Tag Archives: Advice

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Happy work environment, Observations

Spelling Matters: The Disadvantages of Poor Workplace Grammar

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We live in a world filled with text messages, emails and social messages, and since we’re using these mediums at a rapid pace, we tend to put grammar on the backburner. While you may think that intertwining they’re, their and there may not be a big deal, there are actually plenty of disadvantages to using poor grammar in the workplace.

You will not come off as a professional.

When you work, you need to think and act like a professional, and this includes writing like one. When you use correct grammar, your readers will think of you as a professional, but if your writing contains a multitude of major grammatical errors, your readers will not take you seriously, and they certainly will not think of you as a professional.

You could cause confusion.

When you don’t use correct grammar, it’s possible that you will confuse your readers. Depending on the topic or the type of writing being done, this confusion can be very damaging to your career or your company. If your writing confuses other employees about their job responsibilities or the deadlines to their projects, you could end up trying to make major corrections at the eleventh hour. This could be avoided if your grammar was correct in the first place.

You don’t exude quality.

You want your clients, coworkers and bosses to think of you as someone who produces quality work. If your emails are full of misspellings and improper grammar, it’s not going to convey this message. Instead, these individuals will wonder how they can trust you to do a flawless job when you can’t even structure a sentence correctly. This could cause your clients or bosses to look elsewhere when it comes time to having a project completed.

You could get passed up for a promotion.

If you don’t have proper grammar in the workplace, it could look poorly enough on you that you are not considered for a promotion. Many companies are starting to crack down on the grammar of their employees, and if it’s not up to par, the employees are not reaping any rewards, including promotions. Employers look very highly on the use of correct grammar, especially when conducting business with clients. They believe that the way that you communicate is a reflection of the company, and if your communications with clients are filled with misspellings and improper grammar, it’s going to look poorly on the company as a whole. Your employer will blame you for this, and you could find yourself remaining in the same position for the rest of your career.

Grammar plays a bigger role in business than you may want to believe. Even if you’re rushing through email responses, you need to take the time to read through what you’re writing and give it the proper proofreading. You need to make sure that your writing is clear so that everyone who reads it will be on the same page. And most importantly, you want to make sure that it’s correct so that it reflects highly on you.

Garrett Payne is a grammar fanatic and prolific writer.  He constantly stresses the importance of correct grammar and grammar checking in the workplace.

CV Tips, CV Writing, Friday Snippet, Graduates, Starting out in Project Management

Graduate CV – how to begin.

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Your CV is the most important starting point for you to market yourself to potential employers – as a marketing document you need to ensure it is clear, concise, relevant, has a unique selling point (USP) and is personal to you.

To begin
Don’t pull your hair out we have all been there and although it may seem difficult to start with – you will soon develop a creative flow. Play around with a few CV templates and find a style that works for you. Then consider the following:

  • Use positive statements and an enthusiastic tone – use an active tense such as managing rather than managed and facilitating rather than facilitated.
  • Talk through your demonstrable experience – giving workable examples.
  • Avoid generic statements such as “good communication skills” and actually demonstrate how you have used the skills effectively to achieve something or get something done.
  • The space you devote to a matter suggests the importance you give to it. Be careful not to dedicate half a page to education and a line or two to your achievements or role remits.
  • Account for all gaps in the CV – if you took a year off to travel; that is fine just ensure you list it.

It is very important to make a good first impression – remember you are not the only person applying for the job! You will have competition and if you are not a strong contender – your CV could be rejected within 20 seconds of being viewed.

  • Make sure the job you are applying for is something you can realistically do – take care to place emphasis on the skills required for the role.
  • Address the application specifically to the name on the website / advert and write a cover letter matching up your relevant experience.
  • Put in the effort to make sure you are selling yourself in the best light.

Here are some links to articles which you will find useful moving forward:

CV Tips, guest blogger, Planning

How (Not) To Make a HR Professional Cry

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For a number of head-bashing frustrating years I once worked in an HR department, where I had the dubious pleasure of perusing graduate and undergraduate applications for work experience and speculative applications for employment.  In terms of advice to many of these young hopefuls I would, in a nutshell, have been able to offer the simple mentoring statement “go back to school, learn to spell and then start again”.  A couple of others also spring to mind; here’s a basic list of what to include and what not to include on those all-important career starting CVs and letters.

Spell Check is your Friend

The spelling one is really top of the list; if you are applying for a professional role, whatever the level, basic inability to spell is not really excusable.  Spell check, for a start, makes life easier; however the simplest rule to live by is if you aren’t 100 per cent sure on any word – look it up.  Your letter or CV will, believe me, stand out like a close range supernova if you don’t.  Spell check, double check then get a friend to check.  You know what those pesky Meerkats would say.

