7 Tips for Writing for Work and Job Searching

by Alison Doyle, Job Search Expert, About.com

Whether you’re sending an email for work or writing a cover letter for a resumé, it’s important to remember that this is professional writing, not personal. Your writing ability reflects on you as an employee or a prospective employee.

It’s important to take the time to carefully write, edit and proofread all your correspondence before you click Send or upload a document online. It will only take a few extra minutes, but taking the time will help you make the best impression on the reader.

Review these tips to make sure that your writing will get your email opened and read, and your resumes and cover letters will be considered for interviews.

Tips for Writing for Work and Job Searching

Make it actionable. Your resume should include your accomplishments, not just a list of what you have done. Your cover letter should show the employer, at a glance, what you have to offer the company. If you’re asking for something in an email message make sure you’re clear about what you want.

Make it personal. It’s always a good idea to include a contact person in your email messages and cover letters. If you don’t have one, check the company website, LinkedIn or Google to see if you can find someone to address your letter to.

Keep it professional. You’re writing to your boss, colleagues, customers or a prospective employer. Keep your correspondence professional and skip the slang, abbreviations, acronyms and emoticons. Use paragraphs and full sentences.

Keep it concise. Most people don’t read beyond the first paragraph or so of an email message. Keep your emails short, concise and focused. Use your opening paragraph for the most important point. With cover letters, include a brief introduction, and then use your second paragraph to pitch your qualifications. Finish your letter with a closing paragraph. Two or three paragraphs are plenty.

Give it a subject line. Your email probably won’t even get opened if it doesn’t have a subject line. If the subject line is vague or sounds spammy, it won’t get opened either. Include a subject line that is relevant to what you’re asking to up your chances of getting your message read.

Add your signature. Don’t forget to include a signature with your contact information. Provide your name, phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile URL, if you have one. It will make it easier for the reader to follow up with you.

Make sure it’s perfect. Spell check, grammar check and proofread your email or letter, and then do it again. Read it out loud or, if you have trouble catching your own mistakes, print it and proof it again. Grammarly is a terrific tool for making sure all your written correspondence is perfect, and catching mistakes that you may not have realized you made.

Alison is a job search and employment expert with many years of experience in human resources, career development and job hunting with a focus on job searching, employment issues, and career options, as well as employment trends and technologies for job seekers and employers alike.

Alison has been the Job Search Expert for About.com since 1998. She is also the founder of CareerToolBelt.com and the creator of the Career Tool Belt series of free apps.

“Can We Guess Your Zodiac Element Based on Your Writing Habits?” Quiz

There are four elements of the zodiac—air, fire, water, and earth. The zodiac signs within each element share characteristics. Take this fun quiz to find out which zodiac element your writing style is like and see if it matches your real zodiac sign!

Did we get it right? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Introducing the Diaeresis

The New Yorker is a quirky magazine. Sure, it’s a go-to when you’re looking to read high-quality writing, but the magazine’s style is full of peculiarities. There are the double consonants where you don’t expect them, as in the word “travelled.” There’s the spelling out of numbers, even the really long ones. And there are the words like “coöperate” and “reëlect,” which are written with two tiny dots over the second o and the second e. Hang on, what exactly do you call those two little dots? A diaeresis. The New Yorker is one of the rare publications that still use the diaeresis sign.

But what is this sign? Does it make sense to use it? And why does it appear so often in the names of hard rock and heavy metal bands, from Blue Öyster Cult to Motörhead?

What Is the Diaeresis?

The diaeresis—also spelled “dieresis”—is a type of sign that’s called a diacritic. (It’s important to note, that diaeresis is also a poetic break in verse; however, we aren’t going to cover that usage here.) Diacritical marks are added to letters to indicate that there is something unusual about the way they are pronounced. A diaeresis is used when you have two vowels next to one another that should be pronounced as separate syllables instead jumbled together as a diphthong. The word “naïve” is a good example. When you pronounce it, you can clearly hear how it’s divided into two parts—na- and -ive. The diaeresis tells you not to combine the two vowel sounds and pronounce the word as one syllable that sounds like “knave.” Essentially, the diaeresis tells you “hey, this vowel is pronounced separately from the other one.” It is occasionally used on vowels that stand on their own to point out that they should be pronounced even though logic might say they shouldn’t, as in the surname Brontë.

Should We Use the Diaeresis?

The short answer is no. The diaeresis is considered obsolete by most authorities in the English language. In some cases, the diaeresis is replaced by the hyphen. Where The New Yorker writes coöperate, other publications prefer co-operate, especially outside the United States. In other cases, you’ll find it written simply as cooperate. People generally know how to pronounce these words. But even if they didn’t, do you think that a diaeresis would be of any help now, when it’s been out of use for so long? So no, there is no reason to use a diaeresis unless it’s really called for as part of a name. So why do heavy metal bands still do it? Well, they actually don’t. The two dots above the o in Motörhead isn’t actually a diaeresis—it’s an umlaut. It’s also a diacritic, but it represents a completely different change in the pronunciation of the letter it marks. Using it in the names of heavy metal bands is a practice that’s so well established that you can read entire articles about the heavy metal umlaut—the umlaut that does nothing except look awesome.

