Job Application #1
Mar. 31st, 2006 02:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI just applied for a job, which I can't link to, so I'll just paste all the information, poorly formatted, behind an LJ-cut.
The University of Texas System Job Posting
Job title Electronic Media Coordinator
FLSA status Exempt
Posting number 06-03-20-01-8504
Job status Open
Basic Information
Date available Immediately
Position duration Funding expected to continue
Position open to all applicants
Monthly salary $ 3316 - $ 3502 [huge! big pay raise!]
Hours per week 40.00 Standard from 800AM to 500PM
Location Downtown Austin, TX
Hiring department UT Telecampus
General notes Please be sure to include a cover letter and the names and contact information for three references in your online resume.
Additional Information
Required qualifications
Bachelor's degree and one year experience in instructional design of web-based courses. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred qualifications
Prefer experience in instructional design of web-based courses for a higher education audience.
Purpose of position
In a team environment, provide professional, technical and administrative skills to support UT TeleCampus faculty in the development of online courses. Through presentation and design, create exemplary technical solutions for course developers.
Essential functions
Assist UT TeleCampus faculty in the design and development of web-based courses. Provide course development training and technical support to faculty and course production personnel. Create web-based graphics, animations and other course elements to support the development of UT TeleCampus courses. Use Macromedia Dreamweaver or comparable web editor, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Flash extensively. Manage own time and projects. Work sucessfully in a team environment. Communicate with faculty and coworkers verbally and in writing.
Marginal/Incidental functions
Other related functions as assigned.
Working conditions
Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation. Use of manual dexterity. Security Sensitive; criminal background check conducted.
The University of Texas System Administration; Office of Employee Services; 702 Colorado St., Room 2.150, Austin, Texas 78701-2981; (512) 499-4587
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
I don't actually think I'll even get an interview, but what if I'm wrong? So I'm applying just in case, and for practice.
The title is "Electronic Media Coordinator," and it's to help develop online courses for UT campuses across the state. This is not the same job I already knew about from my campus and requires totally different skills which I also don't have (Dreamweaver, PhotoShop, Illustrator, and Flash). However, they don't actually require those skills to apply for the job; they just say I will be using them extensively.
I think Dreamweaver will be easy since I'm fluent with html. I've had some exposure to PhotoShop and Illustrator and have really good reference materials and an expert roommate on Photoshop. Flash I've seen on screen once and it looks tedious, but hey, my whole current job is tedious. Also, I have a friend who is a rabid fan of flash who could probably help me.
They also want a year of experience which I don't have. And so this is where my extra education comes in handy, because an "Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate."
So, I'm applying because it sounds almost just exactly perfect. The only problem, aside from having no qualifications, is the cover letter. For a person who enjoys writing nonfiction and who has been writing about myself daily, you would think this would be no problem. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Here is what not to put in a cover letter:
"I don't actually have any experience doing any of these things, but I do have a lot of experience doing other things that are very closely related. Really! I swear!" Whimper, whimper.
"If I already had a year of experience doing this exact same job, I would not be job hunting. I would be keeping that job."
"You know you want me. Oh, baby."
"One of the essential functions of this job is to 'Communicate with faculty and coworkers verbally and in writing.' I would just like to point out that 'in writing' is technically a subset of 'verbally.' Next time you might want to say 'orally and in writing.'"
In fact, I think writing resumes and cover letters is the most embarrassing thing I ever do. You know the way some people (like me) get nervous giving speeches? I feel the exact same way applying for jobs and going on interviews. Especially for jobs that I am not qualified for on paper. I never even want to show my application materials to other people for editing because they are too embarrassing. You know how after you send an e-mail and someone takes it all wrong because you weren't able to notice their face while you were spewing, and then you get a sick feeling in your stomach for ruining their day? I always strongly suspect that I am miscommunicating in exactly the same way when I send in an application. But eventually I do have to send something or I will never get a chance to get the job.
