"People unable to express themselves clearly in writing limit their opportunities for professional, salaried employment ... Writing is both a 'marker' of high-skill, high-wage, professional work and a 'gatekeeper' with clear equity implications." (Bob Kerrey, president of New School University in New York and chair of the National Commission on Writing Commission)

Commission member Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, which founded the Commission says, "Writing is a fundamental professional skill. Most of the new jobs in the years ahead will emphasize writing. If students want professional work in service firms, in banking, finance, insurance, and real estate, they must know how to communicate on paper clearly and concisely."

Having one job from the time you leave school until you retire is a thing of the past, and most of us will change careers an average of three times in our working lives. So isn't it time you got a great job, instead of just an ordinary one? 

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of calling up in response to an ad and walking into your dream job. These days, employers often receive hundreds - sometimes even thousands - of applications for each position advertised. What can you do to make sure your application ends up on the top of the pile?

That's easy.

You take steps to ensure you make a good first impression!

You've heard the saying that "you only get one chance to make a good first impression," and nowhere is this truer than when it comes to applying for a job. Employment companies agree that the top 10 reasons for people missing out on jobs are:

• Spelling errors or bad grammar in their application letter and resume
• An inability to express their thoughts clearly or discuss achievements
• Little interest or enthusiasm; appearing bored or indifferent to the job being discussed
• Being over-bearing, over-aggressive, or aloof
• Showing interest only in a higher grade or higher salary than the one being offered
• Providing vague answers and being evasive
• Not asking questions about the company or the job, or asking questions which lack depth
• Failing to look the interviewer in the eye and not showing self-confidence
• Appearing immature by giggling, chewing gum, cracking jokes, and not taking the interview seriously
• Poor personal appearance

Did you notice what came first?

Right.

Writing!  

The National Commission on Writing reports, "Eighty percent or more of the companies in the services and the finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) sectors, the corporations with greatest employment growth potential, assess writing during hiring."

Send off an application letter with poor writing and you won't even make it to the interview, regardless of your skills, qualifications, experience or suitability for the position. 

So you make your first impression through your writing ... Does that thought make you shudder and feel faint?

Poorly set out letters and resumes, incorrect spelling, and bad grammar indicate an applicant who lacks pride in his own work.  Why then would an employer think that this person would have pride in any work done for the company?

It goes without saying that your letter should also be perfect in content, tone, and presentation, and if you think of your resume as your advertising package or sales kit, you'll understand why it's so important to get things right.

How to avoid these mistakes

Let me show you how easy it is to improve your writing using the same techniques I used in the classroom with thousands of students. In the course of my teaching career, I taught people of all ages, ability levels and backgrounds, and I successfully prepared them for university entrance.

Many of them still write to me and send photos of their families, so you can see that these techniques work - and since we're all still friends, it shows that the methods I use are also enjoyable.

The importance of writing

It’s a fact that writing has become more important over the past decade than it has been for many years. In the 60s, telephones started to dominate our personal and business communication. Instead of sitting down to pen a letter or even send a telegram, it was much easier to pick up the phone and call someone. And call people we did – to the tune of billions of dollars in phone calls every year!

But writing has made a comeback recently – and the main reason writing skills are becoming so important today is the Internet. We're caught up in a powerful, technological revolution that has changed forever the way we communicate. With more and more of our activities being conducted via computers, it's more important than ever that we're able to use language correctly.

When you’re speaking face-to-face, you have plenty of extra signals to help you make your meaning clear. You use gestures, facial expression, body language and all the tricks you can with your voice itself. You can vary the pitch, pace and volume in response to the signals coming from the other person. But still meanings get scrambled and people misunderstand each other.

When you’re communicating by voice alone, you don’t have many of the physical clues, although you can still get additional meaning from the sound of the voice.

But when you’re relying on the written word alone, it’s very easy to be misunderstood. So it’s vital that what you mean to write is what you do, in fact, write. And to do that, you have to know how to use language correctly.

