In Class Activity - Memo

Memo
Date: 30 September 2009
To: Dr. Liu
From: Alicia Jones and Stefani Goode
Subject: Discussing the strengths of Sea-Tasty Tuna adjustment letter.

The purpose of this memo is to discuss the strengths of the Sea-Tasty Tuna adjustment letter that was read in class on 30 September 2009. The goal of the class exercise was to help us identify strengths and weaknesses in business documents.

Summary
In the class discussion we noted four major strengths for a good adjustment letter. The letter contained proper letter format, an opening apology, offered a solution to the problem, and closed with a good faith offering.

Discussion
In reading over the adjustment letter we found these following strengths:
· Proper letter format
o The writer used proper block letter format.
· Opening apology
o The writer opened with an apology noting the customer’s complaint/concern.
· Solution to the problem
o The writer offered coupons as compensation for the customer’s inconvenience.
§ However, the writer does not take complete blame for the incident, his tone suggests that the customer is also to blame; making this a weakness that needs to be noted.
· Good faith offering
o The writer attempts to restore the customer’s confidence in Sea-Tasty Tuna.

Recommendation
We would like to discuss with you some possible corrections for the adjustment letter. We think the class could also participate in this discussion and possibly add their input to the rewrite of the adjustment letter. We would like to meet at your earliest convenience.

Class Activity - Bad News Letter

Oasis Swimming Club
5555 W. Lane
Los Angeles, CA 90250
(521) 555-5555

23 September 2009

Ms. Sarah Smith
2175 N. Glenn Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90250

Dear Ms. Smith:

Thank you for writing us about the loss of your contact lens on September 15, 2009. I understand that this is a problem.

According to your letter, you lost your contact lens while swimming laps in our Olympic trainer pool. Contact lenses are such small and delicate things. You stated that you didn’t have a replacement pair and had to forego swimming until you they could be replaced. Since losing your contact lens you were unable to compete in another athletic event. You are asking us to reimburse you $75 the cost of a replacement contact lens.

As you know, our company has all members sign a contract that explicitly states that the management is not responsible for any member’s personal property, lost or stolen. If you re-read your contract carefully you will see that statement. Thus we are not responsible for your lost contact lens; each member has a personal responsibility to take care of their own items.

However, your contact lens maybe recovered at the next pool cleaning scheduled for this week Friday. Recovery may be as simple as looking through the pool filter and seeing if it was simply backwashed. To prevent this from happening again please make sure all personal items are secure in one of our many locker rooms.

As for the contact lens, I can have maintenance look through the filter trap and see if they can find it, if that is what you would like us to do please contact me at the number above.

We hope this issue will not hinder your future use of our facility.

Sincerely yours,
Stefani Goode
Stefani Goode, Manager
Customer Service Department

Assignment 1 Reflection

Stefani Goode
ENG 2333
Dr. Liu
23 September 2009

Assignment 1 Reflection

In doing this assignment, I have learned a few new things about myself. At first, I was a bit apprehensive in my job searches since the first ten or so I didn’t quite fit the criteria. Dr. Liu stated that if I don’t have some of the criteria, I could always show my prospective employer my abilities in my job letter. I had a bit of difficulty starting the job letter because showing by examples was not easy for me. It is not easy writing a job letter with no experience in that field but it does help give me an idea of what I am supposed to do. After going through some more job searches, I found I was qualified for quite a few.

My resume feels pretty standard; however, I was a bit concerned about listing all my work experience since most of my jobs were part-time work and nothing serious. I couldn’t remember all of my work positions and employers names but found out that it wasn’t necessary to include them. I only put the last 4 major jobs I had and that made it easier. An interesting thing I did learn was that my reference page should include professional references such as professors and employers. For me, using professors as professional references helps in creating a more substantial reference page.

Now that I have a decent resume and job letter I can continue to update them for future use. In creating this resume I found that it helps me in the near future because the graduate program I would like to be accepted to requires a resume. I feel more prepared for the next step in the job process.

