When writing a reference for a job, there are a few things you can do to make sure you make a good first impression. After all, it’s the employer who will be reading your words, not your references. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common mistakes made by unskilled writers, and how you can avoid making them.
Focus On Writing In A Concise And To The Point Manner
The English language can be somewhat daunting to non-native speakers, and it takes some time to become accustomed to its quirks and to develop a writing style that resonates with readers. Learning to write concisely and effectively will help you avoid the mistakes that plague lesser writers. As the great Edward de Bono once said, “People say that writing is rewriting. But they don’t understand how important it is to rewrite the first thing that comes out of your head.”
A lot of time and energy is wasted in meetings, arguments, and petty office gossip. If you’re planning on writing about your experiences, you can bet that your employer will have a few stories of their own they’d like to share. By avoiding unnecessary information and being concise in your writing, you’ll make sure that their time is valued and that they get the information they need to make a decision. Furthermore, your writing will be more coherent and easy to follow, preventing the reader from getting lost in a fog of words.
Maintain Standard English
A major pitfall for first-time writers is the use of colloquialisms and slang words, which, although they may seem clever at the time, will age poorly and prevent you from sounding like a credible expert. Stereotypes and slang are all the rage in current society, but they will not make you popular with English language academics, journalists, and businesspeople. One of the best ways to avoid this pitfall is to maintain standard English.
Although it may be tempting to “have fun” with words and sentence structure, proper English should be valued and used whenever possible. With standard English, you will sound like a credible expert, and although you may not always produce perfect English yourself, you will surely sound much more articulate than the average Joe or Jane.
Make Sure Your Grammar And Spelling Are Perfect
A grammar and spelling mistake here and there won’t hurt you too much, but if your spelling is completely off, it will make your writing hard to understand. Even worse, if you’re using slang or colloquialisms, the spellchecker in your word processing program will flag your text as “unprofessional”. You’ll end up sounding like a child, or an impromptu rapper at a Halloween party. Although these are the extremes, nearly every writer makes at least a few spelling and grammar mistakes in their text. Before you know it, hours have passed, and you haven’t written a word.
To avoid this pitfall, take a few moments to go over your work before submitting it. Look for spelling and grammatical errors, make sure your transitions are smooth, and check your document for coherence. Then, when you’re sure that everything is perfect, hit the submit button. This will save you a great deal of time and effort in the long run.
Organize Your Thoughts
Although it’s great to have a “freewriting” session once you’ve finished a writing project, rereading your work can be an essential part of the editing process. To make sure you don’t miss any mistakes, you’ll have to go back over your entire text, pausing occasionally to make notes in the margin. This is called “marginalia”, and it’s a classic practice among scholars and students. A few notes here and there won’t hurt, but if you go back and review the whole text, you’ll be able to catch nearly every error.
A lot of time is wasted in meetings, arguments, and petty office gossip. If you’re planning on writing about your experiences, you can bet that your employer will have a few stories of their own they’d like to share. By avoiding unnecessary information and being concise in your writing, you’ll make sure that their time is valued and that they get the information they need to make a decision. Furthermore, your writing will be more coherent and easy to follow, preventing the reader from getting lost in a fog of words.