Questionnaire for Preparing a Resume
Name:
D.O.B:
Address:
Phone Number:
Objective:
Availability:
Educational Background:
Employment
• Company Name
• Location
• Position(s) Held
• Dates of Employment
• Primary job responsibilities
• Extraordinary accomplishments?
Volunteer Work
• Organization
• Location
• Postion Held
• Date of Service
• Primary Responsibilities
• Extraordinary accomplishments?
Do you have any specialized skills, certifications, etc. that are industry specific?
References:
Please let us know if you are new to the workforce, or changing your career. This will help us to determine which type of resume would work best for you. We will provide your resume in hard copy and in an electronic format. Please let us know if you would like us to prepare a letter of application as well.
Writer's Web Blog Team
Resume Questionnaire
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Disadvantages of Collaborating
Monday, November 24, 2008
There are disadvantages of collaboration between people or within an organization. Collaboration requires mutual trust, effort, time, and clear understanding to achieve effective communication. Time and effort needed to make the collaborations may waste progress time for a group or organization. With needed time and effort also comes an increasing complexity. Collaborative organizations may lack the authority to regulate their choices or decisions. Even after extreme effort, organizations run the risk that collaboration might not meet the project goals. Collaborating with others can discourage others who would have succeeded on their own. Unrealistic goals or lack of immediate tangible results can be discouraging to everyone in the group. Lack of trust, discomfort, or commitment to group processes can also cause a ruckus. Unequal power cause some individuals not to work as well together because they feel they deserve just as much authority. Within the collaborating group, people can have different education, language, and literacy hurdles or unfamiliarity with formal scientific methods that can slow progress as well.
Advantages of Collaborating
Collaborating offers many advantages. You always hear that two or more heads are better than one. A team gives you immediate feedback, so you know if your idea or work is correct. Team members also play devil’s advocate for each other by taking a different view in an attempt to see if it suits the project or task. This can help team members past frustration and the stress of writing. It’s also a good motivator to keep you on task because you know your team is depending on you.
Revising: Computer Lingo & Email Acronyms
Remember when you are revising a document, before you begin your revision to give the document time to breathe and you time to separate your mind from what you just wrote. After the time has passed, then begin looking at your document with a critical eye. Revising your draft is one of the most important processes in writing.
While revising your document, it is important to keep in mind that depending on your audience it may not be appropriate to use computer lingo and email acronyms. Remember that any abbreviations used should be well known by the reader. If it is an acronym that you will use frequently throughout the document, you should define the acronym in the beginning and then it is appropriate to use the acronym. You must consider your audience and how well they will understand your purpose. Too many acronyms may very well lose the reader’s focus on the purpose of the document. When using acronyms in your writings within a company, there are well-known lingo and acronyms that are used and do not need to be defined for those within the organization. If you are creating a document or revising a document, be sure one of your checklist questions is “Will this document go beyond the company’s walls?”
Check out this list of acronyms and lingo used daily.
The List of Chat Acronyms & Text Message Shorthand
Common Acronyms Translated
BTW – By The Way
TTYL – Talk To You Later – OR – Type To You Later
FYI – For Your Information
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
LOL – Laughing Out Loud – OR – Lots Of Love
ROTFL – Rolling On The Floor Laughing
Another commonly used computer lingo is Emoticons. Emoticons are symbols that represent feelings or emotions that are used in text messaging and email. Emoticons are not appropriate for professional or business documents. For a list of Emoticons, please click on this link: Smileys and Emoticons
Instructions for Writing an Interoffice Memorandum
2. Format- An interoffice memorandum is less formal in nature; but should be prepared in a structured format so that the information is simply conveyed and your purpose (or resolve) is very evident.
3. Heading- Generally the heading states the fact that the document is a memo and very clearly and concisely states who it is to and who it is from. Next would be the date and then the most important part which would be the subject matter. The writer will need to initial the printed copy.
4. Problem background- Start the memo by giving information about the subject’s background.
Ex: As you know the economy has slowed down considerably in the last 6 months since the Sales Budget and forecast was delivered to my office. Development of the forecast model was designed around a different economic structure than we live in today.
5. Statement of problem- Next you should state the problem associated with the topic, and remember to be clear and concise.
Ex: Since the creation of the forecast model the company has made concessions to make up for the shift in the economy. Our sales staff has been cut in half. These changes call for the need to revisit and recreate the original model.
6. Statement of solution- Probably the most important part of your memo is to give the reader a statement of solution. Explain your idea to remedy the situation.