Just think about the number of times you have to write something in a typical week …

It never stops, does it?

The function of language

In order to give your writing that edge it needs, you must understand how it functions - this means that writing is just like every other human activity - its success depends on all its individual components working together.

It's a bit like making a motor car - you can't just get four tyres, a steering wheel, a handful of nuts and bolts, a couple of pistons, a carburettor etc, toss them all into a barrel, give them a bit of a mix, tip them out on the garage floor and expect to see a Porsche smiling back at you ... It's just not going to happen!

Likewise, you can't just scratch a few words onto a page and expect anyone else to know exactly what you meant. All words have a special function to perform in a sentence and you misuse them at your peril.

Consider this sentence:

• The police are searching for a man driving a cream car with red hair.

Or this:

• Duty nurses will be found pinned to the office notice board.

The person who wrote these sentences knew what he/she meant, but the rest of us are likely to become confused - and all because of a simple fault in grammar.

A quick test

What happens if you’re not sure about how to use the language properly, if you don’t know the difference between words that sound similar but have totally different meanings.

If you have a moment to spare, have a quick look at these pairs of words and see if you know how to use each …

1. Lavinia blushed when she recalled the (gaff/gaffe) she’d made in curtseying to the waiter when she mistook him for the prince.

2. The (gorilla/guerilla) forces halted the enemy's advances.

3. (Vocation/vacation) time had arrived at last.

4. She was afraid she was going to (loose/lose) her purse.

5. Buy your (stationary/stationery) supplies before the price goes up.

There are many words like these that are commonly confused (you’ll find the answers at the end of this letter).

OK. Now try these. (Sorry, does this feel like school again? ... What can I say? Old habits die hard.)

Do you know what’s wrong with these sentences?

1. There's lots of animals at the zoo.

2. He's been laying on the beach all day.

3. She managed to buy the three last tickets for the concert.

4. You’ll get bargains everyday at this store!

Answers at the end of this letter.

So, how did you go with these?

If you missed any of the exercises above, you’re at risk of presenting a poor impression, and you need to brush up your writing skills so you can confidently write in any situation.

When you've mastered the skill of writing well, you'll have renewed confidence in yourself. We all know how the ability to succeed in one area spills over into other aspects of our lives - the good musician is also the good student; the good sportsperson is also the good leader and so it goes.

You'll be amazed at the opportunities that are available to you when you know how to write well.

You'll do better in exams, you'll have a better chance of getting that dream job, you'll have confidence. But there are countless other ways that improved writing can improve your opportunities.

• You can apply for jobs, knowing that your writing skills will put you ahead of 80% of other applicants!
• You can relax when you're asked to write a report or article because you know how to get your ideas onto paper
• You can write columns, features, articles for your company newsletter, local paper or specialist magazine - and even get paid
• You can gain recognition for your opinions by writing letters to the editors of newspapers, to your MP or to any person or group whose deeds arouse strong reactions in you. Just think of the satisfaction of being able to express your support (or anger or outrage), instead of sitting and fuming silently!
• You can confidently volunteer to become involved in community groups, sports clubs, charity and fund-raising work, knowing that you have valuable skills to contribute

A survey of 402 companies reported by the Associated Press noted that executives identified writing as the most valued skill but said 80% of their employees at all levels need to improve. The number of workers needing improvement in writing skills was up 20 percent from results of the same survey in 1991. 

Employers want workers who can communicate effectively with other workers, customers, suppliers and contractors. These days, 90% of business transactions involve written communication.

"The most important skills for young people entering the workforce are:

· Effective oral communication 

· Effective written communication 

· Logical and critical thinking"

(Corporate Council on Education - part of the Conference Board of Canada)

"According to a NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) study of employers, individuals who possess good communication skills who can clearly and effectively communicate, verbally, non-verbally and in writing are valued candidates for employment." (Arizona State University)

Good communication skills are important in every career!

