one difference between an email and a memo.
Memo = more formal & structured, often internal,
How does skipping the prewriting process weaken a job application?
what is it produces generic, unfocused documents
one way AI can actually hurt your application if used poorly?
What’s Generic writing, false info, wrong tone
The basic outline of a cover letter
what is salutation, opening paragraph, body and closing paragraphs and signature ?
draft the basic outline of a resume
What is introduction, summary, education, skills, experience.
Workplace situations that best call for a memo?
What is Use case → Policy updates, instructions, proposals
the one contextual factor that changes how you write for different employers?
what is Company culture, field expectations, audience expertise
to write with a “you-centered” style?
What is to Focus on what they need, not just you