Dombrowski - Challenger Disaster
The background of the story is that the O-rings sealing the joints in the rocket were charred causing the rocket to tear apart and lead to the disaster. The decision to launch was an ethical consideration because the information about the o-rings was known beforehand. After the disaster there were two reports, one presidential and one congressional comity. There are also ethical dilemmas in these reports as to how they were written.
The first thing we learn about ethical considerations in writing is that the audience has a responsibility too. One must question and scrutinize the things that you read and not always take them for what they are. This does not take away any responsibility from the writer, who also needs to think about what they are doing, but places some responsibility on both ends.
The next big topic for writing ethically is the idea of misproportion. The things that are given the most attention should be the most relevant material. Order is also important. You don't want to hide your most crucial facts in some small section in the middle of a different topic. This can mislead the reader and sometimes people do it on purpose.
The next thing the author advises staying away from is writing as a memory dump. This means writing tons and tons of material just to put it all out there on the record. Writing, especially communicating, should be edited and consolidated to get the point across as effectively as possible.
More good advice is to use consistent language. Once you have used a term to define something don't use different ones even if they are synonyms. It will only lead to confusion in the reader. Precise language is also preferred over ambiguous for obvious reasons of not trying to confuse your reader.
An interesting topic the author brought up was the inherent nature of any information. Are we to believe that all information is inately problematic and when any two people look at it they could come to different conclusions? Or is there only one true and correct conclusion from and one set of data? The author also mentions that it is unlikely but possible that there is no correct conclusion. I think that it happens a lot that people come to different conclusions so data must be problematic to begin with.
Another interesting discussions is that of the change in perspective. This is what lead the management to go ahead with the decision to launch even though the engineers did not want to. They were affected by different concerns such as reputation and scheduling. An interesting way to think about it is what if the assumption of our legal system was guilty until proven innocent instead of innocent until proven guilty.
Harty Part 6
overview: Yes, ethics applies even to strictly technical writing. This is something the author thinks is being forgotten today.
Winsor - Challenger
-Differing perspectives looking at same data
-Passing bad news(especially upwards)
-Bad news not being believed
-stress the seriousness in your writing
Are we not allowed to be optimistic?
Darrell Huff - How to lie with statistics
-statistics as semantic nonsense
-one problem can be a bias in the selection sample (ex. yale survey)
-truncating graphs leads to false visuals
if it is labeled then the reader should be able to tell
he mentions that the difference is like that of writing "a rise of 7%" and changing to "a rise of a whopping 7%"
-know the difference between mean and median (if you are not sure which one was used or how the data was collected then dont even bother with it)
-Beware of cause-effect issues
if they say that smokers make worse grades because 99% scored lower on a test it could be that the low scorers all began smoking after they found out their grade)
Dan Jones - Ethics of Style
Ethics is a person making choices of behavior
Many different professions have their own code. Does this mean that ethics can be tweeked or that there is no general set of ethics. I think this simply gives a base that can be agreed on and gives them something to follow. Many things are present in most, such as honesty and fairness.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Harty Part 5 Part 2
Steve Graber - Cover Letters
Think of the cover letter as an additional tool that can be used with your resume. It is not just something with your name and stating that a resume is enclosed. It can be used to highlight the features that make you most marketable. Also, you may like to think of it as a sales pitch, very quickly pointing out why the manager should "buy" you.
Format and Content are the two main considerations in creating a cover letter. A manager will quickly be able to tell the level of you organizational skills and your attention to detail. Anything unprofessional will likely be tossed aside.
There are basically two main styles of cover letters, business and personal. The business letter has all text aligned to the left with no indentions. It is supposedly more professional. The Personal letter has some indentations and the closings can be centered.
The parts of the letter are
The content of the body should be this
Concrete examples are the best way to sell your experience. Give tangible evidence of accomplishments. A resume can be limited to read like boring facts but the letter has a more prose like approach which can really highlight these scenarios.
Avoid passive language, mention of personal preferences, cliches (I am a team player). Don't come across as desperate for the job and don't point our your flaws. If you are lacking in experience then you can focus on your other strenghts.
If you are going through an employment agency, make sure it is clear who you are, what you are looking for, what specific fields you are interested in, and what your strengths are.
Networking letters can be vry effective tools in a job search. This letter will be somewhat more personal but still professional and typically involves a 3rd party person. You will be asking them for references to other people or companies they know that might need you.
Correspondence doesn't end after the letter and resume are sent. You may need to send a thank you letter or follow up with another letter or phone call to check on a job status.