Objectionable Statements

“Career Objective” statements are, to say the least, pretty objectionable.  There are, unfortunately, a lot of these about at the moment but they are not vastly interesting to most employers.  The main point they’re interested in is why you’re applying for this job; not your long term career plans.  In theory it shows commitment to a chosen career, in reality it doesn’t get read and seems a little cloying.  The section is best ditched, in all honesty, but if you must include it, keep it short and explain why you’ve chosen this particular organisation to apply to.  If your careers advisor suggests you put it in, punch them, for me.

Wow, a gold star

Again, probably the fault of over-enthusiastic careers advisors, but you really don’t need to list all and every achievement you’ve ever been awarded.  There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with adding an achievements section, especially if you are starting out your career and haven’t masses of relevant work history to display.  However “relevant” here is the key word; applying for a role as a trainee accountant doesn’t mean you need to tell anyone you got a Gold Star for Adding Up when you were four.  HR people like a laugh just as much as the next person, but they don’t have that much time on their hands.  You may think I’m joking with the example back there.  I wish I was.

selbstinszinierung durch fremdbestimmung

Presentation is everything

Most young applicants today are from the slightly intimidating group known as the “internet generation”.  Employers assume this means a basic familiarity with the computer.  Poor document presentation is, therefore, not excusable.  Badly formatted, overly formatted (please, no Gothic Script, even if you are applying to work with the local undertakers) unaligned dates or sub-headings and bullet points.  These issues won’t appeal to anybody, whether you’re working towards a career in PR recruitment or a position as an artisan backer.  These all indicate a high level of incompetence, unwillingness to ask for help, learn, or even care very much.  HR offices have large re-cycling bins, strategically placed and there for a very good reason.

Waffle Free Applications

When you apply for a job pack you will get a job description.  This tells you exactly what the employer is looking for – there really is nothing esoteric about the whole process.  There will be a list of essential and desirable qualities.  If you have the essential qualities the chances are you’ll be on at least the long list for interview.  Take each point and bullet point your experience; there’s no need to wax lyrical, unless you’re applying for a job as a poet.  If the job requires cash handling experience say on your application that you have cash handling experience.  The form is for selection purposes, the interview is where you back up what you’ve said with examples.  HR people like a good novel, which is why they also favour concise, short, application forms.

Author
Carlo Pandian is a freelance writer and community outreach person for Media Recruitment. He blogs on media jobs, career advice and latest trends in the public relation industry covering everything from CV tips to the latest social media trends.

Graduates, Planning, Training

How To Manage Your Work Load At Uni – guest blog

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University students have to do a lot of coursework. In your first year, it may seem overwhelming to make the change from A Level student to undergrad. Many students have jobs, a social life and possibly a family to take care of as well. How do you manage to get your work done without completely burning out?

Plan Out Each Day

Make a timetable that you can stick with each day. If you have work right after a lecture, make sure that you plan time for homework after work. If you have breaks during the day, it may be a good idea to get your homework done before you even leave campus for the day. Some days may require you to use your breaks to meet with groups or finish homework for your next lecture or seminar. Whatever you decide to do, you need to make sure that you are using your time wisely.

Get Plenty Of Exercise

Working out will relieve stress, burn nervous energy and clear your mind. When you are stressed, you are going to have a harder time thinking and focusing. Stress also causes you to eat more during the day. The foods that you choose are going to have a lot of fat or sugar in them because your body wants comfort food. Working out will keep your in shape and focused for the majority of your day.

Have A Regular Studying Spot

Dedicate a spot where you will study each day. It can be the library, a desk in your room or the kitchen table at home. What you want to do is establish a routine that you will be able to follow. If you have a routine, you will be able to do the work without thinking about how much time it takes up each day.

Provide Yourself With Distractions

Listening to music while you are writing an essay can make the time go by a little quicker. Music can also get you pumped up for when you have to tackle that large and boring assignment. Try to befriend someone with a pet. Playing with a cat or a dog for even a few minutes can relieve stress and provide for a legitimate break from the steady stream of work.

Take Breaks

Don’t be afraid to take breaks every so often. Each hour should have a five minute break pencilled in for yourself. This will keep you from overloading and giving up on your work for the night. You can even schedule your work in blocks as a way to keep everything manageable.

Uni can be a great experience for many reasons. However, you are going to have a lot of work that you will be expected to do. Time management will be critical to your success in University. Following these tips can make your time much easier to manage.

Sally writes for Richmond, the American Uni in London. Richmond’s specialist courses range from their international relations masters to their unique art history degree program. Richmond offer low student numbers and a great student experience.