How to get started

What you want - what you need - is a course that covers all the basics of language, so you can start to write well ... now.

With this course, you're in control of your learning; it's up to you how often you work and when you work. Some people achieve their best results working in the early morning; others are night people and need time to unwind from the day's stress so they can enjoy working on their course without interruption. 

You don't have to rush to be at your class by a certain time; you don't have to worry about baby-sitters letting you down and missing your lesson; you don't need to go out when you feel a cold coming on.

You choose the time, the place and the pace. 

It's safe

Sadly, enrolling in night courses is not an option for many people - there are too many risks involved in being out alone at night. 

Cars can break down, taxis can disappear when you need them and you can miss buses and trains.

If you can't go out to study, what's the answer?

Learn at home!

It's easy

What could be easier than studying in the comfort and safety of your own home?

These tutorials are easy to follow and show you, step by step, how to use language correctly. 

You'll find:

· detailed explanations of each topic

· fully explained examples to illustrate the key points

· exercises to test your understanding 

· and answers

You can start right now - just click to order your tutorials and have them delivered by email. No need to wait for snail mail - you can have the writing skills you need to achieve the results you deserve. Click here.

· You won't find any vague theories here 

· You won't find any long-winded discourses on language

· You won't need an honours degree in English Lit. to follow the course!

· Neither will you have a set of stock pages to cover a set of stock situations 

You WILL find that the whole course is set out to lead you carefully through each aspect of writing, so you have the skills to write well, whatever the occasion. 

The tutorials are based on methods developed in the classroom during a twenty-year teaching career. They've been used successfully with students of all ages, of all abilities and from all backgrounds. They work!

Regardless of your present situation and needs, you'll soon be able to present a professional image with your writing.

The Core Series begins with the basic building blocks of language - the parts of speech - then shows you how to put these together into sentences and paragraphs; how to choose the right word for the right occasion and how to avoid some of the most common errors of expression. You'll be made aware of just how common these errors are (I guarantee that a trip to the supermarket express lane will never be the same for you again!).

If you're unsure about how to use punctuation, then relax; you'll find easy to follow tips that will help you escape the 'when in doubt leave it out' method.

Once you're confident about the basics, you can move on to the Fourth Tutorial, which shows you how to put it all together, so that you can write well - whatever the occasion. You'll be shown how to plan and organise your ideas and how to overcome the most difficult part of any writing - getting started. (How often have you felt that you were just going around in circles and getting nowhere?) 

You'll discover how to use persuasive writing to get your ideas and opinions heard, how to research and document, and how to tackle some of those longer writing projects you're often asked to undertake.

So often today, you hear people bemoan the fact that they're bored with their life or disillusioned because they’re in a rut or trapped in the unemployment cycle. These are the people who have allowed themselves to become convinced that there's nothing they can do to change their circumstances.

But there is one simple step anyone can take to regain control - and that's to ensure that first impressions are good impressions. Good writing tells people that you're a person who thinks clearly, is organised and articulate - the sort of person who has something important to contribute to life!

Only you can make improvements to your life, so act now. Click here and you'll be on your way.

Additional Tutorials

As well as the Core Course, there are two additional specialist tutorials and I highly recommend you consider the Student Tutorial:

The Student Writing Tutorial is for secondary and tertiary students and covers the essential skills of note-taking and research, writing about literature, formal essay-writing and documentation.

Wouldn't you like to be rewarded with the marks you deserve?

You will be - once you've improved your writing. What's more, this is something that will help you for the rest of your life. Writing improves the more you write!

Have you ever wanted to learn the secrets for writing essays and term papers that get the results you deserve? Now you can:

· Discover what tutors are looking for in your responses

· Find out how to interpret exam questions

· Follow this simple plan for essay writing and apply it to any subject 

· Learn how to research your topics 

· Document your essays and papers so you'll avoid being accused of plagiarism 

· Write essays on Shakespeare, poetry, drama ... anything!

