Write it Right

07/03/2017

Mistakes happen. We all make them. And the odd mistake here and there isn’t going to be the end of the world. Typos happen, and time-poor people don’t always see them.

Where a mistake is a problem is where it starts to chip in to your professionalism, your credibility or when it impacts the message you are trying to send.

Sometimes a mistake isn’t necessarily about punctuation, or spelling, or getting tripped up by homophones (is it their or they’re or there?). Sometimes a mistake is simply about putting a word where you shouldn’t.

Take, for instance, a recent article that appeared in a local newspaper. It was an otherwise fine article – except for a line in the opening paragraph describing Wagga’s Lake Albert as a ‘natural resource’. Lake Albert is very nice, but it was man-made in the 1890s, and is therefore about as natural as Donald Trump’s hair.

To a young journalist who isn’t from Wagga, or who is surrounded by people who don’t have the time to check articles before they go to print, it’s an easy mistake to make. In the short-term it’s a pretty harmless mistake as well, and only a meticulous, petty and vindictive individual (read: me) is going to care.

But it’s also a mistake that, when compounded with other small mistakes, degrades the credibility and respect of the press – something we need in these Trumpean times.

28/02/2017

Why it's important to always double check the text.

Hit me up and avoid a Beatty.

The most coveted award of the Oscars descends into chaos, with La La Land mistakenly named the best picture winner.

15/02/2017

Some observations on writing for the workplace:

All business copy should be as polished as you can make it. Sometimes it’s not enough to run a message through spell-check; homophones, poor grammar and clunky sentence structure can be enough to derail what you are trying to say.

Even if it’s just a note to staff, you have to remember that staff will form their own judgements on the kind of people they work for based on the communication they receive from their management. If that communication is unprofessional, they will be more inclined to believe that they work for unprofessional people.

Obviously the tone of these messages depends on the kind of business you work for, the size of the business you work for, and the relationship that a boss has with their staff. Some businesses thrive when a more relaxed relationship is in place (and I think Australians in particular tend to baulk at authority, even in the workplace).

That said, a company of substantial size needs to look long and hard at the kind of message they want to send to their staff.

Poorly-written copy – either in emails, company newsletters or social media – can make employees question the intelligence and authority of the management they answer to, and break down the chain of respect in the workplace.

10/02/2017

I've had a few people ask me about writing CVs and cover letters.

A good CV should be nice and clear, well laid out and easy to read. Little spelling mistakes, or inconsistent formatting, are easy ways to make you look unprofessional (this is usually where I come in).

Your cover letter needs to be written exactly for the job you are applying for. If you’re someone who has applied for a lot of jobs, it can be tempting to cut and paste the same letter over and over. Don’t do that (I’ve done it before, and it was a bloody disaster).

If the job asks you to address the selection criteria, make sure you do so, spelling out each individual point. And when you’ve applied, contact the recruiter; making contact with a potential employer means you can leave an impression as a person, rather than a name in the pile of applications.

While I'm always happy to help, at the end of the day I'm not a recruitment expert. Good job applications need to be tailored to fit the job, and to get that help it's always best to talk to right people. Make contact with a local recruitment agency or an employment service.

03/02/2017

Why everyone needs a little bit of help.

AS TYPOS go, it’s a man sized mistake. But blink and you might even miss it.

02/02/2017

I feel an explanation is in order ...

Write it Right is a handy little service to help you with your writing. Are you a student and want help to write an essay? Are you a business owner looking to publish an ad, a website or a blog? Would you like some advice to improve your writing, both professionally and privately?

I'm here to help.

Whatever your word-related problems, just get in touch.

(Student discounts available).

Cheers,

Red.