There are certain terms that you will find yourself repeatedly using during your job search and post-hire as a working professional. Terms like ‘accountant’, ‘analyst’, and ‘attorney’ are common enough that you will undoubtedly have experience of using them at some point in your life. However, there are numerous others that you may not be so familiar with, such as ‘brand manager’, ‘chemical engineer’, and ‘construction manager’.
When should you capitalize these terms and what is the correct etiquette for using them? To help answer this question, we will examine the rules for capitalization as applied to job titles.
Title Case
When you are typing or writing the ‘about’ section of a website or an email, you should always use title case. This is the basic rule of grammar that ensures words are split up into sentences and phrases are kept separate. You should always start with a capital letter for the first word of a sentence, and you should end each sentence with a period. So, if you are writing about the company’s products, you should use:
– ‘products’
– ‘Product’
– ‘Products’
– ‘Products’
Plural Nouns
If you are referring to multiple items or people when speaking or writing, you should use the ‘s’, ‘es’, or ‘and’ conjunction. So, if you are writing about the products that a company offers, you should say:
‘These are the products that the company offers.’
‘These are the products that the company sells.’
‘These are the products that the company offers and sells.’
Descriptive And Commonly Used Terms
We all know that English is a frequently evolving language, and new words and phrases are being created to describe a new generation of online consumers. While some of these terms will become commonly used, others may not, and you should not be bound to use them. However, when you are writing about the products or services of a company, you should at least know what they mean. Here are some terms that you should certainly be familiar with:
– ‘affiliate marketing’
– ‘click fraud’
– ‘click-through’
– ‘search engine optimization’
– ‘search engine marketing’
– ‘SEO’
– ‘SEM’
– ‘PPC’
– ‘pay-per-click’
Redundant Phrases And Words
In English, there are certain expressions and phrases that, while frequently used, may not necessarily be necessary in a given context. Words like ‘very’ and ‘just’ can be redundant, as you can usually determine the ‘adjective’ or ‘adverb’ form of a noun or adjective. There are certain words and phrases that you will encounter that can also be considered redundant, and you should not need to use them in everyday speech or writing. However, in some instances, these phrases can be useful. Here are some examples:
‘Very important’
‘Kind of’
‘Usually’
‘Small business’
‘Just because’
‘Internet’
Matching The Language Of The Website
The ‘tone’ of a website can be an important factor in gaining the audience’s trust, and you should therefore match the language of your website to that of your email marketing and social media posts. You should use an ‘H1′ headline in your email campaigns, and the ‘h2′ headings should be used for social media posts. Here are some examples of the correct use of headlines in each case:
Email:
‘New Product’
‘Top 3 Tips For’
‘Greatest Hits’
‘Product Review’
Social Media:
‘#1′
‘Most Engaging’
‘Top Finds’
‘Most Influential’
‘What’s Trending’
‘Awesome Facts About’
Spelling Errors
In English, spelling errors are one of the easiest things for the reader to detect. Although there are various tools that can scan through text and find spelling errors, you should still proofread your work several times before publishing. You should also look out for words that are spelt differently to the way they sound. If you see a word that you think may be misspelled, you should double check, as there is no way of knowing whether or not the word is supposed to be spelled a certain way in this instance. A good rule of thumb is to assume that everything is spelled correctly, until you see something that warrants additional investigation or review.
Shortcomings Of English
There are several ‘shortcomings’ of English that you should be aware of as a native speaker or someone who has just finished learning the language. One of the most significant is that there is no widely accepted ‘rule’ for the use of quotation marks. This can make for some challenging moments when a punctuation mark is missing or misplaced. For example, you may want to end a quoted text with a question mark or exclamation point, or start a quoted text with a period. It is also acceptable to use quotation marks in your sentence when you are referring to something that is still in existence, but sometimes this can be difficult to determine. Here are some more examples:
– ‘This movie is great! I love Tom Hanks — he is so funny.’
– ‘ “Greater than you know it” – Steve Jobs’
When To Avoid Certain Phrases
Certain phrases and words should be avoided if you want to write in a ‘professional’ manner. If you are going to utilize the ‘verb’ ‘to be’ in your writing, you should try to use a simpler and more elegant word instead. For example, you should generally refrain from using the phrase ‘this is my job’ or ‘I am an attorney’ as this kind of wording can be regarded as ‘less than elegant’. Here are some other phrases and words to avoid:
– ‘This is just an opt-in’
– ‘Here is my email address’
– ‘I just want to leave you with a few thoughts’
As a general rule, the ‘tone’ of your writing should be such that it would be easy for a reader from another country to understand. If you want to write in a concise manner and avoid using overly complicated language, you should take care to match the ‘shortcomings’ of English, as there are several tools and websites that can help with the ‘translations’ for you.