Resume Reading

Munschauer's article was informative on a number of levels. In particular, I intend to use the section on C.V. to help me to better plan my own vita. Reading this article made me think of several things.

One of my hobbies as a recent college graduate was to apply to new jobs. During this time, I already had a job, but was very unhappy with it. I thought I was doing the "right" thing by simply changing the companies' names and my objective. Now I realize that not adjusting the content and layout potentially costed me the chance for several interviews. I was sure that as long as I changed the company name, objective, and had soft yellow resume paper that I would get any job. I was terribly wrong.

Secondly, this summer I was able to see firsthand how a hiring manager wades through stacks on resumes. The hiring manager I observed, my sister, explained to me that she looked for keywords and presentation in resumes. Even though I tried to slow her down to get her to consider some applicants I thought she may have overlooked, she exclaimed that more people will eventually apply and that the discarded resumes lacked clarity and relevance.

Lastly, one of my students in ENGL 103 class asked for help writing resumes. After almost two years in the MAPC program, I felt obligated to remind him that he needs to consider his intended audience and its purpose or needs for offering the position. I am hesitant to give him an example for fear that he, as an impressionable freshman, will take my example and use it as the "Ten Commandments of Resumes" as I had when I was younger. Consequently, I think I will let him write what he believes to be a "good" resume and talk with him about it. Maybe I will even benefit from helping him.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2009 MA Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

2003 BA Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia

Thesis

The Rhetorical Influence of Color in Residential Real Estate Design Marketing. Clemson, SC: Clemson, University 2009

Research Interests

Professional communication, organization design, visual rhetoric, technical writing, interior design, graphic communication, advertising, marketing, technical editing, digital literacy, usability testing

Teaching Experience

2006-2008 Clemson University – Accelerated Composition ENGL 103

Other Experience

2003-2007 – Management Assistant
2001-2003 Lynchburg College – Alton L. Wilmer Writing Center Tutor

Publications

Refereed chapters and articles

April Davis. [“NEED TITLE”]. Ontario Society for the Study of Argumentation (OSSA) 2000.

April Davis. “Mother.” In The Agora, 2003. [Publisher]: The agora, 2003, pp. ??-??.

April Davis. “A Day At the Park”. In The Agora, 2002. [Publisher]: The agora, 2002, pp. ??-??.

April Davis. [“NEED TITLE”]. In The Prism, 2002. [Publisher]: The prism, 2005, pp. ??-??.



Personal Statement

Introduction
Throughout my life, I have always maintained a passion for writing, technology, and design. I enjoyed watching decorating shows and drawing pictures just as much as I did playing video games, making PowerPoint presentations, and typing creative writing papers. Yet, as a Lynchburg College undergraduate studying English, I never thought that I could combine all three of my interests to be used in academia or the workforce, so I chose to focus solely on writing. Fortunately, graduate school changed how I began to see myself professionally. It ultimately set me on course for pursing a Doctorate of Philosophy in English with a specialization in Professional Writing and New Media from Old Dominion University.

Clemson University’s MA of Professional Communication program trained me to recognize writing, technology, design, research, and usability as rhetorical elements. Moreover, I learned that these interests were closely interrelated, and in some cases, interchangeable. Essentially, writing is both design and technology. My graduate thesis project is a marriage of this very concept and is road map of what I will pursue for a career. I welcome the experience of earning a degree from Old Dominion University in hopes of honing the analytical skills I have developed and preparing myself for leadership roles within the technical and professional communication community.

Academic and Professional Goals
Immediately after graduation in May of 2009 from Clemson University’s Master of Arts in Professional Communication, my goal is to enroll in classes at Old Dominion University as a part-time student. Excited about a career in industry, education, or a combination of the two, I intend to begin working with an organization while earning my doctorate and using the skills I learn. Applying the extensive historical, theoretical, pedagogical, practical, and research knowledge about professional communication that I learned from Clemson, I will focus on how form, purpose, technology of composition, audience, cultural location, and communities of discourse affect the creation and reception of texts and media.

