Resume Writing

Resume writing is an art. You will have to master this art in order to land up with a plum job. Your resume must be your unique masterpiece. Resume writing has undergone lots of changes and has evolved over the time. Resume writing is no longer about telling your degrees and qualifications, rather the resume should speak about the ‘real you’ on the paper, in your absence.

While writing your resume do not follow the tested routes. Try to incorporate something new. Your resume could be your ticket to your awaiting success and recognition. Your resume presents you to the prospective hirer. So take note as to how you would like to present yourself to a prospective employer.

A job offer attracts hundreds of resumes. The prospective employer has a pile of resumes stacked up in front of him. No employer has the time or the patience to go through the hundreds of resumes they receive daily. The prospective employer will just glance through all these resumes. If you have a well-written resume, it will instinctively attract the employer’s attention. Yes! It is possible to get a special attention to your resume even among the piling resumes. Remember, a well-written resume always attracts attention.

Your resume is not a historical account of your past. It should concentrate on your job history. Never write a resume reluctantly. You should not write it just for the sake of securing a job. You should use a real enthusiasm while writing it. Your resume reveals your state of mind to the employer.

Take care to write your resume according to the nature of the job you are seeking out. The resume should not contain unnecessary details about your other qualifications that are not required for the job applied. Be crisp in giving out information about the type of job you are seeking and the type of job you have experience at.

Before you start writing a resume be sure about the career path you want to follow. If you yourself are not sure about it then you will go nowhere. You will end up confusing your prospective employer thereby minimizing your chances of getting hired. Maybe this employer was the one you have always dreamt of being worked with. Just because you do not have a good resume you will end up losing the lifetime opportunity.

You must follow some basic rules of resume writing. The resume should be accurate and contain only the necessary and desired information. There should be uniformity in the use of capital letters, italics, bullets and underline. Your resume should be flawless. Your names, address, phone number and email address should always be mentioned at the top. Focus on all your strengths with the correct usage of grammar and syntax of language. Your resume should be eye catching.

Remember your resume can make or break your career. Spend quality time in constructing your resume. Master the art of resume writing. After all it’s your own masterpiece and a ticket to the bright future awaiting you.

Writing Course

How Online Courses Work

Anyone who chooses to become a writer in any category of writing would benefit greatly by opting to do an online writing course. While they work at honing their writing skills they could simultaneously be working at another career or even completely another online course in the same or even a different subject.

Online courses are a boon to students everywhere for a number of reasons. Students enrolling in online courses have the freedom and flexibility to complete a course at their convenience from anywhere in the world. All the projects, assignments, tests and quizzes are completed online and all communication with their online teachers is via instant message, e-mail and in some cases by phone too.

Advantages of Online Writing Courses

Online writing courses are becoming increasingly popular among people all over the world who are looking for an ideal way to express their thoughts such as novelists and fiction or non-fiction writers or for those who need to report real-life incidents such as journalists and historians.

Online learning is a boon to students whose career timings conflict with traditional school hours or those who have trouble concentrating on school work in conventional settings. All you need to complete an online writing course is a creative mind, a computer and an Internet connection.

Choosing an Online Writing Course

Lots of organizations offering online writing courses, however selecting a good one would require a lot of time spent on research and inquiry. Many online writing courses promise big advantages and it is easy to fall for these big claims. However thorough research should be done before enrolling for any online writing course.

There are a few points you would have to consider before enrolling for any online writing course:

Make sure the course has teachers who have the necessary qualification and experience in different kinds of writing.

Make sure the student-teacher ratio is low so that you can get the attention and help from the teacher when you need it.

Make sure that the course has competent teachers who are enthusiastic about assessing the work of budding writers and ready to lend a helping hand when required.

Different online writing courses offer different courses and different methods of teaching them. Make sure that both of these suit your requirements.

Check if the online writing course offers extra assistance to students by letting you communicate directly with teachers during office hours for any help you may require.
Types of Writing Courses

There are many different types of online writing courses available including:

Nonfiction Writing
Fiction Writing
Novel Writing
Feature Writing
Travel Writing
Screenwriting
Children's Book Writing
Memoir Writing
Poetry Writing
Science Fiction Writing
Business Writing
Writing Course Opportunities

A writing course is usually designed to help in developing writing skills for:

Creative Writers- story-writers, poets, lyricists, novelists

Professional Writers- copywriters, scriptwriters, journalists, speech writers

Teachers- all unit areas, primary, secondary, tertiary

Publishers
Editors
Historians
Educators
Communicators

Writing Prompts: Who Needs This Writing Help?

