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MICHAEL STRICKLAND Literacy |
“If you think an apostrophe was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, you will never work for me.†Kyle Wiens in the Harvard Business Review.
While Idaho’s job market is slowly improving, the buzz around the Treasure Valley is still filled with stories of unemployment and underemployment. A business grammar course in the College of Western Idaho’s Business Partnerships /Workforce Development program suggests a way you can get an edge.
“Clear communication is the foundation for success in the business world, and grammar mistakes create barriers to this communication,†reads the introduction to the CWI student manual for the training. The consensus among teachers, scholars and grammarians is that clarity and correctness have taken a nosedive in the “information age.â€
Employers often peruse Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages of job applicants that are filled with spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and textspeak. This is one of the quickest ways for a candidate to seal their own job rejection. According to Time, out of the 70 percent of hiring managers who utilize social media profiles to gather more information regarding an applicant -- one-third have declined on candidates due to “poor communication skills.â€
“The employer is more apt to question your professionalism if you show a pattern of misspelled words… or your commentary seems rash, uninformed or non-cohesive,†said Jennifer Grasz, a CareerBuilder spokeswoman. (more…)