Professional Communication — LA309 — David Barbarash
LA309 Co-op Preparation  —  Professional Communication

Professional Communication

Seven reference cards covering the complete application package — from how your resume reads on first glance to how you present yourself on a video call. These are not soft skills. They are the professional infrastructure that determines whether your portfolio ever gets seen.

How to use these cards: These are reference and preparation tools, not step-by-step tutorials. Read them before you start building any application document. Return to them when something isn't working. The advice here comes from years of firm feedback, career fair data, and watching students get hired — and watching others get overlooked for entirely preventable reasons.
01The Resume
01
Resume I — Philosophy, Format, and Content Rules
Your gateway to everything else.
Open → 02
Resume II — Design and Identity
One page, all you.
Open →
02The Cover Letter
03
Cover Letter I — Structure and Voice
Before they see your work, they hear your voice.
Open → 04
Cover Letter II — Firm Research and Tailoring
Generic letters get generic results.
Open →
03Making Contact
05
Cold Contact — Emails and Calls
The unsolicited application, done right.
Open → 06
Follow-Up — Emails and Calls
Don't just ask where things stand — give them a reason to remember you.
Open →
04Presence
07
Professional Video and Phone Presence
They can see more than you think.
Open →
LA309 — Co-op Preparation — David Barbarash — Purdue University
Professional Communication — 7 Reference Cards