Writing prompts can offer tremendous writing help for writers at every level of experience and expertise. Who can use writing prompts?

Beginners can use writing prompts to help them learn and grow as writers as well as gain valuable experience in the craft. The only sure way to improve your writing is to write regularly and prompts can help you sharpen your skills on a regular basis. Perfection will never be in your writing future, but it is very true that regular practice is the only way to improve your work. While you may have a long list of ideas and projects to work on you may also want to employ prompts from time to time to fill in the gaps in your schedule.

Experienced writers can use writing prompts to stretch their writing muscles to prepare for their writing assignments or each day's work. They can also use exercises and prompts to create a swipe file of ideas for future reference.

Professional writers can use writing prompts to give them a creative jump start when necessary and to experiment with other forms of writing. If you feel your work is going stale or that you need some inspiration, then using prompts can make a huge difference in your creativity and overall work.

All writers can use writing prompts with writer's block and improving their work. No matter what level your word craft may be, every writer experiences some form of writer's block from time to time. Forcing yourself to write through it with a series of prompts can be a very effective way to tear down your writer's block. Many times we fall into a rut with our work and writing prompts can challenge us out of that rut. This stretching can greatly improve your writing. Every day, week, month and year that you work on your craft you improve as a writer.

Whether you are a beginning, experienced, or professional writer you can use writing prompts to help you improve your word craft.

MLA Writing Style Vs APA Writing Style

My paper is due! Which writing style should I use?

It happens to quite a few people in the wee hours of the morning just before assignments are due. Quotes are checked, sources verified, word limit exceeded, then, one comes to a screeching halt, “Papers should be formatted according to the MLA or APA style”. And so begins a frenzied computer research on the two writing styles.

MLA writing style

The MLA (Modern Language Association) requires that specific rules be followed for formatting manuscripts. It provides writers with a proper system to cite references, the usage of which enhances the writer’s credibility by listing outside sources in order to give recognition where it is due. One advantage of the MLA format is that it provides the user protection from possible accusation of plagiarism.

General Guidelines for MLA writing style

- When preparing a paper using the MLA writing style, general format guidelines must be adhered to as well as the technical rules of citation and bibliography.

- Assignments are to be typed on pages no larger that 8.5 x 11, double spaced, with either Times New Roman font, or Courier.

- One space must be inserted between all punctuation marks.

- Margins must be set to one inch on all sides of the paper.

- All paragraphs must be indented one inch (one tab) from the left margin of the page.

- Headers must be inserted on each page in the upper right hand corner displaying the page numbers of the essay consecutively (some instructors will ask that a student’s last name follow the page number on each page).

- If endnotes are included in your work, they must be placed on the last page, right before your works cited page.

For a more detailed look at the rules regarding end notes, in-text citations or works cited (multiple authors, electronic sources, periodicals, etc.), there are resources available online and in print that will aid you with this writing style. Some excellent print titles for reference material are: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition), and MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd edition). For those who have internet access, all MLA writing style rules can be found on a site built by the people at Owl at Purdue - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/.

At all times, it is equally important to strictly follow your professor’s instructions on the use of long titles, the need to emphasize with underlines or italics and other personal choices. Careful attention must be paid to every detail so as to prevent loss of marks in the grading process.

APA writing style

APA (American Psychological Association) is a writing style that is generally used within the realm of the social sciences. As in the case of the MLA writing style, the APA has a list of general format guidelines as well as a list of rules pertaining to paragraph structure.

General Guidelines for APA writing style

All essays written in the APA writing style should be structured in accordance to the following guidelines:

- Assignments must be typed double-spaced on 8.5 x 11 inch pages.

- The title page must include bylines, titles, or running headers.

- Page numbers must be included (similar to MLA) followed by 5 spaces, then an abridged version (2 words) of the paper’s title.

- Some instructors require students to prepare an abstract which is a 75 to 100 word overview of the chosen topic highlighting the major points of discussion in the paper. It must be set up on its own page with the word “Abstract” centered at the top of the page, and placed right after the title page.

