Professional communications is the genre of interacting with others formally in writing sometimes called a deliverable. Included in this “category” of writing are Resumes, Cover Letters, Vitaes, Formal Proposals, Memorandums, Reports and even E-Mails. Ensuring that these writing deliverables are not only well-written, but also fit with the communication goals, audience and message, is a critical skill that students should develop in their undergraduate tenure.
Clarkson’s Departments of Communication & Media and Engineering and Management offer courses in Professional and Technical Communication designed for students to improve their skills and create these professional forms of communication for internships, jobs and long-term careers.
The Career Center is the first stop for help in writing resumes, cover letters and CVs. They will help you with the format and form, but then stop at the Writing Center for help with style and correctness.
Our Writing Center will assist you with the development of these materials. Schedule an appointment with us soon!
R E S O U R C E S & L I N K S
Professional, Technical Writing (Purdue Owl):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/4/16/
Definitely the most comprehensive website on this list, the Purdue Owl has sections on every case of business writing imaginable. From business letters to memos to abstracts, this site has great step-by-step descriptions of how to create business documents. In addition, several underlying aspects of business writing are dealt with, including tone, audience analysis, and parallel structure.
Business Writing Tips:
http://www.syntaxtraining.com/business_writing_tips.html
For a quicker way to get a few basic tips, check out this site run by a company that does training in business writing. This five-step list covers both technical aspects of business writing (passive voice, efficient use of language) and content related issues (tone, answering questions).
Quiz on Common Business Writing Errors:
http://businesswriting.com/tests/commonusage.html
Want to find out how much you really know about business writing? This 26-question quiz covers the most common errors made in business writing today, and can be taken in just 10 minutes. After you complete the quiz, explanations will be provided for the correct answers to every question. Try it! You might be surprised with the results…
Business Guide (Colorado State):
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/index.cfm?guides_active=business&category1=37
If you have a business writing assignment and have no idea where to start, this page is for you. It begins with an in-depth walk-through of the writing process with plenty of examples, and then transitions into specific areas (such as business writing). The section called “Introduction to Business Writing” includes helpful details explaining the different business documents and the steps involved in preparing them.