28 Writing in the Workplace

Mode:

Writing Traits of Writing

English Language Arts:

Page 389 from Write for College

Job Application

Writing is a gateway to opportunity. To get a job—pretty much any job more complex than lawn mowing—a student needs to write. Effectively filling out an application (and later a résumé) can mean the difference between employment and unemployment.

Lead students through the sample application. Help them see the major sections: personal, education, job, and references. Also impress on students the importance of writing legibly. A business can't hire them if the phone number or email is unreadable. To that end, students might want to bring the application home and make a photocopy to fill out as practice before transferring the information to the final form.

To give students practice, have them request a job application from a local business, fill it out, and hand it in to you.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.W.2.4

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.39.c.9

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.2

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Page 390 from Write for College

Guidelines: Developing a Résumé

Résumés often scare students. Modest students don't like to brag, and arrogant students realize they have little relevant work experience to brag about. However, the process of reflecting on one's education, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses is beneficial beyond just getting a job.

Students can start by simply freewriting about themselves. Provide the Résumé Scratch Sheet to give students a non-threatening structure for freewriting about themselves. After they have completed the sheet, they will have plenty of material for building their résumés.

Lead students through the parts, and use the model résumé on page 391 as a guide.

Then help them improve their work using the Checklist for Revising and Editing Résumés.

Downloads:

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Resume

English Language Arts:

Writing Process

Page 391 from Write for College

Sample Résumé

Discuss this résumé with your students, pointing out the key parts and features:

Simple, readable fonts convey information in a businesslike and trustworthy way.
Headings and hanging indents organize information, making it easy to access.
Entries appear from most to least recent.
Items use telegraphic style (dropping unnecessary words such as the subject "I").
Parallel structure makes information accessible.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Resume

English Language Arts:

Reading Writing

Page 392 from Write for College

Parts of a Business Letter

Though email has taken over most jobs that business letters used to do, formal situations like job interviews still sometimes require well-written, correctly formatted business letters. Also, aside from the heading and inside address, the structure of a business email is the same as that of a letter, so students can benefit from learning this traditional form.

Lead students through each part of the business letter, using the model on page 393 to point out the parts.

Emphasize the importance of correctness, especially in the heading (mistakes here can prevent people from contacting the writer) and the inside address and salutation (mistakes here can offend the reader and cause the letter to be rejected). Also, mistakes anywhere in the letter are as distracting as a stain on a shirt or a hair sticking up on top of one's head. Correctness reflects well on the writer and keeps the reader from becoming distracted by little errors.

As with all business writing, a letter must purposefully address a subject for a specific audience. Students should be able to answer this question: "What do I want this letter to do?" Everything in the letter should contribute to achieving that purpose.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Business Letter Application Letter

Form:

English Language Arts:

Writing Logical Organization

Page 393 from Write for College

Recommendation Request Letter

Use this model to teach the parts of a formal business letter in full-block style. (See page 396 for semi-block style.)

Also, stress the purpose: What does the writer want? (A strong recommendation letter to help with getting a job.) A clear goal allows the writer to align each element to a single purpose. If she gets her recommendation letter, she has succeeded, and if she doesn't, she has failed. It is that simple.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Business Letter Application Letter

Form:

English Language Arts:

Reading Writing

Page 394 from Write for College

Letter of Application

Ask students what the purpose of this letter is. (The writer hopes to land an internship at a hospital.) Ask students to indicate what the writer does to achieve this purpose. Help students understand that business writing is always goal-oriented, with a specific outcome in mind.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Business Letter Application Letter

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English Language Arts:

Page 395 from Write for College

Follow-Up Letter

Some students might feel that a follow-up letter (or email) is just a social nicety. Remind them that this letter is once again very purposeful: to get the job. The writer is reasserting herself in the employer's mind and is further making her case that she would be an excellent employee. If this writer ends up with the job because of having written a strong follow-up letter, this document is much more than a social nicety.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Business Letter

English Language Arts:

110.38.c.9.E, 110.39.c.9.E

Page 396 from Write for College

Formatting the Business Letter

Use this page to show two different formats for business letters: full-block (the standard business format) and semi-block (a more traditional style).