- Headings are not specifically necessary but can be helpful in navigating through a paper. Every word of the heading must be capitalized with the exception of articles such as ‘the’, ‘a’, and ‘an’, and certain conjunctions such as ‘and’, and ‘but’.

- Visuals such as tables and figures including graphs, charts, and drawings may be included; however, each must be labeled with an Arabic numeral i.e. Table 1, Table 2, etc.. Titles must be flush left, each inserted illustration must include its source.

- Lists of all references must be included on its own page at the end of your written work. Each reference should be centered, starting at the top of the page (also double spaced) and listed in alphabetical order according to the authors last name, editor, or by the title of the work (excluding the words A, An, and The)

Writing For Writing

Writers writing about writing may seem to be a highly conceited act. Since I am not reeaaally a writer, or at least I don't claim myself to be one, I guess me giving tips on writing can be taken casually. Preferably be taken with a pinch of salt. I may not have contributed much to the world of print but I do know a thing or two about being a connoisseur for writing. Apart from blogging and writing articles currently, I used to write award winning poems and short stories during my earlier days. Overtime everyone develops a style of doing something; anything. For writing, I know I have a certain style by now, though there is way too much room for polishing up.

The initial stage is the creative process which is something that we do not need to understand. There is nothing to understand because creativity does not have to make sense.

Creativity starts with a feeling. The kind of feeling to do something on an instinct. Artists, just like writers, start off by doing a piece of work randomly. It may not make any sense for a start, but at most times it triggers off a new idea in the artist's mind to create something creative. Same thing happens to writers, initial works may be shown the path to recycle bins but end up being useful by sparking off something of value in the writer's mind. Probably that is why recycle bins are named as such, to be recycled. Anyway, once we get an idea, we have to grab it quickly, just like grabbing a seat in an extremely crowded bus, and hold on to it in order to use it.

The creative process may seem complex. To ease the complexity we can simply develop the good old habit of reading. Actually not can, but we should read. Unless we read, we can't write. It is as simple as it gets.

The next simple, or maybe not so simple, task is to write frequently. As frequently as possible as much as time permits. Okay that seemed like a redundant statement but you get the point. The more we write the lesser the chances of getting a writer's block. When I mention writer's block, I don't mean getting some column to write in a magazine but I am refering to a mental block in terms of writing. The more we write, the more we learn to write in a fluid manner and develop a style of our own along the way if we have not got one already.

As we continue writing, we will slowly discover our voice. When that happens, we get to know about ourselves better.

Oh and one more thing, of course the nitty gritty details like grammar and spelling errors have to be avoided. That's right, totally avoided. For people like me *ahem*, it has become a habit long ago but that is because I made sure I was conscious of that. Proofreading is of high importance. Proofreading one more time after proofreading is of high recommendation. Most people don't enjoy it but fortunately I do.

Speaking of which, I just got to know some time back that there is actually a job for proofreading alone. Hmm, I am seriously considering it. Anyway, if you find the above useful, try it. If you don't, hmm, try it anyway because there is something to be gained along the way I am sure.

Tips On Writing A Killer Sales Letter

Writing a sales letter doesn’t have to be that difficult all you need is the right writing style and some tips to knock out a killer sales letter

Benefits The first thing you need to do is focus on the benefits the reader will find useful. Tell the reader what’s in it for him. Promise them increased sales, better skin, better results in writing a resume or whatever it is that you’re selling. Tell them how your product can help them. Don’t beat around the bush and get right to the point. Stick to benefits, facts and features. Whatever you do don’t be vague it will turn them off.

Give additional benefits. Show additional value other than main benefit. Give product/service features. Support benefit promises with product/service facts. Show how your company will help him. Don’t start sounding arrogant and brag.

Writing Style: An emphasis should be placed on “you” and not “I”. Use words like you and your, so that the reader feels you are writing for him. Write clearly. Make sure your reader doesn’t have to think about what you’re saying. Your main points must be understood immediately. Make yourself believable. Make sure your claims or representations appear to be realistic and believable. Don’t promise a 200% increase in sales because most people won’t believe it even if it’s true! You must be able to back up your claims. Use repetition; repeat benefits throughout letter. Present the same ideas and benefits in different ways.

