Today and Friday, you will work with the members of your group to create job-application materials, with the following goals:

• To get to know the people in your group.
• To get some practice collaborating.
• To spend some time thinking about what goes into effective job-application materials.
• To get some experience using Google Docs for group composing.
• To have a little fun in the process.

The Class Activity

Your job is to create job application materials for a cartoon character and then to present your documents to the class. I have posted a Collection of Cartoon Resumes so you have some examples to inspire you. They’re not perfect, but they will give you some idea of what your group needs to do.

You can make up information that isn’t known, but keep your responses appropriate for the character you’ve chosen. You can do some simple research to remind yourself of details about the character your group chooses. Wikipedia usually has facts about many cartoon characters, and some cartoon series have fan sites where you can find information.

Use the information in Markel, Chapter 10 (“Writing Job-Application Materials”) or the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online) as a model for what goes into the job-application materials.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. As a group, choose your cartoon character. Stick with a relatively well-known, family-friendly character please.
2. Have one person in the group create a Google Doc, and share it so that everyone in the group can edit the document. Please also share it with tengrrl@vt.edu, and email me the share link. [The idea is that you can now all compose and work in that document at the same time. Also, I will use the names and the work in your shared document to give you credit for in-class writing today.]
3. Go to Monster.com, find a job listing that fits the capabilities of your cartoon character, and copy and paste the listing into your Google doc. Include the URL for the listing. [The idea is that having a job the character is applying for will help you decide what facts to include in the resume and cover letter.]
4. Create a resume that includes the following information:
   1. identifying information (address, email, phone #, etc.)
   2. job objective
   3. educational information
   4. employment details
   5. relevant interests and activities
   6. any other appropriate sections, such as military service, language abilities, or willingness to relocate
   7. references
5. Create an application letter the includes the following information:
   1. opening paragraph that identifies the source of information and the position the character is applying for and forecasts the rest of the letter
   2. education paragraph that responds to the company's needs/requirements
   3. employment paragraph that responds to the company's needs/requirements
   4. concluding paragraph that refers to the resume, asks for an interview, and includes contact info
6. Spell check and proofread your documents to catch any errors.
7. Prepare to share the documents with the class:
   1. Decide who will be the spokesperson for your group.
   2. Determine the main points of the job listing that you will share.
   3. Choose three or four highlights from your resume to point out.
   4. Choose two or three highlights from the application letter to share.
   5. Prepare a concluding comment that sums up why the character is a great choice for the job.

Homework

• You will have about 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of class Friday to make any last minute changes to your cartoon resumes and get ready to present them. If necessary, do whatever work you need to outside of the classroom so that you’re ready to go on Friday.
• Be ready for Friday’s In-Class Writing. You will have the last 10 to 15 minutes of class time to compose your Project 3 writing plan for approval. I will ask you to tell me the specific thing you have chosen to do for your Job-Application Materials, and I would like you to tell me about why you have chosen what you have so that I understand your goals.