Business Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10

Writing for the Job Hunt

IN THIS CHAPTER

Knowing your value and communicating it

Writing résumés that get you hired

Creating effective cover letters

Using messages to network

If the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is correct, today’s average worker stays at each job for approximately 4.4 years. But most Millennials expect to stay at a job for less than three years. If you were born after 1980, that means you’ll probably hold 15 to 20 jobs in your lifetime. But taking account of how fast industries appear and disappear these days, some futurists predict that today’s young people will hold 40 different jobs — in ten completely different career paths — over the course of their lives.

Whichever statistic you buy into, I recommend you face this fact: Your career will demand countless résumés, cover letters, interviews, and networking messages. It’s hard to imagine new technology will change this situation much. Good written communication is becoming more central than ever for ...