Effective communication has always been an important factor in career success, and the role of writing is more important today that ever before. The ability to write is one of the most important communication skills in the modern business world. Because so much business communication takes place via written methods of communication, writing skills are essential in virtually every field. 

While it’s true that some people are naturally talented when it comes to writing, it’s a fact that writing skills can be learned. You don’t have to be a creative writing guru to create professional business documentation. Effective business writing involves the proper use of grammar, language, tone, and style. These skills can be improved with proper training and practice.

5 Reasons to Brush Up Your Business Writing Skills
There are many reasons to focus on improving your writing skills, particularly if career advancement is something that you are striving to accomplish.

1. Increasing Role of Writing in the Workplace
Historically, writing was viewed as a very formal type of workplace communication, taking the form of letters, reports, and other detailed documentation. Today, a great deal of customer and co-worker communication takes place via e-mail, instant messenger, text messages, and more. Many times, modern workers engage in written communication more than spoken interactions.

2. Writing Skills Reflect Professionalism
It’s a fact that there’s a strong association between writing skills and professionalism. People who are able to write clear, concise, and effective business messages tend to be viewed more favorably in the workplace than those who are less skilled in this area. To be seen as competent, the written messages that you create need to reflect both solid substance and proper form.

3. Improved Communication Accuracy
Many misunderstandings occur as a result of writing problems. Those who are not able to write clearly often convey messages that they don’t intend to send, simply because syntax problems alter the literal meaning of what they are trying to say. Choosing the right words and using the proper sentence structure can greatly reduce the possibility that messages you send are misinterpreted.

4. Consideration for Promotions
The higher you move up in an organization, the more likely it is that you will be responsible for producing formal documents on behalf of the company. Those who hold high level positions are often responsible for creating customer proposals, writing employee evaluations, responding to requests for information from regulatory agencies, and other important forms of documentation. If you haven’t demonstrated a proven ability to write effectively throughout your career, you might find yourself being overlooked for promotional opportunities.

5. Writing Is a Necessity in the 21st Century Workplace
In virtually every profession, being able to write well is a necessity. Technological advances have had the greatest impact on how we communicate, and have placed an increased emphasis on writing skills for professionals in all fields. One of the most important investments you can make in yourself, and in your future career success, is to take the time to learn how to write effective business messages.

About the Author
Mary G. White, M.A., SPHR is the Training Coordinator Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions (http://www.mobiletechwebsite.com), where she specializes in human resources, management, and marketing training. She teaches open enrollment classes for MTI, provides on-site corporate training, and frequently speaks at conferences and association meetings. To register in MTI’s next Business Writing Basics class, see http://bizwritingbasics.eventbrite.com/ or call 251-478-6848 to schedule a private training session for your company or association. MTI also provides a variety of consulting services, including IT Training, certification testing, HR consulting services, custom database development and website solutions.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

One of his secrets:  He uses the “rule of three.”

Meaning, that when he gives examples he always gives three of them and he always starts them with the same word(s).  It’s pleasurable.  It’s hypnotic.  It’s effective.

Job interview coming up?  You can use this same tool.  Say a prospective boss asks, “Why do you want this job?” 

You might say, “I want this job because I respect what your company is doing in the field of X, because I feel I can make some real contributions to X, and because to me it’s the natural next step in my career.”

Three is the perfect number–enough to feel substantive but not so many that the interviewer boggles or gets bored.  Starting each example with the same word (e.g., “because”) makes it easy for your listener to follow your train of thought.

You can use the “rule of three” a LOT without people noticing that you are always naming three examples.  All they will notice is how pleasant it is to listen to and understand you.

Dear Working Girl,

I never know when to use the word “well” in a sentence.  I know it is ”I am not feeling well.”  Yet is there a time to use the word “good“?

Dear Wanda,

Great question!  Knowing when to use “well” and when to use “good” is easy, except for a few common exceptions.

You say “well” when you are describing an action:  Fred writes well.  Sally rides well. 

You say “good” when you are describing a person, place, or thing:  Fred wrote a good book.  Sally’s horse is good.

Simple, huh?  “Well” describes verbs (like “writes” and “rides”); “good” describes nouns (like “book” and “horse”).

Now for the exceptions: ”linking verbs.”

Sometimes a verb isn’t there to describe an action but just to connect a subject with information about it.  Forms of “to be” are common linking verbs.  Also:  “looks,” “appears,” “smells,” “seems,” “tastes,” “sounds,” “becomes,” and more.  