My professional interests are in visual rhetoric, technical writing, technical editing, proposal writing, real estate, information technology, and organization/interior design. Earning this degree will ensure my goal of securing a successful career and enable me to apply it to many a number of different industries.

Importance of this Degree
During college and as a working adult, my recognized strength was and is my ability to operate efficiently under pressure while remaining creative and on task. The ability to manage my time well while also working on several projects is a trait I have continued to perfect over the years. The technical writing field requires one to conduct research in addition to writing. Fact-finding has always been something that I have done well because I am very patient and am thorough in my work. I have always been motivated by the desire to put forth my best effort in whatever I do. I want to excel and to be successful as a student, employee, and for my own personal satisfaction.

Kostelnick and Petroski

These two texts argue that seemingly typical design decisions such as using bold lettering or choosing a bridge layout not be treated arbitrarily. Kostelnick's article is important for any form of professional writing. Specifically, as I read this article, I thought about how easy it was for me to put my thesis headings in bold, large letters. Yet, Kostelnick and Foucault's articles reminded me that ease of use and convention should not be the basis of solving a problem.

Design is rhetorical; hence, I should have considered the fact that although bold text is easier for an audience to find on a page, my audience, three MAPC professors, read student thesis proposals every year and can recognize headings and sub-headings. Therefore, it was not necessary that I used bold lettering. Also, Kostelnick's article suggests that (which I had forgotten) bold text can also be offensive if used in the wrong context. Certainly my intention was not to offend three of the most important people currently in my life, but this point proves that I have to be very careful as to how I implement such choices - even if my audience is design professionals who know the difference.

The Petroski text was a perfect complement to both Kostelnick and Dorothy Winsor's articles. Obviously, Winsor's article talks about how engineers write themselves as engineers and Petroski's shows how engineers go about being engineers: invention through previous design interaction. For instance, Petroski discusses at length about how many people were fearful of using iron in railway bridges because of the numerous failed designs. Consequently, many engineers and their audiences rallied behind using wooden bridges because "that was the way things had always been done". Yet, Petroski points out that although the wooden bridges were widely used, they too were not without problems.

Another example of "good" design gone wrong is Alcatraz. Built as an impenetrable keep for the nation's most notorious prisoners, Alcatraz, or "the Rock", only lived up to its name for a short while. Made of mostly iron and concrete, the building is located on its own island in the San Francisco Bay. The design was effective as far as the intimidation factor was concerned; however, the salt water surrounding the island wore on the building over the years causing it to deteriorate and foster prison escapes. Although the inmates themselves actually did the crime, this design oversight could be blamed for numerous prison guard murders and the mass hysteria in San Francisco during the building's operation years.

I really enjoyed reading these two texts and don't have any nasty commentary to make about them. As a change, I thought I would show a clip from YouTube.com of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster. Ironically, I saw a special on the History Channel about bridges, and this one was mentioned. I did not see this situation in a rhetorical light until I read Petroski's article. I also commend Petroski for daring to combine the two extremes of writing: poetry and professional writing (Robert Frost's poem).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mclp9QmCGs

Project Draft 1

Curriculum Vitae

April J. Davis

Education
2009 MA Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

2003 BA Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia

Thesis
The Rhetorical Influence of Color in Residential Real Estate Design Marketing. Clemson, SC: Clemson, University 2009

Research Interests
Interior design study, professional communication, organization design, technical editing

Teaching Experience
2006-2008 Clemson University – Accelerated Composition ENGL 103

Relevant Experience

Publications
April Davis. Ontario Society for the Study of Argumentation (OSSA) 2000.

Proposal Revision

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Many college graduates who seek enrollment into a doctoral program have neither a firm understanding about what documentation to submit nor knowledge of how to format it. I propose to develop a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae (cv), and professional website portfolio and submit three recommendation letters to include in my application packet to such a program. This project will proactively enable me to apply to a program before the deadline and will serve as a guideline for other graduate students with doctoral degree aspirations.