Ex: I would like to head a team of people that would recreate the “Sales Budgeting and Forecasting Model”. We would address the shift in our industry and changes regarding competition; as well as our own internal changes. I believe that if the business model is structured properly that the company can profit from the changes the world economy is experiencing today.
7. Disruption- Be forthright and candid about disruptions that may occur due to your resolve concept.
Ex: I would like to be clear that there will be a disruption to our current schedule for sales meetings. I will schedule extra time to continue to manage my sales staff; but we will need to temporarily cancel further sales meetings to make time for the work to the new model. I feel that it is urgent to have the new model in place prior to January 1st, 2009.
8. Cooperation- Request cooperation from your audience. Be sure that you have completed the research necessary to outline the steps it will take to complete the project or to resolve the issue.
Ex: I am requesting a meeting on Wednesday November 26th, 2008, at noon, in my office. I will provide you with an outline of the resources needed to complete the new model at that meeting. I am eager to get started and believe in our ability to succeed.
Sample Letter of Acceptance
Saturday, November 22, 2008
SAMPLE PURPOSES ONLY 5555 Grand Isle Ln Fort Myers, FL 33913 (239) 560-5555 November 22, 2008 Mr. B. H. Smith Manager of Human Resources Company XYZ 327 Parkway Avenue New York, New York 75683 Dear Mr. Smith: I would be very pleased to accept your offer of $XX,000 per year as your property tax manager. I plan on leaving Fort Myers, 3 days after graduation; December 15th, I will be in New York and will be moving into my apartment. I have already found accommodations so that should not hold things up in the least. It will take me a couple days to finalize the move, so I should be available to start working at the office, by Monday, December 18th. Please let me know if there are any other scheduling conflicts. I look forward to working with the team of tax managers at company XYZ. Yours truly, Logan Jones
Keeping Your Audience and Purpose in Mind
Monday, November 17, 2008
Everything you write has a purpose. You want your reader to know what that purpose is, what to believe, or to take action after reading what you wrote. Determining your purpose is the first step in preparing to write because purpose gives your readers direction. The more precise your primary purpose is stated, the more successful your writing will be. Here are twelve questions you should ask yourself before writing for your reader:
1. Who is your audience?
2. Do you have more than one audience?
3. What do you want your audience to know, to believe in, or to be able to do after reading your writing?
4. Have you narrowed your topic to best focus on what you want your audience to know?
5. What are you audience’s needs in relation to the subject?
6. What does your audience know about the subject?
7. If there are multiple audiences, are there different levels of knowledge on the subject/topic?
8. How does your audience feel about your subject- sympathetic? Hostile? Neutral?
9. Does your writing acknowledge other or contrary points of view about the subject?
10. Have you selected the right medium, such as e-mail, memo, book letter, etc, for your subject and audience?
11. Is your tone respectful?
12. Does your format enhance the audience’s understanding of the topic?
Once you have answered all of these questions, you will have a better understanding of what should and should not be included in your document.
Read more On "Keeping Your Audience and Purpose in Mind"!Writing an Effective Letter of Application
In the opening paragraph you should explain how you heard about the available position. You should also explain why the job interests you. The title of the available position should always be included in the opening paragraph as well.
In the body of the letter, your main purpose is to essentially sell yourself. This is where you should state your past employment experiences that are relevant to the available position. Also in the body, you should include any additional relevant experiences that make you more qualified for the position, such as a college degree or training workshops you may have attended. After listing your accomplishments and history, you should explain how these things will benefit the employer if they were to hire you.
The closing paragraph is used to attempt to set up an interview. In this paragraph you should request an interview with the employer. Also you should provide as many ways as possible to be contacted such as email, home phone, and cell phone numbers. Every letter of application should end with a statement such as “thank you for your time” or something similar.
Communication is Key
Writer’s Web can help you sort through the insanity by assisting you in setting up your own “Management Company Blog.” Here all of your ideas, concepts and concerns can be viewed and commented on by your management team. An organized blog can be like a virtual management meeting 24/7.
Let the Writer’s Web team assist you in designing a communication outlet that will be simple to maintain and logically formatted. If your schedule is too hectic, our professional team of writer’s can collect your rough notes and e-mails and organize the information and post it for you. There are no longer vague expectations when everyone is able to review your notes virtually. Each team member will be able to follow up and collaborate with ease.
Take advantage of the blogging world to expand on your abilities to manage your team; and let Writer’s Web guide you on the path to sanity.
