Assignments
Medical administrative position.
1. Due by Day 7. Developing a Strong Resume.
Creating a strong resume is a crucial component in any successful job search. Your resume serves as your personal marketing document and your first impression to prospective employers. To create a strong resume, you must first identify the message you want the reader to receive and determine the skills and qualifications you would like to highlight on your resume. What you highlight, is generally based on the position you would like to apply to.
To prepare your resume:
- Watch the Creating a Winning Resume webinar to help prepare you for creating or updating your resume.
- Login to My Career through your Student Portal. Revisit your career goal and identify the top 3-5 skills or qualifications that make you a strong candidate for this career/position.
- If you already have a resume: Use the resume resources and sample resumes to update your resume and target the industry or occupation you are seeking.
- If you do not have a resume: Use the resume resources and this resume template to develop an initial resume, and target the resume to the industry or occupation you are seeking.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
2. Due by Day 7. Elevator Speech. (write assignment, Ill do the speaking part)
An elevator speech is an excellent way to convey your skills while networking and seeking employment. Typically, an elevator speech is a one-minute summary of who you are, why you are qualified, and what you have to offer the organization or industry. A brief sales pitch will ensure that you are prepared to discuss your career goals whenever the opportunity presents itself. Some examples of where you could use your elevator speech are at a networking event, during a job interview, or in a social setting.
- Watch The Elevator Pitch video and design a 1-minute sales pitch that is tailored toward your chosen career path. It is recommended that you utilize one of the following voice recording options to hear your elevator speech and share it with your classmates.
- Once you have completed your recording, upload it to the dropbox or hyperlink it in a Word document. If you are having trouble recording your elevator speech, please contact your instructor.
- Example Elevator Speech
- Hi, my name is John and I am a student at Ashford University completing my Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management. For the past five years, I have worked in a leadership role in the food service industry, where I was able to reduce costs and increase revenues. I am seeking to increase my management responsibilities and move into a district manager role where I can help improve company productivity and increase profitability.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
3. Due by Day 7. Cover Letter. Cover letters are recommended, and in some instances required, for job applications. If you want to stand out from other candidates, you will want to write a unique cover letter for each position you apply to.
Cover letters allow you to clarify, detail, and expand on your most relevant skills and competencies. In addition, a cover letter allows you to showcase your written communication skills.
It is important that you have a compelling cover letter. To write an impactful cover letter, you need to answer the following questions before you begin composing it. Starting with these questions will help provide a clear and concise message for the person reading your cover letter.
- Why are you interested in the position? Consider what makes the position, organization, or company interesting to you.
- What three skills or competencies do you possess that match the skills the employer is seeking in a candidate?
- You can find these skills by viewing the job description. These specific skills are the reason every cover letter should be unique for each job for which you apply.
- The Cover Letters resource contains step-by step instructions for creating a cover letter including: formatting suggestions, tips regarding how to highlight your best skills and qualification and how to tailor your letter for specific job you wish to apply to.
- For more in-depth guidance for writing a cover letter, please watch the Creating a Compelling Cover Letter webinar.
For your assignment:
- First, identify a position on www.indeed.com that interests you as a potential job opportunity. Using the job description, identify three skills or qualifications that match your background and type them out.
- Next, using the format suggestions from both the webinar and cover letter sample, create a three- to four-sentence paragraph that communicates the three matching skills and/or competencies you would like to highlight for the employer. The goal is to tailor the body of your cover letter to the position you seek.
