Making a Persuasive Case for Employment
Instructions:
Persuasion can also be applied in the job search process. Essentially, we are presenting ourselves and our qualifications to prospective employers, and persuading them to give us a job. Some companies require applicants to submit supporting documents along with their applications. One such document is a personal statement. This is different from a cover letter, which is normally restricted to a single page. The personal statement may be longer; in it, you present your abilities and persuade your prospective employee that you are qualified for the job. (Note: We will write a cover letter in Module 4).
Refer to the job opening you identified in SLP 1. Using the job description, write a personal statement (about 2 pages long). Your statement should be professionally prepared and lay out your strengths for the job. Please ensure that the contents match the job description for the job you identified in SLP 1.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your personal statement is a statement that promotes yourself. It should not contain any salutation, unlike a letter, as it will be an attachment. No citations are needed for the statement.
Following the statement, submit an essay discussing the approach you took. Please be sure to use references, which may include the assigned readings, to support your discussion. Formal citations are required, along with a formal bibliography. The summary is to be prepared as an academic essay. Content should be clearly presented with a logical flow.
SLP General Expectations
For the SLP, you are expected to assume the role of a job seeker. You are to identify a job that interests you in Module 1. The SLPs will take you through the job search and application process, presenting you in different scenarios requiring you to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and professionally.
Formal citations and a bibliography are required unless otherwise stated.
Submit your assignments by the module’s due date.
Solution
Making a Persuasive Case for Employment
Personal Statement
Application Title: Lead Financial Technician at Naval Center:
Job Announcement Number: DE-10008473-17-DN,
Salary Range: $40, 404.00- $52,529.00
Personal Statement
I believe that I have the expertise and prowess coupled with the necessary accounting skills required for the stated position. Academically, I successfully cleared my four-year degree in accounting at the University of Trident Technical College. During my four years at the University I was able to undertake an internship program at a private firm, Sutter Delta Medical Center as a lead accountant. At Sutter Delta Medical Center, I gained the necessary experience in fields of auditing and advanced medical records.
Additionally, I am prudent in several fields of accounting as indicated in my educational certificate and I can perform account maintenance and comprehensive understanding in the accounting systems, policies and procedures required in the verification and evaluation as well as reconciliation of accounting data. Also, I believe that I can perform technical works that are in-line with budget analysis and administration required in maintaining ledgers, consolidating, checking, arranging, and funding data.
Furthermore, my archetypal performance records at the former firm are attributed to my business insight and flexibility. My professional success is solely related to my enthusiasm as well as a charismatic personality. At Sutter Medical Center, I secured promotions to being a senior accountant at the emergency care department and this was attributed to my passion in accounting systems. As such, securing a place at Naval Medical Center will enable me to exercise my professional prowess in accounting as well as apply my inbuilt talent of passion and fervor.
Furthermore, my communication skills have influenced my success in communicating auditing and accounting information to the top management. Additionally, I possess project management skills since I clearly understand the requirements of project management. Furthermore, I am guided by the philosophy that success is self-initiated.
Summary Approach
According to Bowman, (2002), it is required that when stipulating a personal statement one has to use persuasive nature of information that will convince the employer to reconsider your profile during recruitment. As such, I was able to use the persuasive skills stipulated by Ottati and Renstrom (2010) of being simplistic in my application as well as gathering background information about the advertised position at Naval Medical Center. It is evident that writing an application mail in a persuasive nature predisposes one to get a chance of approval by the employer. As such, regarding the above-stated application, I was able to include my academic achievement and make it clear to the audience that my skills are in line with their job description.
Additionally, after a thorough review of the
Lead Financial Technician at Naval Medical Center, I correlated the job
requirements with the experience I gained during my internship as well as
during my professional experience at the local firm, Sutter Medical Center.
Communication is the key to organizational success (De Villiers,
2010). Utilizing this analogy enabled me to include the communication skills
I possess in accounting field as well as in medical field to alert the employer
that I am not only an accountant but also
a good leader and manager. Also, I included my project management skills to
persuade the company that I have the
capacity to complete projects within specified deadlines. As such, including
such competencies in a personal statement
enables the employer to identify the necessary skills that will help the
organization.
References
Bowman, J. . (2002). Writing Persuasive Messages. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~bowman/c4eframe.html
De Villiers, R. (2010). The incorporation of soft skills into accounting curricula: preparing accounting graduates for their unpredictable futures. Meditari Accountancy Research, 18(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/10222529201000007
Ottati, V., & Renstrom, R. (2010). Metaphor and persuasive communication: A multifunctional approach. Social and Personality Psychology …, 4(9), 783–794. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00292.x