When a verb is a linking verb it’s correct to say a sentence like ”These cookies look good” even though “good” is describing “look,” which is a verb, not a noun.*  Ditto for ”Your music sounds good,” “Dad’s fudge tastes good,” and “Her perfume smells good” even though “sounds,” “tastes,” and “smells” are verbs.

How do you tell a verb is describing action and when it’s only linking?  Here’s a simple test.  Take your sentence and substitute “is” (or “are”) for the verb.  Try out the sentence in your head with both “good” and “well.” 

Example:  Change “These cookies look good” with “These cookies are good” and “These cookies are well.”  The sentence with “good” still makes sense; the sentence with “well” sounds stupid.  So when you put back “look” into your sentence you know to use “good” and not “well.”

Hey, maybe that wasn’t such an easy question after all. . . . .

*Another way to look at it:  “Good” isn’t describing “look” after all; it’s describing “cookies.”    

Cover letters are an integral part of job applications.  Presentation, content, and style are now being considered synopses of the application.  They are business letters, too, and the professional standards of letters are either an asset or a liability.

The opportunities for blunders in cover letters are many.  Typos, misspellings, bad grammar, netspeak, and what can only be called “unfortunate” cut and pastes are potential killers.  Applications with the wrong addressee aren’t unknown, either.

The rise of the cover letter, and other letters, as major players in applications and in the employment market generally is now global.

CVTips.com found that our members were regularly looking for help with their letters.  We got a lot of inquiries on our Forum, from people all over the world trying to deal with their employment situations as they happened.  People weren’t sure what to write, when to write, or in some cases why they should write.

We found the demand so high we did a whole page of in-depth studies of cover letters.  We now have 34 separate articles on our cover letter page, dealing with the whole spectrum of job-related letters.

People do need to be guided through the maze.  One thing that became painfully obvious was that the general knowledge base was, and still is, in many cases very low.  People knew what a cover letter was, but weren’t sure about anything else.

Job market etiquette and job application techniques have evolved, and there is now an expectation in the market for letters covering applications, thank you letters, letters of resignation, and specific letters for sectors such as the military.

We took it a few steps further, because of the demand.  It was quite obvious that a lot of people really didn’t know where to start so we added a tutorial, an FAQ, a “Test Your Skills” link, and letter samples.  We’ve had thousands of people checking out our Forum for cover letters, and the Cover Letters page is handling the load pretty well.

There’s no doubt that the cover letter will continue to evolve.  It’s quite possible that it may become the de facto application.  The move to briefer formats for applications has been created by the time and space factors in handling and processing.  It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the cover letter functioning as a screening procedure, at the very least.

Natch, both “accommodate” and “a lot” were there.  Ditto for “February,” “ninety,” “occasion,” and “principle.”  And, of course, “their.”

But “decision”?  There are people who can’t spell “decision”?  Depressingly, there are also folks who are stymied by “around,” “among,” “maybe,” and “until.” 

Nevertheless, these lists are always diverting because what’s more fun than to decry the failings of others?  Answer:  Few things are more fun.  Especially on Friday when we are pretty much brain dead.  Thanks, Kentucky Office of Employment and Training.  We editor wannabees and exhausted-end-of-weekers salute you. 

(Oh, and Pongo Resume?  Are you wondering about the name “Pongo”?  It’s named after the daddy dog in 101 Dalmatians–he leads the mama dog and the 99 puppies out of captivity!)

Typos, and puppies, too.  A Red Letter Day for Working Girl.

P.S.  Need more diversion?  Check out this great list of The Ten Worst Job Interview Questions Ever from Business Pundit.  The suggested answers will keep you laughing until the end of the workday.  Happy weekend.

People seem to be getting it because according to this Wall St. Journal story, about 90 percent of applicants do so.  Good news.  

The bad news: only half of those personalize their letters.

Ugh.  People are sending form thank yous?  That’s worse than no thank you at all!

While we’re at it, here’s some other things people do to shoot themselves in the thank-you foot:

• mis-addressing the letter (thanking Wendy’s for your interview with Burger King)
• sending a thank you with spelling or grammar mistakes (”I appreciate you’re time. . . .”)
• relying on email (okay to email but follow up with a “real” letter)
• not typing the thank you (you ain’t writing your Aunt Sadie–this is a business letter)
• procrastinating (send thank yous within 24 hours)
• sounding desperate (”I can’t wait to hear from you!”)
• sounding fake/stilted/awkward (”I am writing to thank you for the interview”–be sincere, be yourself, be enthusiastic)
• sounding canned (obviously, no form letters–use your thank you to repeat the highlights of the interview and to remind the employer of who you are, what your skills are, and why you would be great for this job)

Thank you letters are as important as resumes or showing up for the interview on time.  Don’t let yours ruin the good impression you’re trying to make.

