Business Writing - Write Angles

Chapter Business Writing: Write Angles In This Chapter • Design effective business letters • Create winning resumes and cover letters • Send business thank you letters • Deliver good

Chapter

Business Writing:

Write Angles

In This Chapter

• Design effective business letters

• Create winning resumes and cover letters

• Send business thank you letters

• Deliver good news and bad news in writing

Today, there's stiff competition for positions, and people who can commu-nicate often win out over those who can't Many companies don't advertise

at all, preferring to do their recruiting through formal and informal net-working The stock market is a wild roller coaster—and people are edgy Knowing how to write a powerful resume and cover letter can help you get the job you want If you've already got a job, these tools—along with the ability to write effective business letters and memos—can help you get where you want to be Those are the skills you learn in this chapter

3 2 8 Part 6: In Your Writ? Hind

Letter Perfect

Successful business writers know that an effective document reads well and looks good Here are my top 10 ways to make your documents look as professional as they read:

1 Use white space (the empty space on a page) to separate and emphasize key points

within a letter Provide sufficient white space around paragraphs, too Figure 1

inch to 1 Vi inches on all sides

2 To help readers locate key elements, use indented lists, bullets, or numbers—just like this book does!

3 Use headers (words or phrases that group points) to lead the reader through the

document

4 To get maximum impact, put key elements such as return addresses and com-pany contact information in the top-left and lower-right quadrants of the page

5 Go easy on the bells and whistles such as

high-0 1 «^ r\ J_ j - lighting, decorative devices, fonts, and color

A _ J / Quoth the Maven

Templates (available on

stan-dard software) can make

format-ting business letters, resumes,

and memos a breeze

6 Decide whether to justify the right margin (line

up the type), based on the situation and audience Justified margins let you add about 20 percent more text on the page However, use them only with proportional type to avoid distracting, wide spaces between words

7 For all important business writing, such as letters of application and resumes, use good quality, heavy, white bond paper and matching envelopes Tradition-ally, local printers typeset letterhead, but a good-quality laser printer and soft-ware package can create fine letterhead as well

8 When possible, limit your letters and resumes to one page

9 Consider your audience's needs and expectations Show that you understand the purpose for the business communication and the context in which it is read

10 Use conventional formats, explained in the following section and shown in

Appendix A

Form and Function

Business letters are single-spaced on 8V2 by 11-inch letterhead There are three differ-ent formats you can use: the block style, the modified block style, and the semiblock

Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 2 9

style The differences among the three styles relate to paragraph indentations and the placement of headings and closings

• The block style has all parts of the letter placed flush left

• The modified block style places the

head-ing in the upper-right corner and the

closing and signature in the lower-right

corner, parallel to the heading The

paragraphs are not indented

Danger, Will Robinson

The semiblock style places the heading in

the upper-right corner and the close

and signature in the lower-right corner,

parallel to the heading The paragraphs

are indented

Pick one letter style—the block style, the modified block style, or the semiblock style—and stick with it You're less likely to make mistakes if you're consistent

The following list contains the guidelines for the block style Vary it as explained ear-lier if you want to use the modified block or semiblock style instead

Date

Inside address

Salutation

Body

Close

Signature

Initials

Enclosures

Copies

Month (spelled out), day (followed by a comma), year The recipient's address; place two lines after the date Recipient's title, last name, colon (Dear Ms Streisand:) Short, single-spaced paragraphs stating the information Capitalize the first word, conclude with a comma (Yours truly,) Place two lines after the last line of the letter Sign your name in ink Leave three lines of space after the close for your signature

If the letter is typed by someone other than the writer, insert the typist's initials below the typed name of the sig-natory Capitalize the writer's initials; use lowercase for the typist's (LR:st or LR/st)

"Enclosures" or "Enc." indicates that additional material is included with the letter

List other recipients alphabetically or by rank (cc: Samantha Harris, Tracey Jefferson)

3 3 0 Part 6: In Your Write

Kissing Cousins

Although no two kinds of business letters are identical, they do share certain features

besides their format

• They are brief but clear

• The relationship between the writer and reader is established at the beginning of the letter

• Any necessary background information is provided

Danger, Will Robinson

Using e-mail addresses

like sonofsatan, hotlips69, and

imababy will get you kicked out

of the pile so fast you'll get

whip-lash Your e-mail should read:

Firstname_Lastname@carrier, as in

Laurie_Rozakis@Farmingdale.edu

If action is required on the part of the reader, the action is stated outright

If the letter is a response, it mentions the date of the previous contact

The tone matches the occasion A letter to a

col-league is appropriately friendly, but general busi-ness correspondence is formal

