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.
Mechanics
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The first is proper nouns. Proper nouns name a specific person, place, thing, or concept, qualities, and ARE capitalized. Examples are Mike Jones, France, Microsoft, and Writing That Works.
The second is common nouns. Common nouns name general classes or categories of people, place, things, concepts, or qualities rather than specific ones. These are NOT capitalized. Examples are business writing, company, person, and country.
The third mechanical issue is numbers. Numbers are generally written from zero to ten, and then shown as figures after ten. Examples would be five, ten, 15, and 2.
The fourth is time and date. When expressing hours and minutes use a.m. or p.m. (7:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.). When time is not followed by a.m. or p.m., spell out the word. (Seven o’clock, twelve o’clock.) Dates written in the United States are in a month-day-year sequence. (April 10, 1989). Never use numerical form for dates (04/10/89).
The fifth is words, letters, and figures. When words, letters, and figures are being discussed they are italicized. Examples, The word they is always misused. The r, t, v, e, and q keys on my keyboard do not work. It’s basically highlighting what you want your reader to focus on.
Email Needs a Professional Touch Too!
When most think about professional writing, they focus on letters, memos, resumes, etc. One other piece of professional writing is email. Whether you are sending your email to a friend in the company or another co-worker, you should give the same importance and time to every email sent out by you. Careful attention to detail is necessary, because most often emails are forwarded to others.
Work Email should never be treated as personal email, there is always a “big brother” looking over to make sure that company resources are not being used incorrectly.
Take a few minutes to scan over the following websites for some quick tips for writing emails:
Email Etiquette
Email Etiquette
Writing Effective Email: Top 10 Tips
10 Tips to Write Professional Email That Gets Noticed
A helpful website for a variety of professional writing documents is Workplace Writers.
Aspiring Writers Unite
Monday, November 10, 2008
Don’t let writer’s block put a halt to your latest masterpiece. Follow the Writer’s Web team to online destinations which can launch inspiration regardless of the project. Here are a few of our writer’s favorite online stomping grounds.
Besides our very own Writer’s Web site; our favorite hang out is Stepcase Lifehack . Here you will find amazing information and tips from aspiring writers like yourself. While you are exploring Lifehack you should take time to check out these Writer’s Web top rated articles:
Your Expertise is Worth Money: 5 Sites You Can Write For
How to Be Awesome at Followup
Be a Comment Rockstar: 10 Terrific Tips!
If that doesn’t satisfy your desire for writing knowledge, visit Aspiring Writers Magazine to fill your coffee table with publications.
Communicating online is a great first step into the writing world. Try contributing your writing talents to these sites; and broaden your networking skills.
Helium
The Next Big Writer
Then when you are ready to publish your own works you might want to check out:
Booksurge
Long Ridge Writers Group
Happy writing and remember... "Truth is a matter of the imagination." —Ursula K. LeGuin
NOT THOSE OTHER GUYS!
Welcome to Writer’s WeBlog!! Thank you for checking us out and considering our services to help you with your everyday writing needs. Whether it is business, casual, or some fine-tuning for that difficult paper you have put off until the last minute for school, we are your one stop shop for your writing needs. Our staff members are well trained, and are here to offer their expertise to you, without making a big dent in your pocket. Our rates are very affordable, even for the starving college student, which we are all too familiar with. Unlike those other guys, not only will we assist you, but we will work hands on, with you; So you will not just get the finished product, and wonder why, or what something is! We are here for your convenience, and there is no question to hard for us. We have all heard of horror stories, about someone desperate for help and turning to the wrong source to get that help, DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU! So before you turn to the wrong source, or get stressed out, let us take the work for you and go on stress free throughout our day. Writer’s Weblog does not get Writer’s block! So let us help you today.
Read more On "NOT THOSE OTHER GUYS!"!Skills needed to be a professional writer!
