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Why are first impressions important? Why do people strive to look…
Why are first impressions important? Why do people strive to look their best when first meeting someone? Written correspondence is often the first way two parties meet.
Applying for a job – cover letter
Selling a product – website
Requesting a meeting – invitation
Your grammar in written communication sets expectations of you in the reader’s mind. Poor grammar sets poor expectations. No one has time to waste on someone for whom they have low expectations if they are in need of a new employee, a new product, or a new service.
Proper business grammar is a foot in the door of the interview, the sales pitch, or the introductory meeting.
The following is an actual example of a cover letter that was pitched in the garbage because the human resource manager knew this potential employee would not be a good fit.
Dear X,
I am writing in response to the job posting for the supply chain manager position, posted in the Crain’s Detroit Business on Sunday August 23rd, 2020. I have 6 year’s experience as a material handler. My current employer is moving to Dallas, Texas and I would like to stay in Michigan. I would appreciate the opportunity to interview for the advertised position, and promise to impress you with my experience.
Sincerely,
Job Seeker
There are six grammatical errors in this cover letter. This job seeker is not receiving an interview because of his or her poor business grammar skills. Human Resources use grammatical errors as a sorting mechanism. If they have many applicants for a position, they will pitch applications with spelling and grammar errors to reduce the number of applicants to a manageable number they can contact. This is true for college acceptance essays, scholarship applications, or sales meetings requests.
Your grammar is the first impression of you to anyone to whom you are writing.
Just like it is important to dress professionally or look presentable when meeting someone for the first time…. It is important to make a good first impression with your written correspondence.
The most common error in business grammar is using TOO MANY commas. Using a comma when one ISN’T needed is just as inappropriate as not using a comma where it is needed. Therefore, it is important for you to know WHY you are using a comma. There are 10 comma rules that you will learn by name. If you can’t NAME the comma rule you are invoking, you will NOT use a comma. This will eliminate all your errors of TOO MANY commas. Remember, memorizing the ten comma rules gets you 10 steps closer to making a great first impression.