Quick question: Should single quote marks be used simply to set a word or term off, to indicate that it’s slang, or an understood term, such as ‘the system’ or ‘crack’?  Or should double quote marks be used? 

This one is easy.  Words and phrases that you are quoting, or referring to as a word in and of itself, or in other ways emphasizing (e.g., when you intend to be snide or ironic) are set off with double quotation marks. 

Example:  It’s hard to work within “the system,” but we should try.   

Single quotation marks are for quotations within quotations.** 

Example: Fred Smith, Melissa’s boss, said, “It’s hard to work within ‘the system,’ but you better try.”

Putting words you want to emphasize in italics is also nice.

*People who’ve seen the 1967 film, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, will know what this means!  Worth renting.

**For quotes within quotes within quotes, use double quotation marks.  And so on.  But that way lies madness.

Aren’t you going to talk about interviewing?

Gladly!

Of course, there are all the usual “tips” for acing a job interview.  Arrive on time, dress to fit the job/workplace, sit up straight, don’t fidget, smile, be ready to ask smart questions, know something about the company and its products/services.  You know the drill.  Don’t you?* 

But here is Working Girl’s secret:  Pretend to yourself that you don’t want the job. 

Do all the above things, be prepared, be enthusiastic, be charming, but somewhere in your mind hold the thought that you don’t really need this job.  That in fact there are lots of other jobs out there.  That you–YOU!–have tons of other options in life, better or just as good as this job. 

Why?  It takes the edge off.  It removes that whiff of over-eagerness, of fear, that is such a turn-off.  Desperation!  No one likes it! 

So even if it is not true, even if in fact you feel/suspect/fear/know that this job is absolutely your last hope (oh woe!), conduct a little self-brainwashing session right before the interview and convince yourself that this is not your only chance, that there are other jobs, that you have options, that you are a desirable employee/human being, and that most of all you are in demand. 

Remember: The effects of the self-brainwashing only have to last as long as the interview.  Then you can go home, collapse, eat an entire bag of potato chips, whine to your cat, do yoga–whatever it is you do to relieve stress.

Try it.  It has worked for Working Girl many, many times (she’s had 59 jobs, you know).

Oh, and don’t forget to write (and snail mail) a thank you note the same day of the interview.

*If you don’t remember the job interview basics, here’s a good general article:

 http://www.adguide.com/pages/articles/article35.htm

Help me settle a bet, WG, since you love this stuff.

a. “I wrote my mother yesterday”

b. “I wrote my mother a letter yesterday”

c. “I wrote to my mother yesterday” 

My husband uses a. but it sounds totally wrong to me. I have to use b. or c. In other words, I can only omit the ‘to’ if there’s an object for the verb ‘wrote’.I hear everyone using a. but I hate it.Same with ‘give’.

1. Give it me
   
2. Give me the book
   
3. Give it to me.
    

I can use b. and c. but hate the sound of a. Should I get help?

First off, Working Girl has to say that objects (direct and indirect) have always boggled her mind.

So here goes:  Example “b” is a perfectly good, clear English sentence.  No problem here.  Examples “a” and “c” are cases where the direct object (the letter) is implied.  Both sentences do an adequate job of communicating.

However, in WG’s humble opinion, example “c” is better English.  It is cleaner, clearer, and more complete.  Not to mention more respectful toward one’s mother!

But “a” is not horribly terribly wrong.  A person could commit greater sins!  Yes, it is informal English.  But there is little chance of confusing one’s meaning (unless someone thinks that yesterday you wrote the words “my mother”).  And how bad would that be, really?    

As for “give it me.”  Does someone you know use this structure?  How very English-as-a-second-language-ish.  Clearly wrong!  (”Give me it” is much better, although still weird.)

But let’s throw this out for comment.  Can anyone think of a case where “give it me” would be correct?

Working Girl has a headache now, and has to go lie down.  Doesn’t anyone have any work questions?

(p. s.  Check comment from “A Reader” for an even better explanation!)