The tips at the bottom of the page provide general formatting support for either type of business letter.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.W.2.6

TEKS Standard:

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.1.j

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Level:

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Writing Logical Organization

Form:

Business Letter

English Language Arts:

Page 397 from Write for College

Addressing the Envelope

If many students struggle with business-letter format, even more will be clueless about addressing an envelope. Reinforce that the sender's name and address go in the upper left corner, the receiver's name and address appear in the center of the envelope (aligned left rather than centered), and the stamp goes in the upper right.

Also, review with students the traditional form for addressing envelopes as well as the post office-preferred form.

Encourage students to return to this page whenever they must address an envelope.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.W.2.6

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9.E, 110.39.c.9.E

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.1.j

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Writing Logical Organization

English Language Arts:

Page 398 from Write for College

Understanding Interview Questions

Help students realize that questions in an interview are also purposeful. They aren't like test questions, which simply seek to measure learning. Instead, interview questions help employers determine who would best fit the position they are trying to fill.

Use the examples on this page to alert students to the types of questions that interviewers ask and the purpose behind the questions. Give special attention to the performance-based question at the bottom of the page. Let students know that they should be ready to respond to a work scenario like this one.

Have students pair off with partners and roleplay an interview, with one person playing the employer and the other the interviewee. Ask students to think of the purpose behind a question when they respond to it. After initial interviews, have students switch roles.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.SL.1.1

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.1, 110.39.c.1

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.3.1, LA 12.3.3.a

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English Language Arts:

Speaking Listening

Page 399 from Write for College

Understanding Legal Questions

Federal laws prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of race, gender, or religion when hiring, so employers should not ask discriminatory questions. Use this page to help students understand the difference between discriminatory and fair questions—and what they can do if confronted with discriminatory questions. The best defense is understanding how to answer the "question behind the question." For example, a question about the person's first language may be trying to ascertain English speaking and writing skills, so focusing on that response can avoid discrimination.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.SL.1.1

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.1, 110.39.c.1

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.3.1, LA 12.3.3.a

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Mode:

Writing Basics

English Language Arts:

Speaking Listening

Page 400 from Write for College

Guidelines: Writing an Email

As with any other business form, email needs to be purposeful. Students should answer the PAST questions before drafting an email, while revising and editing it, and once again before clicking "Send."

Use this page to guide students through the process of writing an email, and direct them to the example on page 401.

Provide students the Checklist for Revising and Editing Email to help them improve their work.

Downloads:

Checklist for Revising and Editing Email

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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English Language Arts:

Writing Process

Page 401 from Write for College

Sample Email

Have students read the two emails on this page, and afterward lead a discussion of them, using the side notes as starting points.

Specifically, show that the main point of each email is very purposeful. The first email reminds the employer of this individual and reasserts her desire to join the team. The second thanks the employer for the opportunity to join the team. All of the details in both emails are meant to accomplish their purpose.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Page 402 from Write for College

Guidelines: Writing a Memo

Email has displaced memos and letters for most business communication, but formal internal messages still often take memo form, especially in government. Use this page to teach students this traditional form.

Again, they should start by thinking of the communication situation using the PAST questions. Memos should always be purposeful, with a clear audience and subject.

Lead students through the sample memo on page 403. Then guide them through the prewriting process for creating their own memos. Afterward, help them understand how to write an effective memo using the standard structure.

Provide students the Checklist for Revising and Editing Memos to guide their work in improving the document before sharing it.

Downloads:

Checklist for Revising and Editing Memos

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Form:

Memo

English Language Arts:

Writing Process

Page 403 from Write for College

Sample Workplace Memo

Use this page to teach students the correct form for a memo. Help them see that an email basically follows memo form.

Have students read the sample to themselves, and then lead a discussion about the memo's purpose, audience, and subject. Note how format makes the information accessible and makes the memo easy to respond to.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

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Level:

Mode:

Form:

Memo

English Language Arts: