Saturday, March 28, 2009

“Tips for Writing with Some Humor” by Stephanie Cifuentes

Many times, adding humor to your writing can be extremely helpful to get your point across. Nevertheless, one must know how to use this tool, as it can also cause some problems too. Here are some tips for writing with some humor:

*Plan for a bigger audience than what you originally planned for, because a small inside joke that for a small audience might me appropriate, might not be so convenient to use for a bigger audience.

*Do not focus all your attention in humor. Remember that humor needs to be use as assistance to your writing and not as the main emphasis.

*Try to incorporate humor into your writing by using literary devices learned back in your English class such as personification, compare and contrast, similes, good verbs, and descriptive words.

*Aim the direction of your writing in a way that at the end result of your piece, your writer thinks of you as a very talented writer who is fun to read, and not as a clown who is learning how to write.

*Be careful when using profanity, as these words get a different perspective when written rather than when spoken. Using a bad word in your context while speaking might be funny, however, using a bad word while writing might instead become distracting and not so appropriate.

*Do your best to avoid sarcasm and cynicism, as some people might not get what you are really trying to portray in your joke and get the wrong message. By avoiding this as much as possible, your end piece will be much more effective.

*At the end always revise for the tone, as it might sound different when you read it aloud rather than when you where originally writing it on paper.
Humor, if used correctly and appropriately, will help your audience to remember you. It will also make sure that the point that you are trying to make across stands out and gets notice. But make sure not to overdo it as it could turn against you and insult the reader. Lastly, make sure that your written work looks professionally polished by checking the grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Friday, March 27, 2009

What is Needed in order to Write Formal Reports by Jeanna Hepp

There are three major parts to a formal report:
  1. Front Matter
  2. Body
  3. Back Matter

Front Matter includes:

  • Title Page: Full title of the report, names of the writers, principal investigators, or compilers, date or dates of the report, name of the organization for which the writer works or being submitted to
  • Abstracts: summarizes and highlights the major points
  • Table of Contents: lists all the headings of the report in their order of appearance, along with their page numbers

  • List of Figures: lists of figures by title, along with page numbers
  • List of Tables: list of tables by title, along with page numbers
  • Foreword: introductory statement written by someone other than the author
  • Preface: introductory statement used to announce the purpose, background, or scope of report
  • List of Abbreviations and symbols: A list of all abbreviations and symbols from a report

Body includes:


  • Executive Summary: Provides a more complete overview of the report (better than abstract)
  • Introduction: Provides audience with any general information; Introduce the Subject, Stating Purpose, Stating the Scope, and Previewing How the Topic Will be Developed
  • Explanatory Notes
  • Graphic and Tabular Matter
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations
  • Works Cited/References

Back Matter includes:

  • Bibliography: Alphabetical listing of all of the sources
  • Appendixes: Clarifies the body with information
  • Glossary: Alphabetical list of definitions of terms used in the report
  • Index: Alphabetical list of all the major topics and subtopics found in the report

Hope you find this information helpful!

References:

Oliu, Walter, Brusaw, Charles, and Alred, Gerald. Writing That Works: Communicating Effectively on the Job. Boston, MA: Bedform/St. Martins. 2007.

Writing Courteously by Kristina Shope

#1 Rule to Writing courteously in Business letters is:
USE A POSITIVE TONE!


In order for any business letter to be successful, you should focus on using a positive tone rather than a negative one, simply because most people respond more favorably to positive ideas than negative ones. A positive emphasis will persuade the reader and make them feel more comfortable. In contrast, negative words may generate resistance and other unnecessary reactions.
Do not dwell on problematic areas. Accentuate the positive.

The Pro’s of Positive writing:
• tells the recipient what CAN be done
• suggests alternatives
• sounds helpful and encouraging
• stresses positive actions/consequences

Some situations in which optimistic writing may be useful:
• Complaint letters
• Rejection letters
• Relaying bad news
• Acknowledging a problem



Some words/phrases that should try to be avoided:

Demanding phrases that may pressure/threaten:
* You should...
* You ought to...
* You must...
* We must ask you to...
* We must insist...

I know it is hard to not let our emotions get the most of us, but in the business world it pays to be polite! Say “Thank you” often and end with a goodwill statement such as, "have a great afternoon" or "goodmorning"

References:
Bacal, Robert. "Using Positive Language ". 3/26/2009 .
Owl, Purdue. "Business Letters: Accentuating the Positives". 3/26/2009 .

Monday, March 23, 2009

Writing a Resume by Jeanna Hepp


I picked to talk about Writing a Resume because it is something I know we can all get help on, or at least me.


I was able to google "Resume Tips" and it liked me to http://www.free-resume-tips.com/


The information was very helpful for future writings or for updates to my current resume.



  1. Use Title or Headings That Match the Jobs You want

  2. Use Design That Grabs the Attention

  3. Create content that sells

  4. Quantify and use Power Words

  5. Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words

  6. Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs

  7. Sell the Benefits of your skills

  8. Create an Image that matches the Salary you want

  9. Prioritize the Content of Your Resume

  10. Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover letters

When writing my own resume for my first interview years ago, it was hard to figure out exactly what should be on the resume and what also should be corrected or added. I think these tips will help people to focus while writing the Resume for it to give the person a chance at the job.

Hope some of this information can help!! : )

This video is cute and gives you some tips on HOW TO WRITE YOUR RESUME!


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Preparing for a job search by Caitie Tanner

When you are looking and applying for a job here are some things to think about:
Video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB1rshuI5fY

Job Posting:
  • -Many people do not post jobs so the key is networking.
  • -Let companies know that you are looking for a job.
Major Do's and Dont's of Resume Writings:
  • -If you are applying for an artistic position, you are able to use a more creative approach when making your resume.
  • -If the job that you are applying for is looking for deatail, you need to carry that perseption of yourself along with no spelling errors and a well formated resume.
  • -Find key messages or words that a company is looking for and incorporate that into your resume.
ATS:
  • -Many companies are using ATS or Applicant Tracking Systems, which is an automated screening process.
  • -Due to the ATS, companies do not pay attention to the look or feel of your resume, rather the content.
  • - Look for key words the company might want to see and incorporate them into your resume.

Preparing for the Interview:

  • -Avoid asking basic questions I.e. questions that can be found on the companies website
  • -Try and do research on the company before going into your interview.
  • -Call the company and get insight information.

The Interview:

  • -Demonstrate you have what it takes to work for the company but do not be over confident.

Ask these questions at the interview:

  • -What would be my expectations?
  • -What would be my boss's exspectations of me?
  • -Who is the person I will be reporting to?

Ask question that can not be found on the companies website.

References:

http://www.watchmojo.com/

http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-Your-Job-Search