Where are all the Jobs?: Does Writing Matter in Your Career? plus 1 more

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Does Writing Matter in Your Career? plus 1 more | Career Rocketeer

Posted: 04 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT

The subject of writing came up in multiple contexts recently and I was asked whether I thought writing ability was really that important.
My short answer… YES!!!
My longer answer…
It’s definitely important, however, more from the inverse perspective. Here’s what I mean:
Good writing is rarely noticed or rewarded. In most business or personal situations, people generally don’t notice if something has been written well. It’s expected, and nothing in particular stands out to them. However, it’s when someone has a spelling mistake, poor grammar, bad punctuation, or worse… texting jargon that readers notice… and most often think less of the writer.
It’s not insignificant. At times, I have people tell me that it’s petty for someone to judge them because of spelling errors or grammar. It is true that people sometimes make sweeping generalizations about someone because of some relatively minor mistakes. However, it’s not invalid to to make some assumptions based on how a person communicates in writing. Poor writing often is indicative of carelessness, a misjudgment of what’s appropriate, being under-educated, sloppiness, or other negative traits.
It can be a “CLA”. When someone writes poorly, it can be a Career Limiting Activity. It’s often difficult to justify promoting someone into greater responsibility or scope of influence if his writing might represent the department or company poorly. A manager may lose credibility and respect from subordinates if his written communication to them is full of errors. Similarly, he may lose respect and credibility from his own superiors as well. It happens, but it’s rare to find a senior level person in most any organization with poor writing ability. How one communicates in writing carries a great deal of weight in their career advancement potential.
So what should you do? Be careful, practice, double-check, and get help. All of us regularly make typos, mis-spell words, make awkward grammar choices, and make other mistakes (I occasionally get emails from people correcting my articles). I proofread everything before I publish it, and still find errors days and weeks later. Similarly, I always reread emails before I click SEND. Yet, at times, still see a typo when someone replies and includes my original message. However, when writing in a business context, it’s critical that errors are a rare exception rather than the norm. Would recipients be surprised to see a mistake in your email, or would they be surprised when they don’t find one?
When it comes to resumes, cover letters, thank you notes, emails, or any other written communication in your job search… there is no excuse for any kind of error at all. Communications in your job search are expected to represent your very best. An employer generally expects that a candidate will present their best effort when trying to make a positive impression. Writing errors when they are presenting their “best” creates an impression that their “average” work will be sub-par.
Does writing ability matter? You bet! Put in the effort to improve your writing, and you’re likely to improve your chances at getting a job, and advancing your career.

Author:
Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

Should You Address Weaknesses on Your Resume or Cover Letter?

Posted: 03 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT

Honesty is always the best policy when applying for jobs. But in some cases, sharing too much information upfront could come back to bite you—especially if you disclose weaknesses that you don’t yet have to share on your resume or cover letter. It’s great to be an open book—but not when it could negatively affect how an employer will view your eligibility.
Why It’s Good to Avoid Disclosing Weaknesses
Every human being is weak at something. Some people may not be organized, while others aren’t great at managing groups of people. The good news is, hiring managers understand this when seeking an employee. But just because they understand this doesn’t mean that you should outright address those issues in lieu of focusing on your strengths.
Companies are looking for the strongest candidates they can find to fill their open positions; so the likelihood of them choosing a person who states in his or her cover letter, “I’ve always struggled at organization, but I’m trying to improve” over one who gives examples of how great she already is at organizing is pretty low.
How to Handle Your Weaknesses On Your Resume
So what should you do if you are weak in specific areas in which the employer is hoping to find strengths? A good way is to simply play up your strengths on your resume and cover letter. For instance, if you’re applying for a job that seeks a highly organized person—and you’re really bad at organizing—focus on strengths you have that correlate with qualifications on the employer’s wish list.
For instance, the employer might want a team leader, which just happens to be one of your greatest strengths. Instead of focusing on organization, spend your time coming up with examples of how you’ve successfully organized team projects.
If you are weak in certain areas, those weaknesses are likely to come out in the interview. So although you may not have addressed them in your cover letter or resume, it’s a good idea to work on ways at becoming stronger before being called in for an interview (e.g., enroll in classes, work with a mentor).
This way, if you’re asked about contributions you can make in your weaker areas, you could explain that although you haven’t always been strong, you’ve already taken your own steps toward improving your skills so that you can become the well-rounded employee the company is seeking.

Author:
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.