Ian Burke Writing For the Profession Blog

 Mizrahi: The Basics of Document Design     On from the document used to acquire a job, now comes the lesson on how to design written documents for the job you just got. Mizrahi explains conventions on reading documents to better understand why document design must adhere to certain rules. Each page must be laid out to attract and keep the attention of the reader, through things like placing images and the most important lines within their line of sight, as well as making those lines easy to scan and read. Readability is one of the aspects of document design that Mizrahi stresses the most in this chapter; take for example type justification, we often take for granted that left justified is the norm because that is how our minds have been trained to read. The ease with which we return from the ragged right side of the page text to the neat beginning of a sentence or continuation thereof on the left side is one reason why it is very nearly the only justification style used ...

Oliu Reading     Oliu keys readers into the finer points of how to get a job through this textbook chapter on Resume writing and formatting. They begin by going over how you as a writer should review your employment and education background, what experiences have enriched and encouraged the development of skills in the job market you intend to field out resumes to. Then they establish the recommended content formatting for the document, where to place education background vs. employment experience and skills, etc. As they go through the placement of content, they go over which content should go where and if one should even include some content within a resume. For example, specific desired job title or tagline in your heading should only be included if your resume is tailored towards gaining that specific position; whereas with a resume written for the broader field you wish to work in, a tagline or the desired job is not necessary. Ethical resume writing tips are also include...

       Mizrahi Readings: Chapters 1, 3-4      Mizrahi educates her readers on how to greatly enhance their technical writing skills, from the Fundamentals to Routine Messages, to more Persuasive and targeted ones. The Fundamentals reading encourages the reader not to think of writing as a flow of letters and sentences with little to no forethought, but as a careful and layered process with considerations such as demographics and stylistic elements to consider in the writing/editing process. The reading on Routine/Positive Messages narrows the scope to letters, e-mails, memos, thank you notes, and other messages that would be sent by employers to employees or vice versa. Emphasis is places on being aware of the urgency and formality of the desired message, the person you are sending it to and how familiar you are with them, as well as what the desired response and when that response will be received. The final reading narrows the scope of Mizrahi's tech...