The overall tone is always polite

Business communication falls into the following general categories: letters of applica-tion, informational letters, and memos Let's check out these categories

Resumes and Cover Letters: Get on the Fast Track

You don't have to rescue a child from under a flaming Chevy or donate a kidney to get

the job you want (although it probably wouldn't hurt) You do have to write effective

resumes and cover letters—and writing is a lot less painful than heroics

A resume is a persuasive summary of your qualifications for employment It is always

accompanied by a cover letter Employers use resumes and cover letters to decide

whom to interview An effective cover letter and resume are not like sweat pants: One size doesn't fit all To get you some face time, a winning cover letter and resume must be tailored to suit the employer's needs and your qualifications as closely as possible For that reason, many people have several different versions of their resume Here's how to make your resume work for you

You Could Look It Up

A resume is a

persua-sive summary of your qualifications

for employment

_ Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 3 1

Resumes

As you write your resume, emphasize the things you've done that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying and show how you are superior to other

can-didates Emphasize what you can do for the company, not what the company can do for

you Be realistic, use the layout to emphasize key points, and relate your experience to the job you want

Here are the facts you must include:

• Name, address, phone number, e-mail address

• Education

• Relevant experience

Here are the facts you can include:

• Career objective

• Previous and current employment

• Promotions

• Foreign language and computer language proficiency

• Volunteer positions

• Education and course work

• Honors and achievements

• References

Here are the facts you never include:

• Age

• Health (It's assumed that every candidate's health is excellent.)

• Religious affiliation, political affiliation

• Race or ethnicity

• Gender or sexual orientation

• Marital status (as in married, widowed, divorced, or single)

• Information about children or pets

3 3 2 Part 6 : In Your Write Mind

You're expected to put your accomplishments in the best possible light, but always tell

the truth Background checks are a hot topic in personnel circles today Experts say a decade of litigation has nervous employers turning more and more to professional background checkers, who report that caseloads are growing at 30 percent a year Investigators find discrepancies or outright lies in about one-third of the resumes

they check Gloryoski!

Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Here are the top resume turnoffs

Resume No-No's

Poor formatting and exotic fonts

Unnecessary personal information

Buzzwords that obscure meaning

Vague descriptions of achievements

Incomplete contact information

Spelling and grammar mistakes

John J JobSeeker, Àn^Àf^ax^t'

I'm a single white male I'm a Libra

As the Director of Integral Operations,

my mission involves convergences in delivering synergized solutions to my strategic customers

"I increased widget sales." Instead, say

"I increased widget sales by 25 percent

or $2 million."

Some people actually forget to give their own names and telephone numbers! The worst is misspelling the name of the company or contact person

Chronological Resume

There are two kinds of resumes: chronological and skills Although each type of resume

lists basically the same information, the information is arranged very differently

A chronological resume summarizes your accomplishments in reverse chronological

order (starting with the most recent and working backward) It stresses degrees, job titles, and dates Consider using a chronological resume when

• Your education and experience are logical preparation for the job you want

• You have an impressive education or job history

Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 3 J

The following chronological resume shows a candidate steadily moving up the job ladder

OBJECTIVE

EDUCATION

PUBLISHED

WORK RELEVANT

EXPERIENCE

ACTIVITIES

HONORS

AWARDS

Name

Street Address City, Town, ZIP Code Telephone number

To secure a promotional or editorial position in die publishing industry

Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2003

Candidate for Masters in business and public relations GPA 3.72

Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2001

Bachelors of business in marketing

Articles on comic books published in Comics Weekly, The Comics Scene, and Boston Tab 2000-Comics International, Boston, MA

2001-Promotions assistant

• Wrote press releases

• Conducted research to introduce comics to student population through symposia and articles

Comics Close-Up, Boston, MA 2002-2003

• Developed and produced an innovative weekly radio program on WQBC

• Examined the comics field and literature

• Arranged and conducted interviews with noted comic book artists and writers

Student Senate, elected representative 2002-2003 English and writing tutor 2001-2003 Student Activities Council 2001-2003 Boston College Award of Excellence 2002

Phi Beta Kappa 2002

Skills Resume

A skills resume emphasizes your skills Consider using a skills resume when

• You are no longer a spring chicken and wish to hide your age because of the

common bias against more mature and experienced workers

• Your education and experience are not the usual preparation for the job you want

