ENGL 3553:
Writing for the Workplace:
Digital Tools & Practice
Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S.
Reference Librarian
Al Harris Library
580 774 7113
NEA Study 2007:
To Read or Not To Read
• Americans are spending less time
reading
• Reading comprehension skills are
eroding
• These declines have serious civic,
social, cultural and economic
implications
To Read or Not To Read
• More than 60% of employed Proficient
readers have jobs in management or in the
business, financial, professional and related
sectors
• Only 18% of Basic reader are employed in
those fields
• Proficient readers are 2.5 times as likely as
Basic readers to be earning $850 or more a
week
-U.S. Dept. of Ed: Nat. Center
for Education Statistics 2005
Employers now rank reading and writing
as top deficiencies in new hires.
• “Written communication” tops the list of applied
skills found lacking in high school and college
graduates alike.
• 38% of employers find high school graduates
“deficient” in reading comprehension…
• One in five U.S. workers read at a lower skill level
than their job requires.
• Remedial writing courses are estimated to cost more
than $3.1 billion for large corporate employers and
$221 million for state employers.
To Read or Not To Read
• Employers now rank reading
and writing as top deficiencies
in new hires
Writing Process
Compose
Inven
t
Revise
Writing Process
• Invent: Brainstorm
• Compose: Who Is Your Audience
• Revise: Writing is….Rewriting
Focus and Purpose
• Business writing is action-oriented
and user-centered. It aims to effect
positive change, through both
persuasive and informative strategies.
• It is essential that you have a clear
understanding of the purpose of your
document.
Class Activities
• Break into groups with an assigned
site…critically deconstruct a job website
• Use bubbl.us concept mapping software
– What is the company looking for?
– what skills, qualifications etc…are needed?
• Brainstorm ideas & create a cover letter,
present cover letter, create resume using emurse
Decoding a Web Site:
eurasia group
• Evidence
• Viewpoint, biases, insights
• Audience
Evidence
•
•
•
What is the subtitle of the site?
What is the stated goal?
Skim the front page and the site map
to determine the topics covered by
this site.
Viewpoint, biases,
insights
Audience
• Information about
•
people associated
with a site is usually
contained in a
section called
•
"About."
Who might be
interested in the
information on this
site?
Look for the
Career link
Decoding a Web Site:
eurasia group
• Evidence
• Viewpoint, biases, insights
• Audience
Mind Mapping: bubbl.us
• Concept mapping is a brainstorming
strategy to help you generate ideas,
visually organize information, and
make connections between different
concepts.
• Decode a website
Class Activity
• Break into groups with assigned
websites…deconstruct a job website
– Worksheet
• Use bubbl.us concept mapping
software
– What is the company looking for?
– what skills, qualifications etc…are needed?
Company Assignments
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alaska Airlines
Integris Health
CIA
Dillards
Google
UMaine
bubbl.us
• Company
• What they do
• Why do I want a job there?
• How do I get a job there?
The Cover Letter
• "I expect the position to pay
commissary to that of its value, as
well as to the performance
completed."
Or, decode this:
• "It is my desire to develop and
generate the revolving scheme to
filter to the consuming public in."
Cover Letters
• Imagine, if you will, two
roommates at Thesaurus U.:
"I aspire to obtain a beverage. The
vending machine is where my path
leads."
"I wish to accompany you, since I have
assembled a myriad of coins."
"I possess coins, as well. Let's
embark."
Clean Prose!
Higher Order Concerns
• What is your purpose in writing the
document?
• What purpose should the document
serve for your reader?
• Is your main point stated early in the
document?
• What do you want your reader to do
when s/he finishes reading the
document?
Audience
• Have you done enough research about
your audience and the organization to
which they belong?
• Is your document tailored to the needs
of a specific audience (user-centered)?
• Are your tone and language
appropriate for your audience?
• Will you have persuaded your reader
by the end of the document?
Creating a Mock Cover Letter
• Open up Word-download template
• Use Decoding Worksheet & bubbl.us
• 10-15 minutes
• Present to the Class
Creating an Online Resume
• E-murse
– http://www.emurse.com/
– store up to two Emurse resumes, pick
from two professional templates, and
host one resume on the web.
Research: Web 2.0
• My Yahoo
• I–Google
• RSS
• Indeed.com
RSS
• A web application used to publish
frequently updated content such as
news headlines, podcasts, or job
search.
• RSS content can be read using
software called an "RSS reader", "feed
reader" or an "aggregator"
Indeed.com
• Job Search Engine
Digital Tools & Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
Decode a Website
bubbl.us
Emurse.com
My Yahoo/I-Google
RSS
Indeed.com
Thank You
Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S.
Reference Librarian
580 774 7113
frederic.murray@swosu.edu