Business Communication: Workplace Documents

Documents and files related to business operations are called documents.
Types of documents:
- Financial reports (budget, liquidation, reimbursement)
- Business reports (graphs, charts, reports)
- Company bylaws
- Employee reports (contract, performance reports, hiring documents)
- Minutes of the meeting
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are used to formally initialize a binding argument.

Header:
- Date of submission
- Full name of the target person (usually the company's HR)
- Position in the company
- Name of company
- Address of company
Salutation or Greeting:
- Address the letter with a common business greeting
- Specify the salutation or name of the person
Body:
- Intent:
  - Position that you would like to enter
  - How you heard about the position
  - One sentence on why you want to enter the specified company/position
  - One sentence on your "edge" compared to other candidates
- Experience:
  - Relevant, latest educational experience
  - Relevant work experience
  - 1-2 relevant achievements from the academe or industry (quantified)
  - Relevant skills and qualifications
- Closing:
  - One sentence that states what you can do for the company
  - Where to contact you (email and mobile number)
  - Thank for their consideration and time
Closing Remarks:
- A simple professional statement to close off your letter
- Include your full name and signature
- If you didn't add your contact information at the closing paragraph, you may also place them here

Primary and most effective ways to communicate information to all members in the organization
Can communicate to either one member, a team, or all members in the organization
Used to:
- Disseminate information
- Request for a call to action
- Remind existing business processes
Some memos can be written like a letter
Memo format:
- Company Header
- Employee Header
- Body of the Memo
Company Header:
- Shows the name of the company and the contact information
Employee Header:
- Includes the date, the target people for the memorandum, and the topic of the memo
- For the target people and topic, it must include the following headers:
  - For
  - Through/Thru
  - From
  - Re
Body of the Memo:
- Depending on the topic, the body of the memo would vary
- Common contents include:
  - Purpose of the memo (first paragraph)
  - Details of the memo (subsequent paragraphs)
  - Call to action (last paragraph)
  - Noted by (end of the letter, if there is anyone who needs to note the memorandum)

Curriculum Vitae (CV):
- Summary of professional and academic experiences and skills
- Focuses on the individual's academic and research background
- Recommended for those who wish to apply for academia, scientific research, or medical fields
Resume:
- Recommended for fresh graduates or entry-level candidates
- Individuals as such do not have experience yet
- Good way to showcase what was achieved during school
- The length of the CV would be around 2-3 pages for these types of individuals
Key differences:
- Length: CV can be as long as needed, while Resume is recommended to be 1-2 pages
- Content: CV includes all educational levels, all relevant experience, and all skills, while Resume only includes relevant degree(s) or highest attained educational level, relevant experience, and relevant skills
- Objective: CV does not include an objective, while Resume includes an objective when requested by the company/employer

Common interview questions:
- Tell me about yourself
- Why do you want to work in this company?
- What are your expectations for this job?
- What is your biggest strength?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Are you a leader or a team player?
- Tell me an experience of when you had a conflict with someone else and how did you resolve it
- Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
- Why should we hire you?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Best practices for an interview:
- Dress code
- Arrive early
- Turn off your phone
- Be confident, but not arrogant
- Listen to the interviewer
- Give honest, direct answers
- Ask questions
After the interview:
- Send a thank-you note or email
- Follow up on the status of your application### Soft Skills
Soft skills are typically difficult to teach and are better learned when younger.
They can be applied to various situations, including career, friends, and family, and community.
Having good soft skills can increase employability and help individuals stay longer in a company.

Communication is the transfer of information or message from one entity to another.
It involves at least one sender and one receiver.
Communication skills are the set of abilities to transfer information between different entities in different situations.