Dokel and Roehm - Resumes Online
They begin by saying that online resumes are typically ineffective but you should do it anyway, and do it right. There shouldn't be too much work in adapting your print resume for use online. All the keywords that need to be in the online version should be present if the print resume is a good one. They advise setting up a text only file that can be copied and pasted into emails and databases.
Another form of online resume is a html (web Page) resume. This is more likely to occur for a design oriented job search. Be careful not to put to much personal information that is not relevant to the manager.
It only takes seconds to delete an email so make the email resume count. The authors advise not putting it in an attachement but copying it directly into the body of the email. I have mixed feeling about this. I feel that maybe their view is a little dated and every employer now should be capable of viewing a pdf attachment in only seconds time.
Tips for online formatting
Be aware of how much privacy you are giving up when uploading your resume online. Your contact information may be passed around and it can be seen by the entire public. More specifically it can be seen by your current employer and get you into trouble. Make sure to delete the resume after it has gotten you a job so the information doesn't just stay out there.
Think of the cover letter as an additional tool that can be used with your resume. It is not just something with your name and stating that a resume is enclosed. It can be used to highlight the features that make you most marketable. Also, you may like to think of it as a sales pitch, very quickly pointing out why the manager should "buy" you.
Format and Content are the two main considerations in creating a cover letter. A manager will quickly be able to tell the level of you organizational skills and your attention to detail. Anything unprofessional will likely be tossed aside.
There are basically two main styles of cover letters, business and personal. The business letter has all text aligned to the left with no indentions. It is supposedly more professional. The Personal letter has some indentations and the closings can be centered.
The parts of the letter are
- Return Address - contacting you is the most important part
- date
- inside address - making it personal and targeting them
- salutation
- body - should only be 3 to 4 paragraphs
- closing - polite
The content of the body should be this
- 1st - why you are contacting them (the position you want)
- 2nd - what and how you can contribute
- 3rd - why you are above average or how you excede the expectations
- 4th - show appreciation and politely close (don't write that you will call)
Concrete examples are the best way to sell your experience. Give tangible evidence of accomplishments. A resume can be limited to read like boring facts but the letter has a more prose like approach which can really highlight these scenarios.
Avoid passive language, mention of personal preferences, cliches (I am a team player). Don't come across as desperate for the job and don't point our your flaws. If you are lacking in experience then you can focus on your other strenghts.
If you are going through an employment agency, make sure it is clear who you are, what you are looking for, what specific fields you are interested in, and what your strengths are.
Networking letters can be vry effective tools in a job search. This letter will be somewhat more personal but still professional and typically involves a 3rd party person. You will be asking them for references to other people or companies they know that might need you.
Correspondence doesn't end after the letter and resume are sent. You may need to send a thank you letter or follow up with another letter or phone call to check on a job status.
Dokel and Roehm - Resumes Online
They begin by saying that online resumes are typically ineffective but you should do it anyway, and do it right. There shouldn't be too much work in adapting your print resume for use online. All the keywords that need to be in the online version should be present if the print resume is a good one. They advise setting up a text only file that can be copied and pasted into emails and databases.
Another form of online resume is a html (web Page) resume. This is more likely to occur for a design oriented job search. Be careful not to put to much personal information that is not relevant to the manager.
It only takes seconds to delete an email so make the email resume count. The authors advise not putting it in an attachement but copying it directly into the body of the email. I have mixed feeling about this. I feel that maybe their view is a little dated and every employer now should be capable of viewing a pdf attachment in only seconds time.
Tips for online formatting
- don't forget to delete page numbers, they are not necessary
- all caps can emphasize important notes
- use standard keyboard symbols, fancy icons may not appear
- careful when using tabs and returns, it may appear different on another machine
Be aware of how much privacy you are giving up when uploading your resume online. Your contact information may be passed around and it can be seen by the entire public. More specifically it can be seen by your current employer and get you into trouble. Make sure to delete the resume after it has gotten you a job so the information doesn't just stay out there.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Harty Part 5 Part 1
Overview: There is no one correct way to write a resume or cover letter. The point of the resume is to get the interview, no more or less. Some of the main things that a resume can demonstrate are communication skills, computer skills, interpersonal skills, initiative, professionalism, specific skills, ethics, management, and ability to prioritize.
Munschauer - Language of Employers
What can the candidate do for us? This is what every manager is thinking when they are looking to hire someone new. Therefore, that is what the message of your resume should be. Emphasize this point and target the writing to a specific manager and it will likely be a successful resume. Turn the focus to their needs and not your wants. Try not to overuse "I". A helpful tip on targeting the manager is to research and learn about the industry you are appplying to. This will give you some common ground/interest with the manager and you will immediately be more appealing.
"you made the ritual the message and the meaning got lost"
I'm not sure if this is copied from somewhere else or if it is Munschauer's own but I really like the phrasing of this quote and the impact it gives. The meaning is fairly simple, that we get caught up in the formatting and supposed rules that we forget even why we are writing. We are trying to get a job and also service a need of an employer, it is mutually beneficial.
Unfortunately, there is something that matters alot that shouldnt matter at all, Appearances! The content should far exceed the importance of typos and a printer that is low on ink, however, managers need a system to sort through the insanely high number of resumes and letters that they recieve. It is very easy to pick out ones that don't look "good" and throw them away before reading. The point is, be professional.
Similarly, many people try to use gimmicks to make their letters and resume stand out but these too are often quickly overlooked as non-professional.
Find a way to show off career related experience. These are things that do not come from school or work but do pertain to the field you wish to enter. These show your extreme interest in the subject and show that you are willing to do above and beyond what you are required.
Formating is a large issue in resumes. We have already said that there is no set way to do it but one big tip is not to forget about white space. By double spacing around key points it will highlight the achievement and make it stand out even more. This leads to the idea that resumes should be made in a way that makes them easy to scan. Managers are not going to spend much time looking at them. The pertinent information needs to jump out at them. If they are interested they will read more carefully later.
Knowing that the document will be scanned quickly, you also need to do a double check and look for key words that do catch the eye and make sure they are not things that "turn off" the reader. If at all possible these pinpoint words should spark the readers attention.
There is a debate about whether or not to include a job objective in the resume. The authors advice is frankly yes, but name it career interest instead. The career interest is the entire point of the resume. Without it, there is hardly a reason to make one.
There is another debate between a one page format or allowing longer resumes. It is nice to be concise and make it easy for the manager to scan and read but this is no equivalent to using a proper amount of white space and heading even if it runs over one page.
The last thing to consider is whether or not to even send a resume. Sometimes they can detract more than help your case. Sometimes it can be more effective to put it all in prose and leave all for a letter.
What is the message of the resume?
Munschauer - Language of Employers
What can the candidate do for us? This is what every manager is thinking when they are looking to hire someone new. Therefore, that is what the message of your resume should be. Emphasize this point and target the writing to a specific manager and it will likely be a successful resume. Turn the focus to their needs and not your wants. Try not to overuse "I". A helpful tip on targeting the manager is to research and learn about the industry you are appplying to. This will give you some common ground/interest with the manager and you will immediately be more appealing.
"you made the ritual the message and the meaning got lost"
I'm not sure if this is copied from somewhere else or if it is Munschauer's own but I really like the phrasing of this quote and the impact it gives. The meaning is fairly simple, that we get caught up in the formatting and supposed rules that we forget even why we are writing. We are trying to get a job and also service a need of an employer, it is mutually beneficial.
Unfortunately, there is something that matters alot that shouldnt matter at all, Appearances! The content should far exceed the importance of typos and a printer that is low on ink, however, managers need a system to sort through the insanely high number of resumes and letters that they recieve. It is very easy to pick out ones that don't look "good" and throw them away before reading. The point is, be professional.
Similarly, many people try to use gimmicks to make their letters and resume stand out but these too are often quickly overlooked as non-professional.
Find a way to show off career related experience. These are things that do not come from school or work but do pertain to the field you wish to enter. These show your extreme interest in the subject and show that you are willing to do above and beyond what you are required.
Formating is a large issue in resumes. We have already said that there is no set way to do it but one big tip is not to forget about white space. By double spacing around key points it will highlight the achievement and make it stand out even more. This leads to the idea that resumes should be made in a way that makes them easy to scan. Managers are not going to spend much time looking at them. The pertinent information needs to jump out at them. If they are interested they will read more carefully later.
Knowing that the document will be scanned quickly, you also need to do a double check and look for key words that do catch the eye and make sure they are not things that "turn off" the reader. If at all possible these pinpoint words should spark the readers attention.
There is a debate about whether or not to include a job objective in the resume. The authors advice is frankly yes, but name it career interest instead. The career interest is the entire point of the resume. Without it, there is hardly a reason to make one.
There is another debate between a one page format or allowing longer resumes. It is nice to be concise and make it easy for the manager to scan and read but this is no equivalent to using a proper amount of white space and heading even if it runs over one page.
The last thing to consider is whether or not to even send a resume. Sometimes they can detract more than help your case. Sometimes it can be more effective to put it all in prose and leave all for a letter.
What is the message of the resume?
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