BUSN 299

During the first two weeks of this course, you will complete five projects that focus on preparing documents you can use to market yourself to a prospective employer. Each of these projects, combined with two more projects you will complete in weeks 3 &4 and 5 & 6 will be combined into an e-portfolio during weeks 7 & 8. All of the projects you will complete during the next two weeks will call upon your skills with word processing (Microsoft Word). This course has no prerequisits, however, it is assumed that you know the basics of word processing a document in Word. If you need to brush up on your skills with Word, a hyperlink is provided in the Resources tab that will take you to an Open Educational Source (OES) resource published by GCFLearnfree. Each of the 30 short (5 - 7 minute) GCFLearnfree Microsoft Word contents include (a) a short video presentation (b) a slide presentation, and (c) a practice session where you can hone your word processing skills. None of these GCFLearnfree contents are mandatory, simply choose the ones where you may want to brush up on your skills.

General Instructions:

All of the five projects described below are stand-alone and may be completed in any order. However, before beginning these projects, here are some general instructions for completing these projects:

• Begin preparing for this week's content by choosing one of the free Cloud storage spaces such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Docs. This cloud storage will be used to deposit your completed projects at the end of each two-week period. At the end of the 6th week, you should have seven projects stored in this cloud account. Your instructor will be given access to this cloud account by way of a hyperlink in order to (a) review each project, (b) make comments and propose modifications, and (c) to assign a grade for your effort. Please entitle your personal cloud account with the following convention: BUSN299_last name_first initial (BUSN299_Smith_J). Set up your folder structure so you have a master folder for the course (BUSN299) and then a folder for each project within your master folder. Obtain a link to the master folder to submit to your instructor (see below) with your or this first assignment, then your instructor for this course will be able to see all the documents submitted to your other folders in each week after.


• Use only Microsoft Word to complete each project


• You may not use any of the preformatted templates provided in Microsoft Word. However, if you find a template on the internet that you would like to duplicate (not download), feel free to use them. One of the purposes of this assignment is to highlight your skills with Microsoft Word and copying preformatted templates does little to develop your word processing skills.


• Save your work frequently, a project lost after several hours of work can be disheartening.


• All of the documents in this week's assignments should be authored in a way to reflect your skills, professionalism, and capabilities as a businessperson. Put your best foot forward by using correct syntax, spelling, verb tense, voice, sentence and paragraph structure, and punctuation. Use normal words, do not use military acronyms without explaining them, eliminate jargon and colloquialisms, and maintain a business voice throughout all communications.

Project Descriptions:

Project 1: Create a formal resume that you can use when applying for positions upon completion of the degree program. This resume should reflect your educational and job experiences (estimate your graduation date), hobbies, and personal interests, awards, publications, association affiliations, and interests. Choose (or create) a format that you believe will be viewed as professional, and indicates some of your personality. In the content section, you will find a number of resources you can access that lead you to information regarding resume types and formats, and many of the do's and don't's of resume writing. As one of the learning tasks for this project is for you to hone and showcase your skills at creating a word document of your own design, do not use any of the preformatted resumes provided in Word.

Project 2: Create a letter of introduction, or cover letter, to accompany the resume. This letter will profess an interest in a specific job for which you are interested in being considered for. Use a position to which you feel you may be qualified for and aspire to upon completion of the degree you are in the process of completing. This letter acts as a formal introduction and reflection of your writing skills and, as such, should be created in a formal letter format utilizing Microsoft Word styles. Make sure you access the resources provided in the Contents section that will provide insight into how to create a cover letter or letter of introduction. As with all of the projects you will create in this section, it is important to realize that each document is a reflection of your experience as a professional and your ability to author a professional communication. letter requesting a reference

Project 3: Create a letter to a colleague asking that the individual act as a reference. Students should research the Internet for how to develop a short but effective letter. This letter should be created in a formal letter format utilizing Microsoft Word styles and include an address, formal body, and salutation at the end.

Project 4: Create a letter thanking the interviewer for being considered for the job upon completion of the interview. This document should highlight the candidate's interest in the position, primary areas of fit with the responsibilities of the job, and a request for further consideration as a candidate for the job. Utilize Microsoft Word to create a formal letter with an address or letterhead, formal body, and salutation at the end.

Project 5: Create a short (one to two page) instructional document that highlights your skills with using Microsoft Word. Choose two of the following subjects as your focus for this training document (or pick two of your own choosing): (a) how to insert hyperlinks to videos or web pages, (b) how to create tables, (c) how to insert charts, (d) how to insert photos and clip art, or (e) how to insert both a bulleted and a numbered list. The document should be designed and created in Microsoft word, be self-explanatory to the reader, and have one example for each of the 2 subjects you choose for your instructional document. The instructor should be able to follow your instructions and complete each of the examples you give in your document.