Resume

Stefani N. Goode
31 NW Lakewood Dr.
Lawton, OK USA
(580) 555-5555
stefanigoode@cu.edu


Objective
An ESL teaching position that uses my grammar and linguistic skills

Education
B.A. in English
Cameron University, Lawton, OK
Cumulative GPA: 3.29
Prospective Graduation Date: May 2010
Areas of Concentration
· English Linguistics
· Literature
· Technical Writing
· Advanced Grammar and Usage

B.A. in Foreign Languages
Cameron University, Lawton, OK
Cumulative GPA: 3.29
Prospective Graduation Date: May 2010
Areas of Concentration
· German
· Italian
· General Linguistics
· Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)

B.S. in Multimedia Design
Cameron University, Lawton, OK
Cumulative GPA: 3.1
Graduation Date: December 2001
Areas of Concentration
· Graphic Design
· Webpage Layouts
· Technical Communications

Work Experience
First Command Financial Planning, Bamberg, Germany
Office Manager, 2004
· Assisted in updating financial accounts and records
· Scheduled client appointments
· Maintained office supplies

Hastings Entertainment, Inc., Lawton, OK
Customer Service Manager, 2003
· Supervised a staff of 4 to 6 employees
· Updated video rental records
· Maintained sales at or above $2100 a day

Upward Bound, Cameron University, Lawton, OK
Student Worker, 2003-2002
· Scheduled appointments for tutoring sessions
· Scheduled students in workshops
· Maintained office supplies and phone records
· Maintained student files for office counselors

Career Services, Cameron University, Lawton, OK
Student Worker, 2002-2000
· Scheduled appointments for office manager
· Maintained PLUS scholarship files
· Assisted students in scholarship information gathering
· Maintained office supplies and phone messages
· Maintained student files for office manager

Languages
English
· Native speaker
· Read and write with high proficiency

German
· Speak fluently
· Read and write with high proficiency

Italian
· Speak with basic competence
· Read and write with basic competency

Memberships
National Honor Society
Since 2008

Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society (English Honor Society)
Since 2009

Awards
Who’s Who (Honorable mention)
2009
President’s Honor Roll
2008
Dean’s Honor Roll
2009, 2007, 2003, 2002


References
References available upon request

Job Letter

31 NW Lakewood Dr.
Lawton, OK USA

16 September 2009

Department of College English Studies
Anhui University
Feixi Road 3, Hefei 230039
Anhui, P.R.China

Dear Madam:

I am writing in response to your September 15 online ESL forum on Lanternfish. I would like to be considered for the English teacher position at your university. I hope you find that my studies in linguistics and language at Cameron University qualify me for the position.

At Cameron University, I have taken a wide range of language courses, but my most interesting work has been in linguistics. In one course, I learned about methods on how adults and children acquire a second language and how to approach students in a calm manner to instill a desire to learn a new language. These methods are applied to almost all language acquisition. I have seen them used first hand in my various language courses. I have learned about grammatical structures and am able to explain them in a manner that will make students comfortable with English and its grammar.

At First Command Financial Planning in Bamberg, Germany, I worked as an office manager. I assisted my supervisor with client appointments. I would engage the clients in conversation to easy their anxieties and answer questions regarding the company. I would invite the clients to return or call with any questions or needed information. My experience as a student worker at Cameron University introduced me to helping students with scholarship information or assisting them with finding the proper information for their issues. I helped in creating the invitations for scholarship applicants to meet with the counselor.

More information about my education and experience is included on the enclosed resume, but I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at your convenience to discuss my application. You can reach me anytime at (580) 555-5555, or email me at stefanigoode@cu.edu.

Sincerely,

Stefani N. Goode

Stefani N. Goode


Enclosure

Class Activity - Claim Letter

16 September 2009

Mr. Bob Smith
Thermos R Us
1408 Gore Blvd.
Fairbanks, Wa 58679

Dear Mr. Smith:

I recently purchased your company’s Uber Travel Thermos for $8.95 at your store’s associate’s recommendation. Your associate assured me that it was a leak proof thermos made of the highest grade of plastic. However, upon the first use of the thermos, I found the claim to be a gross overstatement.