Nevertheless, today I will put those items behind another LJ cut. Because I am an adult now and can (occasionally) be brave.
Note: In this one, the cover letter and resume and references are all supposed to be inserted into a single text box.
INTRODUCTION
I have always had an interest in education. My favorite thing about student
teaching was writing lessons plans and developing resources that were better
than the appropriate selection in the assigned textbook. My experience as a
typist for faculty has shown me that I enjoy collaborating with faculty on
projects. My experience in administrative jobs has taught me to be good with
detail. I have always been considered a resource to my fellow co-workers for
advice on how to re-write things.
I enjoy organizing academic content to make it easy and fun to learn. I like
taking complex ideas and making them easy to follow. I greatly enjoy
translating technical jargon into lay language.
I would love to work with instructors and other staff to develop online
courses and appreciate your consideration of me for this position.
DEGREES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Texas teacher certification, secondary mathematics, psychology,
and social studies composite
Master of Arts, sociology, University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, psychology, Brandeis University
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
INFORMATION SPECIALIST/ANALYST, UT Office of the Registrar, Austin, Texas,
12/00 - present
Maintain computerized degree audit system for mainframe and Web
using updates to other systems and other user information
Create Web site for training and documentation materials
Update, rewrite, and expand training outlines and system documentation
for users and format for use on the Web
Work with webmaster to revamp static IDA web pages
Train staff members, including advisers in colleges and graduate
departments, in the use of the degree audit system, both individually
and in the classroom
Answer questions and troubleshoot for student and staff users
SCORER, National Evaluations Systems, Austin, Texas, 3/95 - present
(3 - 9 days/year)
Holistically score essay questions on tests for teacher certification
in math and social studies
Have evaluated questions for math and behavioral science tests
Have written sample answers for certification test guidebook (once)
RESEARCH SPECIALIST, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Austin, Texas,
2/00 - 12/00
Collected, analyzed, evaluated, and reported data on county probation
programs in the state
Edited and co-wrote survey instruments, summary reports, and a research
paper
TECHNICAL TYPIST, UT School of Biological Sciences, Austin, Texas,
12/89 - 2/00
Prioritized and organized work from professors of zoology
Typed, edited, formatted, and proofread grant proposals, manuscripts,
class materials, correspondence, reports, and other materials
Suggested editorial improvements including substantial rewrites for
materials targeted to a lay audience
Created, designed, and developed departmental and section Web pages
STUDENT TEACHER, Crockett High School, AISD, Austin, Texas, 2/88 - 4/88
Taught introductory sociology classes and graded student work
Created and taught comparative economics simulation for economics class
Developed teaching materials for most lessons
TUTOR, UT Learning (Skills) Center, Austin, Texas, 9/87 - 8/88
Taught introductory statistics and its applications in psychology,
education, and business
TEACHING ASSISTANT, UT Department of Sociology, Austin, Texas, 9/86 - 5/87
Assisted professors of statistics and introductory sociology
Helped write and administer tests
Taught weekly statistics "lab" (review) sessions and tutored students
during office hours
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Texas Distance Learning Association, 3/06 - present
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT),
10/05 - present
Web Publisher's Forum/Designer and Programming Resources, 8/04 - present
Association of Professionals in Student Affairs (APSA), 12/00 - present
Academic Counselors Association (ACA), 12/00 - present
REFERENCES
MS. JANE DOE, Information Analyst, College of Natural Sciences Dean's
Office, UT Austin (previously my supervisor at the UT Registrar's Office)
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
MR. JOHN SMYTHE (pronounced SMITH'-ee), Associate Registrar, Degree Audit
System, UT Austin
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
DR. JOHN DOE, Denton A. Cooley Centennial Professor, Section of Integrative
Biology, UT Austin
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
If you want to make suggestions, feel free to do so. This thing is online; I can keep on changing it! Note: No formatting is allowed in the application; it has to be just plain text.
I feel like I did after the recital, like I have too much adrenaline with nothing to do with it. But I've now officially applied. It is now technically possible that I could get this job.