Can You Correct These Super Tricky Sentences?

What’s the Problem with Passive Voice?

If you’re a grammar nerd, chances are you have an opinion about the passive voice. Whether you think it’s acceptable or should be completely avoided, it’s important to understand what passive voice is and how it’s used.

Passive voice occurs when the object of the action in the sentence becomes the subject of the sentence. The opposite of passive voice is active voice, in which the subject simply performs the action. Here are some examples:

Layla threw the ball. (Active voice) The ball was thrown by Layla. (Passive voice)

We corrected the errors. (Active voice) The errors have been corrected. (Passive voice)

Someone took the last piece of cake. (Active voice) The last piece of cake was taken. (Passive voice)

Active voice tends to give writing more clarity, which is why many people prefer it. Writing in passive voice can be confusing, vague, and wordy; however, there are instances in which it’s a better option than active voice. For example:

Incidents of inappropriate behavior were reported. (Passive voice)

In this case, the focus of the sentence should be on the incidents, not on the people who reported them. In fact, there are situations in which the subject of the sentence might be unknown or unimportant. In those cases, sometimes using passive voice is preferable to using “someone” as the subject. Another example:

The test results were delivered late in the afternoon. (Passive voice)

As in the sentence above, the focus of the sentence is on the test results rather than the person who delivered them.

Do you have an opinion about passive voice? Share it in the comments!

5 Memos That Went Terribly Wrong

In the world of digital communications, pretty much everyone can relate to an email experience going terribly wrong at work. Ever hit “reply all” and sprayed a private message to a group of co-workers and lived to regret it?

Writing internal business communications shouldn’t be fraught with peril, but for these unfortunate executives, things went terribly wrong. From the ridiculous to the tragic, take a look at these five truly terrible business memos.

Western Union Internal Memo

Go back in time to 1876 for the first example of a really ridiculous internal memo (in hindsight). Western Union had a monopoly on fast communication; the telephone had just been invented in March of that year. In a bad move of epic proportions, the business executives at Western Union circulated a memo insisting that the telephone would not be a threat to its business. In part, the memo read, “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.”

How did that work out for Western Union? Ask yourself the last time you or anyone you know received a telegram. Enough said.

Greg McKay’s Mumbling Memo

You probably don’t know who Greg McKay is, but he’s infamous at the Arizona Department of Child Safety. After Governor Ducey appointed Greg McKay to head the department, McKay sent his employees a memo that managed to be meandering, vainglorious, self-righteous, and insulting all at the same time. Check out these awesome quotes:

• “I will begin by announcing I am not worthy of this position. In fact, no one man or woman could fulfill this endeavor.”
• “Any projects or pilots that lead our staff down a path of potential lawbreaking will stop now.”
• “Please do not be afraid and know that all things done in good faith will be tolerated.”

Law Firm’s Diversity Memo

Diversity in the workplace is an admirable goal and the writers of this internal communication should be commended for working to achieve that goal. But things went downhill quickly. The memo encourages other employees to engage in activities with “diverse hires” to make them feel more welcome. The writer suggests some swell ideas: a 20-minute chat, a lunch invite, or even an invitation to a non-work event.

So far, so good—and then the hammer drops. Employees are required to record and verify their activities with the HR department to prove they remain compliant with the new “inclusivity policy.” How’s that for creating a warm and inclusive workplace?

Microsoft’s Layoff Memo

Microsoft boss Stephen Elop decided the best way to notify employees their jobs were on the line was with a mass memo. Nothing revolutionary there, even though many would argue a more personal approach. Elop, however, badly mangled the job. The memo, which went out to 12,500 Microsoft employees, opened with a jocular “Hello there,” before rambling on for 14 paragraphs about Microsoft’s role, goals, and future plans. The hapless employees had to read through 10 paragraphs before they hit the key bit—notice of the layoff finally appears in paragraph 11.

Aviva Termination Memo

After UK-based insurance company Aviva Investors fired an employee, the HR department prepared a memo for the unlucky worker with instructions for leaving the building. The memo included guidelines for turning over all company property and security passes and urged quick compliance. Unfortunately, the HR staffer sent that memo to the company’s entire 1,300-member global workforce. It took over 30 minutes for the company to realize its error and send another mass email explaining the mistake.

So, what did we learn about writing effective memos from the examples above? Don’t use your memo to predict the future; be concise; be kind; get to the point; and know your audience. Easy, right?

May 21 is National Memo Day! Have you ever been on the receiving end of a ridiculous email or memo gone wrong? Let us know in the comments.

3 Poems You Can Memorize and Recite (to Impress Your Friends)

Reading poetry is a wonderful experience, but have you ever memorized and recited a poem? Saying the words aloud gives the poem new life and highlights some of the nuances in the language. Here are three short poems you can memorize and recite for your friends and family.

“First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light.

“Devotion” by Robert Frost The heart can think of no devotion Greater than being shore to the ocean — Holding the curve of one position, Counting an endless repetition.

“Awaking in New York” by Maya Angelou Curtains forcing their will against the wind, children sleep, exchanging dreams with seraphim. The city drags itself awake on subway straps; and I, an alarm, awake as a rumor of war, lie stretching into dawn, unasked and unheeded.