The Systematic Super Scripter's aim to help provide information on some of the most important aspects of professional writing. Our team's goal is to inform, educate, and provide tips and a guide to some of the most pertinent topics to help you, the writer.
When typing an email it is important to keep in mind to whom the email is addressed to. Based upon who the intended audience is emails will vary quite differently from person to person.
Some things to keep in mind when writing a email:
Some emails will be sent to a large group of individuals.
Some emails require a timely response.
Many recipients are geographically distant.
Emails can be printed and distributed.
Internal emails are different than external emails in the following ways:
Internal documents can often be less formal than external documents.
Internal documents generally do not include formal greetings and closing statements.
Emails are often, but not always, less detailed than other types of documents.
A thing that many people including my self is, how does one exactly master a job interview? With the economy the way it is getting to the job interview stage is a feat all by its self. Here my top 5 tips for job interviewing:
Click here to comment on this Voki. Get a Voki now! Tip 1: Make sure to dress professionally When going to a job interview the main objective is to make a good enough impression to be hired. Part of that impression which some people tend to forget is dressing the part. Even if the job you are applying for does not have a strict dress code , the best policy is to wear business attire that goes more to the conservative side. Presenting a clean and put together outer appearance helps people believe that you are that put together in a work environment as well. I personally have experience with this through my own job interviews that I have been on and gotten hired from, when I was in high school I put this tip in use and dressed smartly for a job interview, and was hired over other people my age who dressed in jeans and t-shirts to go on a job interview. Tip 2: Having a positive attitude In almost every job you will ever have, like it or not, you will have to deal with people on a daily basis, be it just your boss and coworkers, or clients, people skills are an important part of any job. Having a positive, upbeat attitude in a job interview shows interviewers that you would be easy to work with and are capable of being a team player. Tip 3: Make sure your resume is up to date and easy to understand With so many Americans losing their jobs lately getting to the interview process has gotten even harder because of the sheer amount of resumes that are coming in. The key when applying for a job is to make sure your resume stands out in the pile. Having a good cover letter and an easy to understand resume that clearly states your work experience and education background. My fellow blog group members have posted resume tips to go further into detail about it. Tip 4: Turn negatives into positives In every job interview you will get asked something about your faults, the key is to turn your fault into a positive, like being obsessive about being organized, never say an actual fault that could endanger your chances of being hired. We all know that every one has faults but job interviewing is all about good marketing, only focus on the positives. Tip 5: Be prepared for anything you might be asked When at a job interview the same basic question are always asked: why do you think you will be a good fit with this company, are you a good team player, where do you see your self in the future, etc. Making sure you know how you will answer this question will enable you to make quick solid answers, which will show how confident you are and hopefully how right for the job you are.
Letter of Application, which is also called a Cover Letter, is extremely important because this is the first thing the potential employer will look at. Most of the employers look at a cover letter before looking at a resume. Writing a cover letter, gives you a chance to impress the employer. Therefore, I will give you some good tips on writing a cover letter, and I hope that after reading what I have to say, you will have no problems with writing a good cover letter.
Tips on Writing a Cover Letter
Cover letter must be written in business letter format. It should look professional.
Your address and employer’s address should be included in the letter.
Address the letter to specific person: “Dr. Mr.…” is more effective than “To Whom It May Concern”.
Paragraphs should be separated by single blank line.
You should close your letter with “sincerely” and your name. Don’t forget to leave four blank spaces for your signature!
Keep you cover letter clear and concise, it should not be longer than one page.
Now, I am going to tell you what you should include in your paragraphs:
Introductory paragraph
In the first paragraph you should say why you are writing this letter. Then you should inform the employer what position you are applying for and how did you hear about this position.
Body Paragraphs
In the body of you letter you should explain how your education and experience connect to qualifications of the position or values of the company. You should definitely be specific in this part of the letter. Include all of the details about yourself that can help you to impress the employer, and make him hire you for the desired position.
Concluding Paragraph
Your conclusion should be short. You should simply state why the employer should higher you. In addition, you should say how YOU are going to contact the employer. For example: I will contact you within several days in order to confirm that you received my letter and my resume. I also will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.