î î k Part 6: In Your Write Mind

Take My Word for It

A curriculum vitae (CV to those

in the know) is the Goodyear

Blimp of resumes: It contains

every relevant thing you've ever

done Scientists and

academ-ics use CVs instead of resumes to

include all their publications,

con-ferences, and professional

affilia-tions My CV is more than 2 0

pages long

• You lack an impressive education or job history

• Arranging your recent work history in reverse chronological order would create the wrong impression (perhaps because you have been demoted, fired, or hopped from job to job)

A middle-aged candidate with a great deal of experi-ence prepared the following skills resume The for-mat allows her to place the emphasis on her most recent jobs and place far less emphasis on her age

Danger, Will Robinson

Claire includes her job as Assistant Manager, which she held from 1 9 7 3 - 1 9 8 0 The original resume had that section omitted, a very good idea I put it back in to show you the full range of Claire's employment—and to tell you to leave this entry out If you

are middle-aged, I strongly recommend that you list only 10 years' of experience Never

lie, but don't parade your age Once you get your foot in the door at the interview, you can share as much of your job history as necessary, or as you wish

Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 3 5

Claire De Lune

315 Elmo Avenue, Riverdale, CA 81711 681-732-9373 (H); 681-865-7166 (W) Claire_DeLune@yahoo.com EDITORIAL Supervising Editor

CURRENT POSITION Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA

• Oversee publishing process from inception to bound book, producing elementary through high school materials on time and under budget

• Manage editorial development, creative process, and content of test-preparation materials for 30-50 titles per year

• Supervise project teams and senior editors

• Hire authors and evaluate manuscripts

• Prepare and maintain editorial schedules and budgets

• Strategic planning and product development of test-preparation materials

Senior Editor 1998-2001 Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA

• Research and lay out books

• Supervise editors, junior staff, freelance editors, and proofreaders

• Approve art, photos, page layouts and designs, page proofs, and bluelines

Editor 1996-1997 Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA

• Edit, copyedit, proofread

• Write test questions and introductory copy addressing teachers

Freelance Editor 1993-1996

• Varied projects, including PR brochures, advertisements, and a cookbook

Assistant Manager 1973-1980 Dewey Cheatem and Howe Law Offices,

Cincinnati, OH

• Accountable for accuracy of legal briefs

• Copywrite, copyedit, and proofread

• Oversee print production and schedules

• Train junior staff

WRITING Freelance Author

• Two study guides for series Whafs the Big Idea? (First Steps, Inc.), Winter, 2001

• Essays, LI Parenting News and Newsday

TEACHING Teacher, First and Fifth Grades; Drama Club Director, Family Math Presenter, 1990-1993

Washington Elementary School, Oakland, CA

Corrective Math Teacher, Grades 3-6; 1990 Washington Elementary School, Oakland, CA

CERTIFICATION New York State Permanent Certification: Elementary Education, N-6/English, 7-9

EDUCATION Master of Arts, English Literature New York University, New York, NY

Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, English and Creative Writing

Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY

SKILLS Theatre Arts: Acting, Directing, Playwriting

PLATFORMS: Windows/Mac; Software: MS Word, Excel, QuarkXPress

3 3 6 Part 6 : In Your Write Mind

Cover Letters

Like a resume, the purpose of a cover letter (or a "job application letter") is to get an interview Although a resume and a cover letter do overlap in certain areas, there are three crucial differences:

• A cover letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization; a resume is

usu-ally adapted to a position

• A cover letter shows how your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs; a resume summarizes all your relevant qualifications

• A cover letter uses complete sentences and paragraphs; a resume uses short phrases

Tailor each cover letter to the specific company or organization If you can substitute another inside address and salutation and send out the letter without any further changes, it isn't specific enough Here's what to include:

• The major requirements for the job

• Facts and examples that show how you can do the job

• Details that show your knowledge of the company

• Qualities that employers seek: the ability to read

H Wll R W an<^ w r^t e w e^ ' t r n nk critically, speak effectively,

you decide to do

Some people find it difficult to write effective cover letters because they don't want to toot their own horns My advice? Toot away Good work rarely speaks for itself—it usually needs a microphone to be heard Studies have shown that successful executives spend about half their time on their job and the other half on self-promotion and office politics

Five final points:

1 Take the time to know the company or organization you are contacting

2 Know what you have to offer Analyze your strengths and weaknesses

3 Be prepared to show the employer that you can do the job—and do it well

4 Target your letter to an individual rather than a position

5 Spend the time to get it right You have a snowball's chance in Hades of getting

an interview if your letter contains errors

some name dropping in your

cover letter, only drop the names

of those people who will speak

well of you Be sure to get prior

permission from the person to

mention his or her name

and get along with others