PLUS - you'll receive these bonuses

Bonus 1: 50 Study Tips to help every student succeed

Bonus 2: A detailed Study Guide with tips on motivation, organisation, the work area that is most conducive to effective study and why you'll never be able to complain about having a "poor memory" again!

Study these writing tutorials at home and improve your grades at school and college! Don't waste any more time! Click here.

The Business Writing Tutorial is designed to assist those who need to write for business and covers writing different types of business letters, formal reports and simple business proposals.

As with so many things in life, it's often the little things that let you down, like knowing what's wrong with these terms: alot, return back, neither rain or shine ... when to use "who" and when to use "whom," when to put the apostrophe in "it's" and  when to use "its." 

In business on the Internet, your reputation can rise or fall on the way you write - would you trust your hard-earned money to someone who doesn't know (or doesn't care) how to write well?

Obviously not, and neither would your customers.

Every word you write is a reflection of your professionalism. You need to present the right image, so take the necessary steps to improve your writing now.

Find out:

· How to express your ideas clearly and concisely

· How to avoid alienating your staff with memos and faxes

· How to set out your business letters

· How to respond to those letters of complaint every business can sometimes receive

Many businesses call upon their staff to submit reports - there's a simple way to set these out and it's all here for you in this course.

Do you need to write a business proposal, but haven't got a clue as to how to go about it? Relax - it's easy when you know how.

PLUS -  you'll receive these four special bonuses:

Bonus 1: A website check-list to help you design a site that will keep visitors coming back

Bonus 2: The three most common writing mistakes and how to avoid them in your writing

Bonus 3: The four recognised steps in the communication process, what can go wrong at each of them and a communications model to use so you can make any necessary changes before you invest your time or money

Bonus 4: How to adopt the right tone in your writing so you can suit your message to your audience

As well as these specific business topics, the writing course covers all the basics you'll need to write well - whatever the occasion. Click here to get started.

The information and techniques in these writing tutorials are the result of more than twenty years I spent in the classroom teaching High School English and History.

As head of the History department, I was responsible for devising and implementing teaching programs and supervising staff and students in my department, so I know what works and what doesn't! Throughout my career, I taught senior students and successfully prepared them for university entrance. 

As part of their course, senior students were required to complete a unit designed to help them prepare for the workforce.  A major part of this unit required me to be in contact with employer groups while organising work experience for the students.  I was also involved in guiding my students as they compiled resumes, wrote letters of application and took part in mock interviews.

After leaving the education system, I established my website to market the tutorial series. As so often happens, my site's original purpose changed and expanded and before too long I had started to write for business people who approached me to help with their sales material, sites and corporate communications. I now have clients from around the globe, so I understand what people need to do to improve their writing.

For the past six years, I've written and produced a weekly online newsletter that has over 10,000 subscribers from every continent (except Antarctica!) The newsletter receives a constant flow of testimonials from appreciative subscribers and I was recently awarded second place in the 2003 Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll for zine-editor.

I’m confident that you’ll not only benefit from this course, you’ll also enjoy it. Click now to order yours!

BONUS OFFERS

You know how everyone says you should offer special bonuses to help people make up their minds to buy? Well, even though I know that the Write101 course is exactly what you need to help you improve your writing, I also have three terrific bonuses - one of which is sure to appeal to you.

Bonus 1

Most of us dream of writing a book, a short story or an article and getting it published. This first bonus will help you make that dream a reality. It's called The Easy Way to Write Stories that Sell and here are some of the things you'll find in it:

Mental Preparation

Time Management

Belief

Inspiration

Subject Matter

Genre

Scope

Getting Ideas

The 7-Step Story Generator

Characters

Interactions

Story

Setting

The 5-Point Plot Structure

Style and Tone

The Easy Way to Write Stories that Sell

Point of View

Tense

Plotting

The Twist

Building a Template

The ‘1-2-3-Bang’ and Other Stories

Rights & Payment

Good Examples of Short Stories

This is just some of the ground covered in your first bonus! 