INTRODUCTION
Many college graduates aspiring to continue their education beyond the Master's degree level have a general idea about the caliber of students such programs accept, but have little or no understanding about what documentation to submit to a doctoral program and how to format it. As a candidate for admission to a doctoral program, I will create a prospectus letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio to submit for this very purpose.

While the content of this project will contain information specifically pertaining to me and my educational and career goals, the process itself is also beneficial to other students in that they can use the components from this project as useful guidelines for creating and compiling their own application portfolios. Moreover, prospective applicants may discover opportunities within these templates to add pertinent information to some areas in the portfolio that may not have been considered earlier.

It is important, however, to emphasize that this project is not regarded as the only correct way of arranging a packet for a doctoral program submission. Each student will have to research the specific conditions her desired program requests and decide what information is appropriate to meet those constraints. Learning this process will not only inform the student on the major components of a doctoral application, but he will understand that replicating the process is not the answer: he must assess the needs and decide accordingly how to address the situation.

CURRENT SITUATION
To date, the following items need to be produced in order to apply to a program:
· an application letter
· a curriculum vitae (cv)
· a professional website portfolio
· three recommendation letters

Although I do have a functional, one-page resume, it is an abbreviated account of my education and work experience and will not suffice for this particular undertaking. I also have several documents that could be used as evidence of my intelligence and achievements, yet they are scattered among four to six digital memory storage devices and some bear little or no relevance to the type of program for which I hope to apply. I also am yet to write a letter to any schools and am not sure about what it needs to say. Given the materials I currently have and considering the exacting standards that many programs set, it is apparent that I am not yet prepared to apply to such a program.

One of the possible reasons why some doctoral program applicants do not get into their desired programs is because they equate this application process with that of an undergraduate or graduate level study. Some students may even consider that earning a Master’s degree is all the qualification an applicant needs to qualify for the next academic level and refuse to spend enough time developing a portfolio packet. Other potential applicants may want to apply, but may feel intimidated and overwhelmed by what they believe is expected of them and abandon their goals of attending because of fear.

At the doctoral level, many program officials expect the candidates to introduce and “sell” themselves to the officials. Some people may consider this process unreasonable and humiliating, but it is actually a unique case of how audience analysis functions. Even though graduate programs rely on people to apply and come to the schools so that the professors can teach, the students are ultimately the main beneficiaries of attending the college as they are gaining knowledge and honing their skills to make themselves more marketable professionals.

Another integral aspect of audience analysis that applicants must consider is that even though it is important to distinguish oneself from the applicant pool, they must operate within the program’s set limitations. Doctoral programs are usually small, typically admitting fewer students than would a Master’s degree program. Hence, students should not submit materials that simply appear to be “impressive” and do not serve any importance other than the fact the students’ may have received high marks on them. This misconception may prove more harmful than helpful. Instead, they need to adhere to the specifications established by the academic community of professors while also successfully distinguishing themselves from other students.

PROJECT PLAN
Reaching my goal is not as simple as merely creating a website, writing a letter, and typing an employment history statement. On the contrary, the actual process for getting there is much more intricate. Granted, if a student already knows which school he is interested in, he may be able to bypass some of the underlying work and begin the process of preparing the materials. However, some college graduates, especially those who are busily trying to finish their current program, may not be as fortunate and would benefit from other solutions. Therefore, I will create a preliminary checklist of tasks for such students to complete before they begin working on the application packet. The main elements of this checklist appear in bulleted format below:
· Set aside time over the course of a week to look for programs of interest
· Narrow the choices to the three top schools listing the attributes of each
· Decide on applying to a program or programs
· Create a sensible, numbered schedule detailing what the admission particulars are when they are due
· Prioritize time to begin working on the submission materials

Now the fun part begins: actually doing the work. As a place to start, it is advisable to work on the curriculum vitae first because this document will determine what information is to be highlighted on the website portfolio and application letter. Although each of the three components of the application packet (letter, cv, and website portfolio) serve specific purposes, each one should be constructed based on the following guidelines: audience, format, and content.

