The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Brought to you by:

You are here: Home / Miscellaneous Articles / Let’s Blog Off: Psst… you want a job?

Let’s Blog Off: Psst… you want a job?

This week the Let’s Blog Off crew goes off on an interesting tangent – “In an era where everyone who’s anyone publishes content to the internet, the English language is being abused like never before. While it’s true that English is a remarkably adjustable tongue, there are some rules. We pride ourselves around here with our strict adherence to AP Style. Even that changes with alarming regularity. So it led us to the next Blog Off topic. What grammar offense strikes you as the worst? Which abrogation of the rules that govern our language rub you raw? How many variations on our communal language can you tolerate before you say enough?”

I have to admit, my grammar (and spelling sometimes) still leaves something to be desired so instead of pointing fingers, looking at straws or calling the kettle black, I want to address a prevalent thought that seemingly reeks throughout the trades. That thought happens to be, we are contractors and not writers or speakers. The most interesting one I heard lately was when someone basically called the presentation portion of SKILLS fluff.

As a business owner all I can simply say to that, is that fluff is what prevents many even getting a chance to be considered for a job, or later on getting a contract. In the past it was all about the written application or just driving up to a job site. Now-a-days written applications and just showing up on site are basically a thing of the past and have been replaced by emails, online forms, phone calls & now through social media.

With that in mind let me offer some quick advice;

  • Don’t forget which medium you are on… Twitter & texting are great mediums but there format is completely inappropriate for emails, blogging, Facebook, forums, etc…
  • Phone Calls – I know this is old school but letting someone know who you are up front & why you are calling not only makes a great impression but is a mark of respect for whom you are calling.
  • Voice Mail – I really do hate leaving voicemails, but nothing drives me up a wall listening to this long message & you get to end only to hear the phone number whip by at the speed of light. Speak slowly & better yet state your number twice – once after your name at the beginning & then also at the end.
  • There is no such thing as delete once you hit “enter” or “send” & what’s worse is unlike an application that one might shred, once you post it online it is out there for everyone to see especially on forums.
  • Speaking of forums, why does it seem like the ones that seemingly have nothing but issues with their business are also the ones that have the least knowledge of (or care about) the written language. Does this mean that everything needs to be letter perfect? No, not in the least but  if one can’t even bother running a spell checker or spending a few seconds trying to make something readable, is it any wonder about the results they get?

Of course on the issue of spell checkers…

Eye halve a spelling chequer two. It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say.
Weather eye am wrong oar write. It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose bee fore two long.
And eye can put the error rite. It rarely ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it, I am shore your pleased two no.
Its letter perfect in it’s weigh. My chequer tolled me sew.

And now onto some real word smiths who not only have some pet peeves, but also some great lessons.

Related posts:

The year in review
Guest Post: Working in Harmony
Let’s Blog Off: Laughter really is the best medicine
Let’s Blog Off: What is there to be optimistic about?
A Contractors Oversight... the conclusion
Looking Back, Forward & a call for help?
Guest Post: 106 Yards Later
Remodeling Right: A Hedge Against Changing Technology
  Tweet    
  
   

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Articles Tagged With: Blog Off March 13, 2012 By SLS

Comments

  1. Pat Eggleton says

    March 14, 2012 at 15:57

    Some wise advice there.

  2. Pat Eggleton says

    August 4, 2020 at 19:51

    Some wise advice there.

Featured Posts
Hurricane Season – 5 Steps to being prepared

Hurricane Season - 5 Steps to being prepared

Today is the start of Hurricane Season that has been predicted to be busier than usual. Based on the ocean temperatures and the changing weather conditions, they might just be ...

Read More

August and Late Summer Maintenance Checklist

August and Late Summer Maintenance Checklist

Well I have some good news & some bad news – the good news is that this is the last full month of summer. The bad news is that it ...

Read More

25 ways to keep your cool during a heat wave & beyond

25 ways to keep your cool during a heat wave & beyond

Welcome to the dog days of summer with what appears to be a bumper crop of “Excessive Heat Warnings” this year. In just this last week, I got to enjoy ...

Read More

Hitting the Road: RV’s, Gas Mileage, & Assorted Tips

Hitting the Road: RV’s, Gas Mileage, & Assorted Tips

As the Star Trek transporter still has not been invented, many vacationing families & others start looking to RV’s due to their many benefits. Can one say no TSA checks, ...

Read More

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Program, the first item we have listed is "Change out your HVAC filter." This has brought up a few questions, namely: Do I need ...

Read More

Back to School Organizational Tips

Back to School Organizational Tips

Ahhh, back to school time - maybe I can now get a little peace & some quite time, get some things caught up - truly, this is one of the ...

Read More

FAQ: Ceiling fan direction - summer & winter

One of the biggest questions out there is which direction should my fan be running and how can I tell. You look at the switch and realize it isn't any ...

Read More

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Random Glossary term

  • Abrasion Resistance

    This week the Let’s Blog Off crew goes off on an interesting tangent – “In an era where everyone who’s anyone publishes content to the internet, the English language is being abused like never before. While it’s true that English is a remarkably adjustable tongue, there are some rules. We pride ourselves around here with […]

The HTRC - Copyright © 2006–2022 by TheHTRC.com & SLS Construction & Building Solutions LLC http://SLS-Construction.com