Bonus 2

Win with Lynne - Expert Guide to Winning Competition Prizes

OK ... If you've ever envied those people who seem to win trips, cars, watches etc but have never won anything in your life ... then do I have something for you!

This book was written by Lynne Suzanne, who has won two cars, world-wide holidays and a wealth of prizes - so when she decides to reveal her secrets of success, we'd be silly not to listen.

Lynne says, "Before you tell me you're not lucky, like any other pastime there's a knack to it. It's great fun and I'll show you exactly how you can scoop fantastic prizes.

"Cars, cash, holidays, travellers' cheques, designer clothes, jewellery, TV's, videos, kitchen appliances, your home professionally decorated - even luxuries for your hobbies like cameras, sports equipment or garden plants and barbecues.

"Or simply shower your family, friends and charities with sur-prizes.  They can all be yours. Sounds too good to be true?  You're waiting for a catch !  Well, there isn't one.

"You simply enter prize competitions.  You'll find these everywhere. On entry forms in high street stores, on-packs and bottles, at garden centres, exhibitions, travel terminals, even on coasters in bars and restaurants."

Lynne shows you how to enter and win in this wonderful book. And it's yours when you order the Write101 writing course.

Bonus 3

Autoresponder Magic  - a collection of autoresponder messages and letters for every possible situation. This contains some of the most successful and persuasive autoresponder messages ever written. It's jam-packed with  messages that have been proven to work by the top Internet professionals.

Which of these proven autoresponder messages could you use to increase your sales?

• Converting trial users to paying customers
  

• Multi-part training courses that force people to reach for their credit cards
  

• Persuading hesitant prospects to ecstatic buyers
  

• Special reports that ring up sales
  

• And lots more…

By carefully studying these winners - you'll be on your way to creating your own. All these proven messages are yours to copy, model or mix-and-match in your Writing Course.

Order now and receive these three valuable bonuses!

Kind regards,

Jennifer Stewart

P.S. There's a well-known Chinese proverb that a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step ... only you can take that step. Act now to improve your writing skills. Click here to order the Write101 writing course.

1. Lavinia blushed when she recalled the gaffe she’d made in curtseying to the waiter when she mistook him for the prince. (A gaffe is a social blunder; a gaff is a hook used to lift fish out of the water etc)

2. The guerilla forces halted the enemy's advances. (Guerilla refers to an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment; a gorilla is a member of the ape family … the best known is the fictional King Kong!)

3. Vacation time had arrived at last. (Vacation is a holiday; vocation refers to a calling usually to religious service.)

4. She was afraid she was going to lose her purse. (Lose means to misplace something; loose means not tight fitting or not bound or fastened together.)

5. Buy your stationery supplies before the price goes up. (Stationery refers to paper, envelopes and also now pens, pencils and other writing and printing supplies; stationary means standing still.)

Return whence you came!

Animals is a plural noun - there are two or more animals under discussion here, so the VERB in the sentence must (absolutely MUST) agree with the subject.

There's is a contraction of two words - there and is.

Is is the singular form of the verb, are is the plural; so the sentence should read:

Actually, it would be much better to choose another word for lots, since this is a pretty boring word (a bit like nice). Many would be a better choice.

That looks better.

Well, for a start, he's going to get sunburned and run the risk of skin cancer, but if he's so keen on getting a tan, who are we to interfere?

Secondly, he's one weird puppy ... laying is what chooks (hens) do, they lay eggs; people can lie on the beach, but laying ... hmmm. So this sentence should read:

Lucky girl - she's done the impossible because there can only ever be ONE last anything; she may well have bought the last three tickets, but not the three last tickets. So this sentence should read:

You may well get bargains every day you go to the store, and they may be on everyday items, but you won’t get bargains everyday.

Every refers to each and all members of a group without exception; everyday means ordinary or commonplace.

Return whence you came!