Business Letters
Business letters are usually needed for any business communications outside your organization, and for new associates and customers inside your organization. The most important thing to remember is to always build goodwill, to give readers a good impression. Put yourself in the reader’s position and see how you would react to the letter. Be respectful, modest, polite, and tactful.
A good news business letter should start with the main point/good news, continue with an explanation of the details, and end with a goodwill closing. Last, you should always make sure it is formatted correctly.
Here is an example of a good business letter in the correct format:
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April 4, 2009
Ms. Sheila Bolduc-Simpson
263 Washington Drive
Pennsville, NJ 08070
Dear Ms. Bolduc-Simpson:
Would you be willing to share your knowledge and experience with Writer’s WeBlog? Cyndi Jones recommended you as somebody we should talk to because of your knowledge and skills in professional writing.
As you know, the Writers WeBlog team is gathering information, through interviews and research, on skills needed to be a professional writer. We are combining what we learn to create a blog filled with useful information, videos, tips, and links that can assist everyday business writers in improving their skills.
We would like to incorporate your knowledge into our project. If you choose to participate we will ask a series of questions about your experience in the professional writing career. Interviews take about thirty minutes and are scheduled at your convenience.
I hope you are interested. I’ll call you next week to discuss the interview, but feel free to contact me any time if I can answer any questions.
Thank you,
Shelby Caple
Shelby Caple
Project Coordinator
Writers WeBlog
239-555-5555
slcaple@fgcu.edu
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When writing a negative business letter you should be careful not to harm the professional image of your company. It is just as easy to write a nice refusal, than a rude one. This specific order helps accomplish that: First the context or “buffer”, next explanation, THEN bad news, and last goodwill. Here is an example from Writing That Works: Ninth Edition, by Walter E. Oliu:
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November 9, 2006
Ms. Barbara L. Mauer
157 Beach Drive
San Diego, CA 92113
Dear Ms. Mauer:
Thank you for your time and effort in applying for the position of records administrator at Southtown Dental Center.
Because we need someone who can assume the duties here with a minimum of training, we have selected an applicant with over ten years of experience.
I am sure that with your excellent college record you will find a position in another office.
Sincerely,
Mary Hernandez
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Here are some great links to help out on your business writing excursions:
http://www.writinghelp-central.com/sample-letters-business.html
http://www.writeexpress.com/writing-business-letters.html
Proofreading...Do You Know the Difference Between the Uses for Accept and Except?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Among the other talents of our staff, another service we offer it to proofread your documents. After writing your document it is hard to look at it from a critical view so we are available to help you with proofreading.
We will check for correct grammar and vocabulary use, sentence and paragraph structure, correct citations and website addresses, and the overall “look” of the document to make sure white space is used correctly. We take the worrying out of whether to use accept or except. We use the comments feature in Microsoft Word so that while we are correcting any errors we can also make suggestions to you for adding in other information needed to make the document more cohesive.
Some helpful writing tools that you should have available when writing your document are: a dictionary, thesaurus, Internet (for research on the topic) and a grammar reference manual. All of these are available on either the Internet, through a word processing program such as MS Word, or a hard copy.
For some quick and helpful tips when writing, the following link has 30 useful general tips for writers: Thirty Tools for Writers
Read more On "Proofreading...Do You Know the Difference Between the Uses for Accept and Except?"!
Meet Our Writing Staff
Monday, November 3, 2008
Here at Writers Web, we take our services very seriously. We have a great staff that all has the expertise to fulfill your every writing need. No matter how large or small the task, we handle every case with utmost care and consideration.
Mara Parrott
“I have lived in Florida my entire life. I received my AA from Edison College in 2006. I work full-time at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, FL while going to school part-time at Florida Gulf Coast University. I am currently a junior with my major as Accounting and a minor in HR Management. I have worked at Grey Oaks for almost 8 years and have held a few positions, currently I am working in Human Resources.”
[No Photo Included]- James Casper
“I am a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University and will be graduating with a degree in Business Management. I work for New Code Windows and Doors, Inc. in the sales department.”