In his article, The Basics of a Cover Letter, managing editor Steven Graber states, “Before reading a word of your cover letter, a potential employer has already made an assessment of your organizational skills and attention to detail simply by observing its appearance” (306). With regard to content, Graber suggests personalizing the letter and “mapping it out”. Both of these suggestions will address the audience analysis, formatting, and content factors.

Following this same format, I will structure my curriculum vitae around a Dr. Jan Holmevik’s personal copy, the specifications of the program, and credible sources from the Internet. The following is a preliminary list of the curriculum vitae contents:
· candidate's objectives and/or goals
· educational background
· previous work experience
· notable qualifications
· pertinent information specified by the program and Dr. Holmevik

Likewise, the website portfolio will address audience, format, content, but will showcase evidence of the letter and curriculum vitae. Specifically, the major components of the professional website are
· a bibliography about the applicant
· an overview of education history and relevant employment experience
· scholarly documents and projects completed
· particulars mentioned from the prospective doctoral program

Although this document can serve as a resource for other students, the document itself will not be without its flaws and will require numerous revisions. In addition to referring to the doctoral program prerequisites, the success of this project depends on constructive criticism by classroom peers and advice from the first client/audience: Dr. Holmevik.

The following computer applications and website will be used to create each component of the application submission:
· Microsoft Word: curriculum vitae and application letter
· InDesign: curriculum vitae
· ePortfolio website(http://www.clemson.edu/ugs/eportfolio): web portfolio

QUALIFICATIONS
Composing an application letter, curriculum vitae, and professional website portfolio now will enable me to submit these required materials to a doctoral program before the general deadline date early next year. Completing this task as a class assignment will provide me with helpful feedback during the process and reduce the chance of submitting an insufficient application package.

In addition to this project being a major class assignment, it will also help me to make my dreams of earning a Ph. D a reality. Beginning this process has further convinced me that even the greatest challenges are attainable with necessary planning.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
Tentatively, the project itinerary will emulate the following:
· September 16 - Proposal outline due
· September 25 - Proposal due
· October 1 – Create checklist
· October 16 - First deliverable draft completed
· October 30 - Second deliverable draft completed
· November 13 - Technology preview due
· December 4 - Project presentation

CONCLUSION
For many graduate students, the greatest measure of academic achievement is a doctoral degree. Unfortunately, some students have no concept of how to proceed with the application process or what materials are needed for submission. This project will produce the necessary components for applying to a doctoral program and will direct other students by example about how to proceed with such an undertaking.

Reports and Other Long Documents - Part 2

In his article, Richard Johnson-Sheehan talks about writing style, specifically how plain writing is persuasive. This idea almost seems like a contradiction in itself. Yet, in comparison to reading goobledygook, the connection is crystal clear.

Johnson-Sheehan offers eight guidelines for structuring sentences. In summation, the guidelines stress sentence clarity by focusing on the "doer" (active subject), avoiding redundancy, and eliminating wordiness. Generally speaking, academic writing seems to ignore these two suggestions completely. Using Johnson-Sheehan's words, considering the "breathing length" appears to be a non-issue to many writers.

The arrogance of academia suggests that because the writers already understand the information, they should flaunt their knowledge and penalize students for not being experts. As a matter of fact, several texts I have read while in the program have left me feeling out of breath and exhausted. Of course I am a biased student, but I never pass the opportunity to shun academic authors and their writer-based prose.

I do understand that some people do not intend to write in convoluted ways, but simply have a different style. It is also apparent that the topic of the text will usually determine how the text is written (e.g. Foucault). However, it just seems that any writing other than poetry or self-reflection essays are meant to be interpreted by an audience. Hence, I do not understand why arrogant complicated writing is necessary. As an audience member of such material, I would suggest the K.I.S.S. concept to many authors: Keep It Simple Stupid/Silly.