The University of Texas System Job Posting
Job title Electronic Media Coordinator
FLSA status Exempt
Posting number 06-03-20-01-8504
Job status Open
Basic Information
Date available Immediately
Position duration Funding expected to continue
Position open to all applicants
Monthly salary $ 3316 - $ 3502 [huge! big pay raise!]
Hours per week 40.00 Standard from 800AM to 500PM
Location Downtown Austin, TX
Hiring department UT Telecampus
General notes Please be sure to include a cover letter and the names and contact information for three references in your online resume.
Additional Information
Required qualifications
Bachelor's degree and one year experience in instructional design of web-based courses. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred qualifications
Prefer experience in instructional design of web-based courses for a higher education audience.
Purpose of position
In a team environment, provide professional, technical and administrative skills to support UT TeleCampus faculty in the development of online courses. Through presentation and design, create exemplary technical solutions for course developers.
Essential functions
Assist UT TeleCampus faculty in the design and development of web-based courses. Provide course development training and technical support to faculty and course production personnel. Create web-based graphics, animations and other course elements to support the development of UT TeleCampus courses. Use Macromedia Dreamweaver or comparable web editor, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Flash extensively. Manage own time and projects. Work sucessfully in a team environment. Communicate with faculty and coworkers verbally and in writing.
Marginal/Incidental functions
Other related functions as assigned.
Working conditions
Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation. Use of manual dexterity. Security Sensitive; criminal background check conducted.
The University of Texas System Administration; Office of Employee Services; 702 Colorado St., Room 2.150, Austin, Texas 78701-2981; (512) 499-4587
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
I don't actually think I'll even get an interview, but what if I'm wrong? So I'm applying just in case, and for practice.
The title is "Electronic Media Coordinator," and it's to help develop online courses for UT campuses across the state. This is not the same job I already knew about from my campus and requires totally different skills which I also don't have (Dreamweaver, PhotoShop, Illustrator, and Flash). However, they don't actually require those skills to apply for the job; they just say I will be using them extensively.
I think Dreamweaver will be easy since I'm fluent with html. I've had some exposure to PhotoShop and Illustrator and have really good reference materials and an expert roommate on Photoshop. Flash I've seen on screen once and it looks tedious, but hey, my whole current job is tedious. Also, I have a friend who is a rabid fan of flash who could probably help me.
They also want a year of experience which I don't have. And so this is where my extra education comes in handy, because an "Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate."
So, I'm applying because it sounds almost just exactly perfect. The only problem, aside from having no qualifications, is the cover letter. For a person who enjoys writing nonfiction and who has been writing about myself daily, you would think this would be no problem. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Here is what not to put in a cover letter:
"I don't actually have any experience doing any of these things, but I do have a lot of experience doing other things that are very closely related. Really! I swear!" Whimper, whimper.
"If I already had a year of experience doing this exact same job, I would not be job hunting. I would be keeping that job."
"You know you want me. Oh, baby."
"One of the essential functions of this job is to 'Communicate with faculty and coworkers verbally and in writing.' I would just like to point out that 'in writing' is technically a subset of 'verbally.' Next time you might want to say 'orally and in writing.'"
In fact, I think writing resumes and cover letters is the most embarrassing thing I ever do. You know the way some people (like me) get nervous giving speeches? I feel the exact same way applying for jobs and going on interviews. Especially for jobs that I am not qualified for on paper. I never even want to show my application materials to other people for editing because they are too embarrassing. You know how after you send an e-mail and someone takes it all wrong because you weren't able to notice their face while you were spewing, and then you get a sick feeling in your stomach for ruining their day? I always strongly suspect that I am miscommunicating in exactly the same way when I send in an application. But eventually I do have to send something or I will never get a chance to get the job.
Nevertheless, today I will put those items behind another LJ cut. Because I am an adult now and can (occasionally) be brave.
