Write for Business - Blog

Included in the jargon of professional Web design is a marketing term called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The premise of SEO is that most people find Web sites through a search engine (especially Google), and that by fine-tuning your Web site to feature the best key words for your topic, you can increase the site's chances of appearing early in the search results. That visibility, paired with an inviting description, means more click-thru to your site.

While this concept may seem new, it's really just an application of an old writing technique: Write an introduction that grabs attention and makes the reader want to know more. SEO chooses a few key words and plants them in the page title, main copy header, introductory paragraph, and META description to appeal to search robots, ranking algorithms, and the human editors who oversee the process. Similarly, business writers must identify key terms and ideas in their introductions to let readers know immediately what the writing is about and why they should read further.

In the title and first paragraph above, I have applied this very concept. The first paragraph is a teaser, designed to grab your attention, but it also introduces the key concepts that will be explained in the second paragraph. The second paragraph then serves as the body of this particular post, revealing how the idea in the teaser relates specifically to you as a business writer. This third paragraph now serves as a conclusion, summarizing what has been presented and leaving you with something to think about: In a longer essay, the two paragraphs above could serve together as a two-part introduction to a more in-depth discussion of opening techniques, but for my current purposes, this particular post is finished.

- Lester Smith

Chances are when you studied grammar back in school, you were introduced to the seemingly mysterious concept of transitive and intransitive verbs. But these verb forms don't have to be mystifying. All you have to note about them is the way each performs its action.

Think of transitive verbs as transferring their action to an object. In active voice, that action is transferred directly to the direct object, as in this example sentence:

Marcie took the pencil.

Pencil is the direct object of the verb took.

You can easily recognize a transitive verb by removing the direct object. Without the object "pencil," the sentence reads Marcie took, which does not make sense. We need to know what Marcie took to make the sentence complete. So, to repeat, a verb that transfers its action to a direct object is transitive.

Next, think of intransitive verbs as not transferring their action, as in this example sentence:

Marcie stayed.

The sentence is complete and makes sense, even though the verb stayed does not transfer its action to an object. This verb is intransitive.

Here are the main points to remember: If a verb needs to transfer its action to a direct object, the verb is transitive; otherwise, the verb is intransitive.

You can learn more about transitive and intransitive verbs on page 249 in Write for Business: A Compact Guide to Writing and Communicating in the Workplace, just one of the many helpful business writing materials from UpWrite Press.

- Joyce Lee

Podcast

The verb accept means "to receive" or "to believe."

The preposition except means other than, and the verb means "leave out."

The supervisor accepted Lu's reason for being late for work.

Everyone - except Lu and the supervisor - had remembered to switch to daylight savings time.

Only in rare cases are employees excepted from the policy on punctuality.

(From Write for Business, page 223, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 35)

The rule for choosing between the article a and the article an is simple:

A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound; an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound.

(From Write for Business, page 223, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 35)

It's that time again. Graduation season!

In the upcoming weeks, hundreds of thousands of giddy college seniors will don pointy caps and baggy black gowns while ceremoniously erasing the under from undergraduate.

After the pomp and circumstance, though, comes the not-so-fun task of finding a job in an economy as bleak as a flu pandemic.

Here's a glimpse into the job market new graduates are up against:

• The National Association of Colleges and Employers estimates companies will hire 22 percent fewer graduating seniors than they did last year.
• Jobless rates among college graduates have more than doubled from a year ago to 4.3 percent.
• The national unemployment rate is at 8.5 percent and rising.

These are discouraging statistics, for sure, but that doesn't mean finding a job out of college is impossible.

Take it from me. I'm both employed and a recent graduate ('08). Furthermore, all of my closest college friends are either employed or attending professional/graduate schools.

Although I don't consider myself an expert on job-hunting, I have picked up on some helpful lessons from my own experience and the experiences of my friends:

Lesson One: Networking works. The old adage, It's not what you know; it's who you know, still resonates today. You can build future business connections by joining campus clubs and organizations, attending job fairs, serving internships (see Lesson 3), attending sporting events, going to research conferences, and so on. But remember, simply exchanging your résumé for a business card won't likely get you a job. You need to stand out as a person (with your personality, attitude, and appearance), and on paper (see Lesson 2).

Lesson Two: Clean up your résumé. You need to make a good first impression in person and on paper. Your résumé should be organized in a way that effectively and correctly lauds your experience and character. If you haven't already done so, think about attending a workshop or obtaining a resource on writing résumés and cover letters.

Lesson Three: Internships matter. Internships are great for four main reasons: 1) they provide job experience that employers covet; 2) they offer an incredible networking opportunity; 3) they look great on a résumé, and 4) they can turn into full-time positions.

Consider applying for internships, even unpaid ones, after you graduate. Believe me, biting the bullet here can pay off (literally) in the end. Three of my four roommates received job offers from the companies they interned with.

Volunteer work can also be a great way to gain experience, pick up networking connections, build your résumé, and even find a full-time position.

Lesson Four: Be Flexible. The career counselors cited by the San Francisco Gate in this article say the key to getting a job is flexibility. Flexibility means being willing to move to a different city, take an entry-level position, and/or earn less than you expected.

Lesson Five: Be persistent and stay positive. And that's the most important lesson, because dwelling on how bad the economy sucks won't help you get the job.

I say forget the doom and gloom, and go hit the job market with fire and fervor. Just remember to take your cap and gown off first.

—Tim Kemper