My name is Alan De Back and I am thrilled to be a guest writer on IWCC’s BLOG and share my expertise in resume writing.

Since joining IWCC as an Associate Consultant in 2001, I have facilitated IWCC writing skills training, presentation skills training and meeting skills training workshops to hundreds of business professionals across North America.

As a career counsellor for over 20 years, I’ve constantly worked with my clients to make sure their resume is the best marketing tool possible. Too many of my clients view their resumes as a dry autobiography of everything they’ve ever done instead of a dynamic means of selling themselves to a potential employer. Your resume is the primary way a prospective employer will make the decision to bring you in the door for an interview, so why bore them with useless trivia?

Value of “Active” Language

IWCC teaches the value of writing in an active versus a passive format. Writing in an active format goes a long way towards making your resume the dynamic marketing tool that you want it to be.  Consider this section from a resume written in a passive format:

• Data analysis was completed on complex financial reports. This resulted in identification of budget savings of over 15%

Compare that to this section written in an active format:

• Analyzed data from complex financial reports resulting in over 15% budget savings.

By starting with an “action verb,” the writer of the second example delivered the same message in a more concise, easier to understand format.

The Results Factor

Most employers in this tough job market are looking for results and accomplishments. Your resume, written in an active format using action verbs, delivers the strong message that you are results oriented. Using “responsible for” and listing a litany of activities shows only that you can outline all the activities you perform. The difference is between “activities” and “results.” As a famous hamburger commercial asked back in the 1980’s, “Where’s the beef?”

Alan’s book “Get Hired in a Tough Market: Insider Secrets for Finding and Landing the Job You Need Now” is available on Amazon.

Visit Alan’s Website. 

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by Teresa McGill, Gandy Associates

I am delighted to guest write for IWCC’s BLOG this week. As President of Gandy Associates, I assist Canadian corporations by offering Business English training to employees who speak English as a second language (ESL). With 25 years in the ESL field, I am happy to share my expertise with IWCC’s BLOG readers.

A client shared this story, which highlights the importance of clear communication at work.

In a recent technical meeting, Alex and Jonathan – a software architect and his manager – discussed the current state of their project. The news from Alex was not good: It was evident the solution pursued for the past three weeks was simply not going to work. Taking stock, Jonathan suggested it might be time to throw in the towel and start again from square one. Alex sat for a few moments in silence. Although he was educated in a top university, it was in a non-English-speaking setting. Throw in the towel? Square one? What did Jonathan mean? His use of idiomatic expressions was confusing.

In everyday conversation, idioms are a dime a dozen. They are easy to find. Unfortunately, they can be hard to decipher, especially if English is your second language. That’s no surprise. An idiom, by definition, is “an expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words.” Confusion is to be expected!

Mystery of idioms

The mystery of idioms often traces back to their origins – relating to walks of life such as sports, nature and occupations. When you jump the gun, you are starting an activity prematurely, similar to a sprinter in a running race who leaps forward before the start gun fires. To break the ice is to open a channel of communication in the same way an icebreaker ship opens a channel of water for other boats to follow. Saying you are learning the ropes means you are learning how to do your job, like a sailor who needs to learn knots and other rope maneuvers for his trade.

Intriguing as they may be, are idioms safe to use in the workplace, where cultural and linguistic diversity are the norm? I say yes! While idioms may seem too informal and sometimes create confusion, they add warmth and humor to our workplace conversations and strengthen relationships. Use idioms with your colleagues, but do so with awareness.

Listeners’ reactions

If, as a Canadian-born communicator, you are familiar with most English idioms, be aware that others aren’t. In workplace meetings, training sessions and social conversations, idioms may go over the head of many of your listeners. A high percentage may have difficulty decoding the idioms’ meaning. Monitor your listeners’ reactions to make sure they are tracking with you and following your meaning.

Here’s a suggestion: Use idioms when you wish, but follow with a plain language translation. For example, after stating “We’re back at square one”, simply add “Let’s start again from the beginning.” In this win-win situation, both sides benefit. You enjoy using an idiom and your listeners enjoy learning one.

Learning new idioms

If English is your second language, look for opportunities to master new idioms. When you hear a puzzling phrase, make a note of it and check a dictionary or online resource. In your search engine, simply typing the phrase will usually lead you to the idiom’s meaning. Your friends and colleagues can also help you understand idioms. Asking about an idiom’s meaning will often launch a worthwhile conversation.

A final thought: Whether English is your first or second language, spend time researching the origin of interesting idioms. You will find that this fascinating pursuit leads you to unexpected discoveries and insights. By reflecting on idioms’ deeper meaning and history, we foster a richer appreciation of language and culture – and we all become better communicators.

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My name is Phyllis Schwager and I have worked with IWCC as an Associate Consultant for the past 9 years. I have been a freelance writer for more than 20 years and I am delighted to share my passion for writing with IWCC’s followers in this week’s BLOG.

When Marshall McLuhan wrote, ‘the medium is the message’, he was saying the way we communicate influences how that message is perceived. Interestingly, his words are as true – if not truer – today than they were when he wrote them over 40 years ago. Back then, options for written communication were limited. Today, we text, tweet, e-mail and use a host of social media. Such choice makes communication incredibly flexible and accessible. At the same time, it makes for a noisy, busy planet.

As a writer, I love that we are communicating more than any other time in human history. As a specialist in business communication, I am keenly aware of the importance of choosing the right medium for my message. A basic principle of all IWCC writing skills training workshops is to consider the contents of the message and your relationship with the reader. Beyond that, the following will help you decide when to use social media, tap out a text or send an e-mail.

Social media

As the name implies, social media is your most interactive option. Users want to and will reply to postings. For most of us, social media informs and entertains. Remember though, it also can be a powerful, transformative tool. We have only to look at the political arena to see how social media is literally changing the world. 

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook are good for quick blasts of information, such as product launches, organizational updates and upcoming events. It gets your brand ‘out there’ quickly and inexpensively. Twitter has a limit of 140 characters per tweet, so be concise. (Not the place for deep philosophical thoughts!)

Facebook messages can go deeper than a tweet but not much. Remember people graze on Facebook…they look to nibble not gorge. Facebook offers the added benefit of visual support such as photos and video clips.

Text messages

While text messages will get the attention of anyone under 25, don’t text if you need a paper trail. These messages can be tracked and retrieved (to many a celebrity’s chagrin!), but mostly they just go away. Text messages should convey simple, informal messages, e.g., finalizing lunch details with a client, informing a colleague that you will be late for a meeting.

Be very cautious with text spelling! So long as you know the reader will understand, you may take poetic license and use what has become standard text spelling, such as c u ltr, btw, b4 and gr8 (see you later, by the way, before and great.)

E-mail

E-mail is now the most formal of all electronic media. When first introduced, it was the least formal way to communicate in business and as such was used only internally. Today e-mail has replaced most paper documents. When you need a paper trail, when you need to disseminate information to a large audience, or when time zones/geography separate you from your reader, e-mail is the way to go.

E-mail is not your best choice for round table discussions, sensitive messages or for delivering ‘bad news’. Remember there is no ‘body language’ in an e-mail so pay attention to tone.

My two personal warnings about e-mail?

1. Never write an e-mail that you wouldn’t be comfortable saying to someone face to face.
2. Never write an e-mail that you would not want to see on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.

Remember: always consider the purpose of your message before sending an e-mail, text or social media message. Is the message appropriate for those communication methods? Sometimes, the only appropriate way to deliver your message is over the phone or face-to-face.

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