· Background & Purpose
This task is based on the research of ( Sageev & Romanowski , 2001) and ( Cunningham & Stewart , 2012), both of whom write about the role of communication in the professional workplace. Please do a quick reading of both articles and gather the gist of their respective arguments. Based on that reading and understanding of their reporting on survey data about professional engineers and their technical communication skills, we learned that
· engineers spend a decent amount of time communicating on the job,
· technical communication skills correlate to career advancement ( Sageev & Romanowski , 2001),
· professionals spend a lot of time reading and writing correspondence ( Cunningham & Stewart , 2012).
Therefore, we have some evidence that technical communication skills are important for pre-professionals to develop. To apply this effort, I ask that you gather [at least 5] job ads and extract the communication-related responsibilities or descriptions from them.
You will compare these job requirements to your own professional experience and the contents of your résumé in order to perform a “gap analysis” of your technical communication and other skills.
How to Proceed
1. Gather five (5) job ads advertising the same position, e.g., Sous Chef. These should be jobs that you would like to apply to now or are interested in for the future (2-3years down the road if you’ve already accepted a position after graduation).
2. Locate communication-related skills in the job ads you collected and write them down in a separate document. These skills might relate to:
· Effective communication
· Presentations or speaking
· Writing
· Design
· Project management and/or collaboration
· Listening
· Content specialist
· etc
3. Now look at your résumé. What does it reveal in terms of the following:
· Communication skills (what do you have?)
· Gaps between the job ads (you located) and the skills you have listed/described on your resume
4. Next, consider, identify, and describe the goals, activities, or opportunities you have for meeting the technical communication skills gaps you have identified (on your resume). You may also address other skills you need to acquire for your desired position (as seen in the job ads you collected).
5. Use the Professional Autobiography worksheet
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7. to help you with identifying this skills gap. Remember that a professional autobiography is a list complete with descriptions and reflections of all that you have done as a professional. Its purpose is to tell the story o f
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9. your professional life.
Once you complete steps 1-5, you have your data for the memo.
Caution: Be sure to adhere to the six ethical principles
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identified by the Society of Technical Writers (do not embellish)
You are now ready to write your memo.
Memo Content
Your memo will accomplish two things: (1). report the results of your job skills project (2) Demonstrate skills consistent with Technical Writing Reports in memo format. In your memo, include the following (in this order):
1. Paragraph 1
· State the purpose and main point of the memo
· Outline which questions the memo seeks to answer/address
2. Paragraph 2
· Describe the types of jobs that you are applying to or want to apply to in the future. Explain briefly why your goal is to hold this kind of job.
3. Paragraph 3
· Collocate/synthesize the communication-related skills from the job ads that you’ve collected. You could present a summary or a table, or employ some other organization method.
· Describe how you identified these skills as communication-related
4. Explain your level of preparation to meet the communication-related requirements in the job ads. Is this preparation reflected in your résumé content?
· If yes, provide examples of that content and explain why you included that content in a specific place on your résumé and/or why you described your communication experience/skills the way you did.
· If not, describe how you will revise your résumé to reflect your communication experience/skills. What seems most important to your potential employers to highlight?
· Regardless of whether or not your résumé currently contains communication-related experience or skills, address Task #4 above in your memo:
5. Describe goals, activities, or opportunities for filling technical communication skills gaps. You may also address other skills needed for your desired position.
Appendices of your résumé and the job ads you selected (see section below for details).
Formatting & Memo Requirements
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Compose your memo in a Word Document. Aim for 750-1000 words. When you are satisfied with your memo, you may covert it to pdf before uploading to Canvas
Your memo should be single-spaced, Serif font,
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or here
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12 size font. You may use sans serif font for your headings
1. Memo TITLE:
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3. the word MEMO or MEMORANDUM, in a LARGE font style centered at the top of the first page
4. Memo HEADING
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6. (to, from, date, subject)
7. Purpose statement as introductory paragraph
8. Descriptive headings — have a Methods section in which you describe what you did and how to gather the information you’re presenting
9. Use headings to organize and break up the content of your memo. Reports are not essays.
10. Brief BLOCK
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12. paragraphs
13. Do not indent new paragraphs; simply place a blank line between paragraphs. Do not do both.
14. Appendices
· Appendix A” Your résumé uploaded as a separate file.
· Appendix B: List and links to all FIVE job ads
· Appendix 3: List of communication-related skills