Note: In this one, the cover letter and resume and references are all supposed to be inserted into a single text box.
INTRODUCTION
I have always had an interest in education. My favorite thing about student
teaching was writing lessons plans and developing resources that were better
than the appropriate selection in the assigned textbook. My experience as a
typist for faculty has shown me that I enjoy collaborating with faculty on
projects. My experience in administrative jobs has taught me to be good with
detail. I have always been considered a resource to my fellow co-workers for
advice on how to re-write things.
I enjoy organizing academic content to make it easy and fun to learn. I like
taking complex ideas and making them easy to follow. I greatly enjoy
translating technical jargon into lay language.
I would love to work with instructors and other staff to develop online
courses and appreciate your consideration of me for this position.
DEGREES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Texas teacher certification, secondary mathematics, psychology,
and social studies composite
Master of Arts, sociology, University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, psychology, Brandeis University
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
INFORMATION SPECIALIST/ANALYST, UT Office of the Registrar, Austin, Texas,
12/00 - present
Maintain computerized degree audit system for mainframe and Web
using updates to other systems and other user information
Create Web site for training and documentation materials
Update, rewrite, and expand training outlines and system documentation
for users and format for use on the Web
Work with webmaster to revamp static IDA web pages
Train staff members, including advisers in colleges and graduate
departments, in the use of the degree audit system, both individually
and in the classroom
Answer questions and troubleshoot for student and staff users
SCORER, National Evaluations Systems, Austin, Texas, 3/95 - present
(3 - 9 days/year)
Holistically score essay questions on tests for teacher certification
in math and social studies
Have evaluated questions for math and behavioral science tests
Have written sample answers for certification test guidebook (once)
RESEARCH SPECIALIST, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Austin, Texas,
2/00 - 12/00
Collected, analyzed, evaluated, and reported data on county probation
programs in the state
Edited and co-wrote survey instruments, summary reports, and a research
paper
TECHNICAL TYPIST, UT School of Biological Sciences, Austin, Texas,
12/89 - 2/00
Prioritized and organized work from professors of zoology
Typed, edited, formatted, and proofread grant proposals, manuscripts,
class materials, correspondence, reports, and other materials
Suggested editorial improvements including substantial rewrites for
materials targeted to a lay audience
Created, designed, and developed departmental and section Web pages
STUDENT TEACHER, Crockett High School, AISD, Austin, Texas, 2/88 - 4/88
Taught introductory sociology classes and graded student work
Created and taught comparative economics simulation for economics class
Developed teaching materials for most lessons
TUTOR, UT Learning (Skills) Center, Austin, Texas, 9/87 - 8/88
Taught introductory statistics and its applications in psychology,
education, and business
TEACHING ASSISTANT, UT Department of Sociology, Austin, Texas, 9/86 - 5/87
Assisted professors of statistics and introductory sociology
Helped write and administer tests
Taught weekly statistics "lab" (review) sessions and tutored students
during office hours
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Texas Distance Learning Association, 3/06 - present
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT),
10/05 - present
Web Publisher's Forum/Designer and Programming Resources, 8/04 - present
Association of Professionals in Student Affairs (APSA), 12/00 - present
Academic Counselors Association (ACA), 12/00 - present
REFERENCES
MS. JANE DOE, Information Analyst, College of Natural Sciences Dean's
Office, UT Austin (previously my supervisor at the UT Registrar's Office)
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
MR. JOHN SMYTHE (pronounced SMITH'-ee), Associate Registrar, Degree Audit
System, UT Austin
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
DR. JOHN DOE, Denton A. Cooley Centennial Professor, Section of Integrative
Biology, UT Austin
Work phone: XXX
E-mail: XXX@XXX
If you want to make suggestions, feel free to do so. This thing is online; I can keep on changing it! Note: No formatting is allowed in the application; it has to be just plain text.
I feel like I did after the recital, like I have too much adrenaline with nothing to do with it. But I've now officially applied. It is now technically possible that I could get this job.