I hope that now you know how to write a cover letter. However, if you are still unclear, you should definitely watch this video:
When creating a presentation it is important to include only what is necessary, and to use specific formats and graphics to keep the audience alert and interested. Most presentations include different types of visuals to help convey certain information to a group of people. I am going to discuss the ways to create an effective presentation by elaborating on the uses of different visuals and how they effect the audience.
The reason why it is important to use visuals during a presentation is because they provide a number of advantages to the presenter. Visuals establish organization, and gain attention. Depending on how you layout your visual, there should be a site of emphasis on certain information, as well as the highlighting of specific information. Visuals also establish authority for the presenter. If the visual is a graph or chart containing statistics of a subject, the presenter is perceived with professionalism and credibility.
The few important elements to know and use when putting together a presentation are graphics, images, size, and color.
Graphics include icons, graphs, charts, tables, and line drawings. When focusing on graphs, it is always best to use the more appropriate graph for different information. For example, Bar graphs (pictured below) are used with numeric information.
Image provided by www.jpowered.com
Line graphs (pictured below) are used when depicting shifts over a period of time.
Image provided by www.awe.asn.au
When focusing on charts, you have the option to use either pie charts of flow charts. Pie charts (pictured below) represent percentages, and divide a whole circular area in to different representative sections.
Image provided by www.statcan.gc.ca
Flow charts (pictured below) depict a process or procedure.
Image provided by www.edrawsoft.com/Organizational-Flow-Chart.php
Those different graphs and charts are the main types of graphics that should be used when relaying information statistically.
Moving on to the element of images, these include photographs, screenshots, video, and animation. I like to use images when creating a presentation because they relay information well, and serve as a great visual. It is important to relate the image you are using in your presentation to the information in the presentation. For example, I am explaining the different types of graphs used as graphics, therefore I provided a photograph of a bar graph as opposed to a photograph of an apple.
Another element that is important when creating a presentation is the formatting of the visual. Be sure to mix things up when developing a presentation. You don’t always want to use the block style format for a slide show or a power point. The usage of bullet points are always helpful because they emphasize certain information and keep every subject in an organized manner. They also help to cut down the amount of information used in your slide show and only include the necessary points. This will be easy for you to emphasize on each subject just by looking at each bullet point. It also helps to keep your audience interested, as opposed to them getting lost in your presentation.
The last two elements I would like to discuss are those of size and color. When choosing the size of a presentation, it is important to use variety. You do not want the entire presentation, whether it is a power point or poster board, to all be one size. The title of each slide should be the largest font of the presentation. Following the title may be the second largest font for the subtitle. Any other information after that should be fitted accordingly. Larger fonts, as well as bold fonts emphasize information, so keep that in mind when it is time to make your claim or relay any other information that is of importance. Make sure that the size of your presentation does not come off obnoxious or too dominant. You may rub the audience the wrong way if all letters are capitalized and size 72 font throughout the entire power point.
Finally we have our color. Color can be used in a fun way. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Colorful presentations can catch the audiences attention and also make your claim. Just be careful, you don’t want your presentation to look too colorful and obnoxious. This may take away from the sophisticated and professional outlook that we discussed earlier.
All of these elements are important when creating a presentation. With the correct use of graphics, images, formatting, size, and color, you can develop the most effective presentation in no time! Keep all of these little tips in mind next time you are asked to provide a power point to present to the rest of the company!
Below I have provided a video on more tips for creating an effect presentation, I hope this video is helpful as well!
With almost any level of work in the business world you will have to at one point or another write a status memo or a progress report about either your own personal work project or the work of others. Being able to write effective progress reports is key to being productive at work. Progress reports let your supervisors or in some cases other coworkers working on the same project you maybe working with to make them aware on how far you have gotten on a project in most cases, or maybe even a legal case if you work for a lawyer or are one. These reports are so vital in the work place because sometimes other people have to wait to start their work until you get to a certain point, or there might be important deadlines for milestones with a project that supervisors need to be sure are met.
The best tips for writing status reports are:
Being concise and to the point
Be aware of your audience.
Be Concise and to the Point
In order to have an effective progress report it is important that the writer is sure to use clear wording that makes it easy for the reader to understand what is going on with the subject of the report at the time. Avoiding information that is not necessary will also help with the reader understand the information being provided and gather the information that they need in the fastest way possible.
Be Aware of Your Audience
The obvious reason for this document being referred to as a status memo and a progress report seems to refer to the formality required, a memo being an internal document requires less formality than an external document, a report, needs. Another thing that involves your audience is the amount of jargon used in a report, if the report is going to people in your department with similar knowledge base to the person writing it because if too much jargon is used and people reading that jargon do not understand it then the document becomes useless.
The following video is a helful one that shows how to write a basic memo which can be used to write a proper status memo.
Cover letters are very important when submitting a resume. A cover letter gives you the opportunity to wow the reader/employer and set yourself apart from other applicants. It also gives you a chance to share information that is not included in the resume itself.
You should write the resume first, and when that is complete chose three or so main details that you would like to highlight and discuss in more detail. These details will make up the body part of your letter.
What does a resume cover letter include? What format should be used?
The format used is the same as any other letter; introduction, body, and conclusion. The letter should also be in block style because you want it to appear professional. The following explains what exactly should be included in each section of the letter.
Introduction: • What job are you applying for? • Where did you learn about the job? • How are you qualified for the position?
Body: • Elaborate more on your qualifications • Focus each paragraph on one strength or qualification • Use lists to focus on important areas
Conclusion: • Make reference to other documents included such as resume • Give the reader an opportunity to meet with you • Avoid over used conclusions like “Hope to hear from you soon”
As a rule of thumb, be sure you are familiar with your cover letter because many interviewers use these letters to structure their interviews. Make certain that you have knowledge about the information you include in your letter because chances are you will be asked questions about it. Make sure you follow the 5 C’s when writing this letter because employers have many letters to read and they do not have time to search for information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHl1NZAmAD4 Dobrin, Sidney, Christopher Keller, and Christian Weisser. Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008.
There are so many things to do before graduation. Sometimes people get really stressed out and they don’t know what to do. However, today, I am going to tell you what you should do before gradation. I hope that after reading what I have to say, you will not be stressed out any more.
List of things to do before graduation:
Collect Information You should start gathering information about the type of job you are looking for. First of all, go on internet and do some research. Type some key words. For example, I am in accounting major, so I can just go on google.com, and type in “accounting jobs”. And then look at different types of jobs and decide what you are interested in the most. Collect as much information as possible so you can make sure that you are making the right choice.
Interview Other People Talk to other people about your career. Talk to your teachers, family and friends. Maybe they will give you some good advices. Try to get to people who are doing what you think you want to do in the future. It is very useful to get some information from person who actually does what you would like to do. Person like that can describe to you all of the responsibilities of your future job. One year ago, I was thinking about working in a bank, so one day I just went to one of the banks in the plaza next to my house, and I talked to the representative. I asked him several questions about his job. He was really nice, and I was happy that I could get some information about my potential future job. You should not be afraid to talk to other people. It won’t hurt, it can just help you.
Apply to Career-Related Training or Volunteer Programs By applying to volunteer programs or training related to your field, you can gain a lot of valuable experience. In addition, many students participate in supervised internships related to their major. From supervised internship you can earn academic credit, and sometimes even salary. Volunteering as well as training and participating in internships will help you to gain work experience that will definitely make your future job easier.
Begin Working on your Resume It is very important to start working on your resume. I am only a sophomore, and I have my resume ready. You can always update it and add something new. However, having a resume will help you to keep track of your work experience, skills and qualifications. You will have all important information about you in one place which is very smart. That’s why I already created my resume.
Request Letters of Recommendation One year before graduation, it is important to start requesting letters of recommendation. You should ask your professors for recommendation letters. You also have to make sure that you will ask a professor with who you had a good relationship with. You don’t want to ask a professor who does not even remember you.
Stay Organized It is extremely important to stay organized. You should have a folder or a special place where you will put all of the important documents like resume and letters of recommendations. You wouldn’t want to loose such important documents. I have my own folder where I keep all important documents, and it helps me to stay organized.
Begin your Job Search As you get closer to graduation, start looking for a job in your profession. You can do a research on line or in the newspaper. If you find a job in your profession that interests you, you should definitely apply. You should not wait for the last minute. It is always better to begin applying earlier.
I hope that my list of things to do before graduation will help you. My advice to you would be to stay on top of everything and make sure that you have everything done before graduation. And don’t be scared! We all have to go through this process.