Ask for action. Ask the reader to place an order, return the sales envelope or the sales card or phone for more information. Give reasons to act now. For example: Make your offer time sensitive a limited supply, two-week sale, and special purchase. Most sales letters fail to do this.

Understand that people are emotionally motivated. They want to:

1. Make more money
2. Save money
3. Do a good job
4. Experience love
5. Have a satisfying home life
6. Get something for free
7. Look good

Use simple graphics to get the reader’s attention:

1. Bullets
2. Dashes
3. Check boxes
4. Numbers
5. Asterisks

Some Things To Remember When Writing Your Sales Letter:

Put yourself in the reader’s place. Note your reactions while reading the letter. Have your friends and associates give you their honest opinions. Don’t tell them you wrote it! For some reason they think it’s bad manners to criticize their friends. Look at their reactions if they roll their eyes then you need to rewrite your sales letter. If they ask you, “Where can I find this?” You got yourself a winner! Listen to any and all comments. Re-write any parts that turn others off.

Be logical when you state your argument. Don’t try to fool them with outrageous claims that border on the fantastic. Your readers are too smart to fall for such trash.

When you begin writing your sales letter try to accentuate important statements using:

1. Underlines
2. Exclamation points
3. All capital letters (Careful here don’t over do it)
4. Highlight with a second color (Yellow)

The very last thing that should appear on your sales letter is the P.S. Remind your customers of the time deadline and the limited supply of bonuses. Urge them to pick up the phone and call or order immediately. Your P.S. is often read first by customers. So entice them to read the letter by mentioning the free bonuses and the limited time offer. Remember to put a P.S. (post script) on all sales letters.

Sample P.S.

P.S. At $29.95 the Super Car Wax is an incredible bargain reserved for past customers only. Act now, and get a bonus super car glass cleaner yours free! While new customers are forced to pay $39.95 for this one of a kind car wax you get it at significant savings! Act Now by calling 800-123-4567

Part Time Freelance Writing

There are many websites that publish freelance writing jobs on their sites. As a freelance writer, you can bid for the writing jobs that are available. If your bid is selected, you get the opportunity to complete the job. The payments are made through online virtual banks such as PayPal and e-Gold, wire transfer or checks. The market is huge and you can bid for writing jobs on more than one site.

Many outsourcing or freelancing websites operate the same way, with minor differences. In this article, we shall explore three prominent websites in the industry.

Elance -

Elance has a very simple design which doesn’t confuse the users. It is very easy to search jobs and obtain a comprehensive results’ page. The specialty in Elance is that they show the number of bidders by their name and relevant information, except for the amount bided for, unlike in some other freelance websites. The advantage in this method is that you can see who your competitors are, their reputation etc before determining the amount you want to bid for. At Elance, you can either browser or search for freelance writing jobs. But in order to bid for a project, you will need to have a registered account at Elance. Registration with Elance can be chosen over two packages. One is a free package with restrictive advantages while the other is subscription with more services and facilities. For part-time freelance writers, the basic package is recommended. Once the account is created, you can create your profile. Unlike other websites, Elance has an admission test to be passed before submitting bids.

RentACoder –

RentACoder has a professional interface and is quite straight forward compared to many other websites. It offer jobs in many categories and is one of the safest sites when it comes to payment transactions as payments for every project goes in to escrow before the start off of the project. RentACoder also, has a special team of facilitators who act as arbitrators in any case of dispute that may arise between the coder and the buyer. So all in all, it is a very professional site which works according to strict rules and regulations. If you choose to become a part time freelance writer on RentAcoder, it is vital that you read through their FAQ and other related articles on how everything works around the site. RentAcoder is a global community in its true sense because wherever in the world you are, you can work and get paid on time.

Guru

With a clear cut interface, Guru provides a high usability for freelances to navigate and find jobs. Just as any other website, you will need to create an account and a profile before you can start. In order to find a suitable project you could either browse through writing categories such as Writing/Editing/Translations or simply search with a keyword such as ‘proofreading’. As with all other websites, make sure you evaluate the deadlines and allow yourself sufficient space. Also, make sure that you place a worthy bid amount because the website will deduct a percentage from what you earn as a service fee.