Jane
Curry and Diana Young -- two Ph.D.s from Chicago who, for the last 20
years, have taught businesspeople how to write -- understand that most
folks don't love to write. That's why they've penned their book 'Be a Brilliant Business Writer: Write Well, Write Fast and Whip the Competition.'
"In fact, many of you are so pressed for time you often have to slam
away at your keyboards into the night, working against impossible and
competing deadlines. No wonder most of you appear to need a good cry, a
dry martini and a long nap," they say in the introduction to their book
that went on sale on Oct. 5.
In a recent interview with AOL Jobs, Young provided advice for job seekers and anyone else who wants to dazzle employers with their brilliant business writing.
Four tips for writing a better business letter or e-mail.
1. Lead with the most important point.
"If it's an e-mail, say something like, 'Would you have time to meet
with me before next Tuesday for the X project?' so the reader knows
right away why you're writing," Young advised. "The reader should
understand right away when they get that e-mail why they're reading it
and what response they have to make."
"As for job seekers," she said, "remember not to concentrate on yourself too much."
"Often, what you see in resumes and cover letters
is what the job seeker wants," according to Young. "They'll say, for
example, 'professional accountant looking for a fulfilling position'
rather than 'professional accountant with 15 years of experience to help
X company' and then explain how their experience might help the
company."
2. Use visual formatting.
"The people you're writing for aren't in school anymore," Young noted.
"People are not being paid to crawl through enormous paragraphs. You
need to make a map on the page so people can scan at a glance. What they
should see in that scan is what's most important. If you haven't given
the reader the key points of your message in 4.5 seconds, you've pretty
much lost them."
3. Let your speech guide you when you write.
"So many people want to sound professional, but they end up sounding
institutional and hostile," Young said with a chuckle. "Jane and I say
you can sound professional and still sound like a human being -- and you
should. That's one of the biggest tools in your toolkit."
"I'm not saying to write exactly the way you talk," she added. "What
I'm saying is that if you wouldn't say it out loud, don't write it down.
For example, I would never say to you, 'Cost efficiencies have been
realized.' I would say, 'We have cut costs.' Which one does business
better? It's the second way."
4. Take the time to edit yourself.
"You always have to proofread for errors," Young said. "You always have
to spell-check. Always. If something is really important to you, like
getting a job, read it backwards or fold your paper in half. You know
what you wrote, so your brain just supplies the missing word. Break
things up so your brain won't automatically fill in the missing word. A
simple mistake can undermine your credibility."