These additional tips can help as you are working on your proposal for Project 3:

• Length: The proposal will take about 3 to 5 pages, single-spaced. As you might guess, the exact length will vary. Your layout and font choices will effect how long the proposal is, of course. Likewise, if you have tables, illustrations, screenshots, or other graphics, those will all probably make the proposal longer. Don’t get hung up on the length. Write what you need to for me to understand what you will do for Project 4.

• Persuasive Techniques: As the textbook mentions, proposals are all about persuasion (see pp. 279–282). Your job is to persuade me (your reader) that you have made the right choice for the job application materials you will write for Project 4. Think about how you can show me that your choices will help you meet your goals (for instance, get a job, build a professional online presence, etc.)

• Evaluation Section: The evaluation section of your proposal will explain the goals you are setting for Project 4 and tell me how you want me to assess your work. The Project 3 Evaluation Section page provides some more details and includes two examples of what to include in the section.

• Charts: If you want to create a chart in your proposal, use the Lynda.com video for tips on how to set up your data and create your chart on Google Drive. You will need to login via Virginia Tech for free access to the video.

• Trouble deciding? If you can’t decide what to propose, let me suggest you choose setting up or improving your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn will walk you through all the different information you can include. It is almost a fill-in-the-blanks résumé builder. You can even export your information to begin work on a more traditional résumé.