Writing Skills are Essential for Management Jobs

When you've advanced within your career and think you're ready for the next level, considering manager jobs is the next logical step. But manager employment is a little different than working on the front lines, and the job duties and responsibilities often include a lot more written communication-in the way of reports, status updates, employee reviews, memos to staff, and more-than you may have been used to producing before. As a result, your writing skills are more critical than ever before.

When you apply for manager jobs, your resume and cover letter will be evaluated to assess your written communication and writing skills more thoroughly than for any of your prior jobs. For these kinds of jobs, management (upper management) wants to be sure you can write well and communicate ideas in a clear, articulate, professional manner. Manager employment requires it! So here are some tips to improve your writing skills and beef up your resume and cover letter to impress, as well:

• Say what you mean and mean what you say. Always be sure your writing is honest, straightforward, and clear. Don't use redundant phrases or unnecessary words to try to impress. Given a choice of two words that mean the same thing, select the word that is easier to understand and gets the point across quickly. For instance, select the word ''used'' rather than ''utilized'' or ''employed.''
  
  
  
  
• Focus on using action words that accurately depict accomplishments and demonstrate effectiveness. Try not to use passive language. Use specifics and statistics whenever possible to show results. For instance, say ''increased product production by 20 percent without any increase in overtime,'' not ''improved production.''
  
  
• Don't beat around the bush. Get right to the point. In this day and age, people don't want to read a bunch of extra text as jumping into your main idea. They want straightforward communications that tell them what they need to know. So skip lots of background material readers already know and move directly to the main message. Skip phrases like ''as you already know'' and ''in conjunction with your request.''
  
  
• Write with the desired end result in mind. Have an objective before you begin to write. Know what you want to accomplish. Do you want to get an approval for your proposed action? Are you simply writing to inform people of a change in policy? Are you summarizing a meeting? Are you selling yourself for the job?
  
  
• Don't make assumptions. Never assume the reader already knows what you're talking about. If you use acronyms, spell them out first and then show the acronym in parenthesis. If you use technical terms or industry specific terms, include an explanation or definition. Remember, you are writing so the reader will understand, not so you can show them how much smarter you are.

Put these writing tips to use when crafting your cover letter and resume. And don't be afraid to take a writing class, seminar, or online course, if necessary, to brush up on your writing skills. Manager jobs require excellent written communication skills-not merely average-so anything you can do to set yourself apart from the competition in this regard will give you an edge on getting the job.