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The problem is when the people looking at the resumes have the same level of poor writing skills.
At my last job we did a seminar on writing and communication. I was really surprised at the content of the course, a lot of it consisted of very basic grammar and usage that I think most students should have a handle on by the time they reach high school. They had a special section on why you can't use casual "chat-speak" in a professional e-mail the way you would to your buddies. And this was a professional setting where several of the employees had managed to have graduate degrees!
My guess is that most of these job seekers have business degree backgrounds, and from my experience those programs tend to be very weak as far as communication and writing. I think also the focus on standardized testing in the schools over the last decade or so has probably resulted in the average student being less capable overall in that area. I have no idea if young people with a humanities background might have better skill in writing. Sadly, probably not the case.
The problem is when the people looking at the resumes have the same level of poor writing skills.
At my last job we did a seminar on writing and communication. I was really surprised at the content of the course, a lot of it consisted of very basic grammar and usage that I think most students should have a handle on by the time they reach high school. They had a special section on why you can't use casual "chat-speak" in a professional e-mail the way you would to your buddies. And this was a professional setting where several of the employees had managed to have graduate degrees!
My guess is that most of these job seekers have business degree backgrounds, and from my experience those programs tend to be very weak as far as communication and writing. I think also the focus on standardized testing in the schools over the last decade or so has probably resulted in the average student being less capable overall in that area. I have no idea if young people with a humanities background might have better skill in writing. Sadly, probably not the case.
This is partly why I believe that Liberal Arts majors should still have a place carved out for them in business. As you mentioned, business programs tend to have weak communication/writing development courses. My friends who have degrees in these areas or in IT or in Engineering, have some of the worst grammar I've seen in a college graduate. On the other hand, my liberal arts friends (who get dissed for their so-called useless degrees), have some of the best writing/communication skills.
Business is business though, and money talks. You could be dumb as rocks, but as long as you have the money or own the rights to a product that people want (ahem...need), I think that's mostly what matters. I've met several business owners in my field (logistics). These people tend to be smooth-talking, charismatic folks with no formal education, who just worked their way up the food chain. They probably couldn't spell or construct a grammatically-correct sentence to save their lives, but they're all making bank and own their own companies.
when i type on here and on other forums i barely use punctuation and because often i type as i think i may also make a stupid mistake like saying "their" instead of "there." and i know my syntax is often poor when i write online. but formal written communication for professional or academic purposes is altogether different and there is no excuse for the quotation you gave above if that is real.
when i type on here and on other forums i barely use punctuation and because often i type as i think i may also make a stupid mistake like saying "their" instead of "there." and i know my syntax is often poor when i write online. but formal written communication for professional or academic purposes is altogether different and there is no excuse for the quotation you gave above if that is real.
I always try to write correctly whether on forums, in email or even text messages. Yes, I'm one of those dorks that writes out full sentences with proper punctuation and capitalization in text messages.
This may be a silly example, but I liken it to my boyfriends burp habits. He has the habit of burping rather loudly and obnoxiously in our house, and I warned him that he was going to get so used to it that he would accidentally do it in a public place without realizing it. A few weeks ago he burped ridiculously loud in a restaurant and he was so embarrassed. That's how I see writing properly, if you get used to writing poorly you will continue to write poorly. However, if you always write as correctly as possible, it will soon become second nature and will come far easier to you.
I treat all written communication as professionally as possible because it directly reflects on my intelligence and education. if i typd lyke dis, that would mark me as an idiot to many people...and I just don't want that.
I always try to write correctly whether on forums, in email or even text messages. Yes, I'm one of those dorks that writes out full sentences with proper punctuation and capitalization in text messages.
This may be a silly example, but I liken it to my boyfriends burp habits. He has the habit of burping rather loudly and obnoxiously in our house, and I warned him that he was going to get so used to it that he would accidentally do it in a public place without realizing it. A few weeks ago he burped ridiculously loud in a restaurant and he was so embarrassed. That's how I see writing properly, if you get used to writing poorly you will continue to write poorly. However, if you always write as correctly as possible, it will soon become second nature and will come far easier to you.
I treat all written communication as professionally as possible because it directly reflects on my intelligence and education. if i typd lyke dis, that would mark me as an idiot to many people...and I just don't want that.
Hmmm, funny, interesting, and a good point all in one. Rep!
I treat all written communication as professionally as possible because it directly reflects on my intelligence and education. if i typd lyke dis, that would mark me as an idiot to many people...and I just don't want that.
I agree, I'm old enought that I learned to write in HS. I'm also finding down here in the south many grade school and HS teachers do not speak correct english, "if yah cain't speak it how can you right it"
I've done stints as a Tech Writer and have been appalled at some who have advanced degree skill sets. Basic communication includes both written an oral.
I will be the first to admit that I do struggle with spelling due to moderate dyslexia, but that's what spell check is for. I try to leave MS Word open in another window and if a word looks wrong or it's one I struggle with I'll spell check it.
As far as plagiarism goes, too many young people today have not been taught HONOR. They think nothing of stealing info from the 'net because it's so easy and rarely get caught. It makes me sick. I also believe this lack of honor bleeds into the rest of how they live their lives.
I won't say that I give young people a pass on plagiarism, but I can say from personal experience that a lot of high schools do not teach how to properly conduct research and credit sources. So I can see how people can hit college and inadvertently plagiarize when writing a paper, I did it myself when I was a freshman. The prof corrected me and showed me how to do it right and it ceased to be an issue for me.
Of course, there's a big difference between that and wholesale copying and pasting of someone else's material. I don't think someone can honestly say that they didn't know there was something wrong with doing that.
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. I'm also finding down here in the south many grade school and HS teachers do not speak correct english, "if yah cain't speak it how can you right it"
. I try to leave MS Word open in another window and if a word looks wrong or it's one I struggle with I'll spell check it.