Shelby Caple
“I am a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University, majoring in business management. I tutor math and accounting courses at Edison State College.”
Kari Soule
“I am a senior and will graduate with a degree in Accounting. I am working as a consultant with small businesses part time and going to school full time.”
Raymundo Diaz
“My name is Raymundo Diaz. I'm from Key West, FL. I'm a junior at FGCU, and I've taken two college writing classes.”
Cyndi Jones
“I am a senior at FGCU. I was employed as a proofreader and writing team leader at America Online, Inc. for five years and I am currently employed as a legal specialist drafting agreements for a large corporation.”
Roy Quataert
“I am a junior at FGCU, and my major is finance. I just switched from Professional Golf Management, and I am glad I did! I currently work at Grey Oaks Country Club. I help write up various reports at Grey Oaks, and have done very well in all writing classes that I have taken.”
Read more On "Meet Our Writing Staff"!What is a resume?
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Most people feel that their resume doesn’t look pretty or fancy enough. The truth is all resumes follow one of several basic formats, so they all look alike. There is no resume that is better or more extraordinary looking. Your resume will be effective enough when you choose a format and start filling it in with skills from your previous or current job. Some information a basic resume should include are an objective or resume profile, achievements, work experience, and education.
Get started with your resume with some of these useful links:
1. http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html
2. http://www.freeresumesamples.org/
3. http://www.how-to-write-a-resume.org/
To Use Commas or Not to Use Commas?
When to use commas or when not to use commas is a question that many writers struggle with when proofreading their documents.
Here is a video made by Professor Sheila Bolduc-Simpson of Florida Gulf Coast University that helps put comma rules to memory.
Commas Made Easy Video by Sheila Bolduc-Simpson
Helpful Videos for Resumes & Letters of Application
Human Resources Professionals receive and sort through many resumes as part of their job. In order to differentiate yourself from the pack, you will need an edge. Writer’s WeBlog can help to separate you while making sure that the fundamentals when writing a resume and letter of application are met.
Here are a few helpful videos found on YouTube.com relating to resumes and its counterpart, the letter of application:
Writing Resumes:
Refresh Your Resume – In 7 Easy Steps…
Resume Basic Tips Career TV…
Writing Your Resume…
How to Structure Your Resume
Writing Letters of Application:
What to Include in a Cover Letter
How to Write a Cover Letter
Writing Your Resume Cover Letter
CollegeGrad.com gives examples and states what is most important in resumes: http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/Best-College-Resumes/
Grammar is so tough…am I write?
You will find ways to improve on your grammar by visiting us at Writer’s WeBlog weekly. Here you will find links to useful grammar tools, grammar trivia and also grammar fun! The professional staff of Writer’s Web is here to help you through any writing dilemma. Let Writer’s Web research and compose your next presentation. You can count on us to help you to keep your image professional.
HOMONYM as defined by Wikipedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For homonyms in scientific nomenclature, see Homonym (biology).
In linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings, and are usually spelled the same. Some sources only require that homonyms share the same spelling or pronunciation (in addition to having different meanings), but these are the definitions most other sources give for homographs and homophones respectively. The state of being a homonym is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are stalk (which can mean either part of a plant or to follow someone around), bear (animal) and bear (carry), left (opposite of right) and left (past tense of leave). Some sources also consider the following trio of words to be homonyms, but others designate them as "only" homophones: to, too and two (actually, to, to, too, too and two, being "for the purpose of" as in "to make it easier", the opposite of "from", also, excessively, and "2", respectively). Some sources state that homonym meanings must be unrelated in origin (rather than just different). Thus right (correct) and right (opposed to left) would be polysemous (see below) and not be homonyms.
How do you make a video using Windows MovieMaker??
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Here is the perfect video for beginners by bluewings65 that will show you step by step how to create your masterpiece:
Writer's WeBlog
Monday, October 27, 2008
