Nineteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

In 2018, well before the Covid-19 pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported that 43% of college grads (2000 to 2017) were underemployed, i.e., working in jobs that don’t require college degrees. Another study revealed that underemployment usually persists “five and 10 years out.” Once the coronavirus cloud clears and college grads are able to try to meet the challenge of getting interviews for the jobs they really want, they will need to be equipped with the latest networking strategies and exceptional job application materials. Based on 24 years of teaching business writing, the author of How to Write Killer Cover Letters & Resumes addresses the underemployment problem with best practices in networking and cover letter composition. Networking is valuable because that is how most jobs are found. I also explain how to compose a “killer” cover letter with a unique and time-tested pedagogical strategy including what needs to be achieved in each paragraph with compelling writing models. Lastly, I provide detailed notes that any instructor can use to teach the cover letter genre, including an excellent source for resume development.