The thermos was purchased for my toddler’s use at daycare with the assurance that it would not leak when it was being used. It was brought to my attention that upon first use of the thermos it leaked on the daycare floor and then again at home on the family dining room table cloth. When the thermos leaked on the table cloth I tried to remove the stain myself with club soda and was unsuccessful. I then took the table cloth to the dry cleaners and again was unsuccessful. A replacement table cloth would cost me $35.

As you see this is a problem. I called your store and spoke with Mary Sue and she told me that I should have carefully read the thermos care instructions which were not included in my purchase.

I would like you to replace my thermos or refund me the purchase price of the thermos. I would also like compensation for my ruined table cloth. Enclosed is the copy of the thermos receipt and a receipt for the ruined table cloth.


Sincerely,


Stefani Jones


Enclosure

Class Activity 4 - Response

In reviewing 3 of the 5 job letters, 2 are polar opposites when it comes to how they state information. In jobletterstudentsample2, the format is left aligned and all 4 major paragraphs are included. The author shows by example what she can do for the prospective company. In jobletter1, the author has the left aligned format and the 4 necessary paragraphs. The author does not mention which specific job ad or job they are applying for. The author also asks questions in the opening and concluding paragraph. This makes the author look unsure and not confident. The third job letter, jobletterstudentsample3, has a decent format but the author does not pay attention to detail and the receivers address is not aligned correctly. This author makes the same mistake as the previous author in that she does not mention which specific job ad or job she is applying for. She also does not list what type of enclosure is added to her letter. I prefer the format and flow of jobletterstudentsample2 because this author follows a clear and concise format and hits all the major points for the prospective employer.

After-Class Resume Response

While working on my resume I noticed that the "don'ts" are good advice. I noticed that my objective is not clearly stated if at all. I need to work on my parallelism and adjust my white space. I noticed some of the Microsoft Word templates offer certain types of resume but not quite what I needed. I think my resume is a combination of both a skills resume and a chronological resume. I was confused on how to explain the large gap in time of my work experience and my current status but the reading states that I should address this in the job letter. So as it stands, I am using all the "do's" and "don'ts" of the after-class reading to help tweak my resume.

Class Activity 2 - Job Ad Critique

Stefani Goode
2 Sept. 2009
Class Activity 2

1.) The reader’s professional that deals with children. So they are probably teachers or school administrators.
2.) The reader is Asian and so there will be cultural differences in the way the job letter is written.
3.) The reader’s expectation about the job is finding a person that is professional and qualified to teach. The reader is looking for native English speakers with a degree in English or Education. They require government teaching certification and ESL experience.
4.) The reason for the reader to read my document is that I can fill all the requirements plus I can add to them by teaching courses in English Literature and add to the understanding of Urban English.
5.) The reader values ESL experience and an active, easy-going personality in the classroom. The reader wants the potential ESL instructor to be able to interact with the class in such a way as to get the students to open up and actually speak.
· Native English Speaker
· Degree in English / Education
· Government Recognized Teaching Certificate
· Previous ESL experience
· Active personality
· Interaction with students
· Current passport
6.) My Qualifications:
· Will receive a BA in English Literature and International Languages
§ Languages of interest are English, German, and Italian
· I am a native English Speaker
· Will be attaining a Government Teaching Certification
· Experienced in Multicultural atmosphere
§ Assisting German Nationals with English while living in Germany
· Previous ESL experience
§ Teaching English Conversation to German Nationals (adults and children)
§ Teaching English Conversation via Online Web Catch to Japanese Nationals


Renee G.
Part II. Classmate Critique

1. To make a minor correction to answer # 1 on part I. The reader or the audience is a professional with experience in education. According to the job posting, the reader(s) are familiar with the country and educational requirements.
2. Elaborate on your communication skills and your personality style which essentially is important to this employer. They are seeking not only experience but individuals that are sociable and interact well with other teachers and students.