I just finished reading Paul Krugman's editorial in the Times today and to my dismay, but of course not surprise, he used the heinous grammatical misconstruction "root cause" on no less than two occasions. Hasn't he read his Words into Type? or any of the other style manuals used by writers?
Something is either the root of a situation or the cause of it, but not both. Why? Because both words mean essentially the same thing, and therefore using both is redundant, as well as wordy. Never use this construction in a written document of any sort, and if you find yourself saying it in conversation, stop. Train yourself to listen to what comes out of your mouth and stop saying things that are grammatically incorrect. That's how I gained an "ear" for grammar. I believe we write as we speak and vice versa, so whenever I learned a new rule in grammar, I incorporated it into my everyday speech.
I think the "root cause" problem was one of the earliest misconstructions I cleaned out of my vocabulary, so whenever I hear it—and that's a lot—it's like fingernails on a blackboard or the hinge of the back door on my Honda when it screeches as I open it. There isn't enough grease in the world to kill a cliché, but a bit of conscious intent helps slow down its proliferation.
Another phrase I hear all the time is "each and every." Well, guess what. Each is one thing. Each child had a hot dog. It carries with it the sense of the individual child. "Every child had a hot dog" has nearly the same meaning, so the phrase is wordy and redundant. Either say one or the other. Most likely, in my example, you'd want to say "Every child had a hot dog," because it sounds more inclusive.
I'm being very emphatic in this discussion because these phrases are a symptom of verbal and intellectual laziness. People say them without giving them a moment's thought. As I said in an e-mail to friends recently, words are not macaroni that you can toss in the air and expect to come down and land randomly, giving meaning to nothing substantial. If you say something, think about it. If you write it, look at it to see whether it's the best way of giving voice to your thought or feeling. Using a mealymouthed, cliché-ridden verbal expression just insults the listener. Worse it perpetuates bad habits of speech and thought.
Now Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize winner, but that's no excuse for bad grammar. He's an academic and an economist, but still no excuse. Nothing a person does, no matter how noble, is an excuse for bad grammar. Sorry, but I stand by my opinion on this.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Two Spaces after a Period: Why
This title is an article in Slate. If it brings you to the second page of the article, go back to the beginning.
www.slate.comid/2281146/pagenum/all/#p2
Well said and informative, in case anyone wants to know why it's better to use one space following a period rather than two.
www.slate.comid/2281146/pagenum/all/#p2
Well said and informative, in case anyone wants to know why it's better to use one space following a period rather than two.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Long-Promised Job Search Article
Today's discussion will concern the basic steps and strategies in looking for a job.
Resume
The first thing you need is a good resume. By a good resume, I don't mean one with a lot of bells and whistles, such as decorative borders, oversized type, millions of exclamation points, or exaggerations about things you've done in your life. Like many situations, the easiest solution is the simplest one. A good resume is clean. It's typed with a readable format. Try to avoid using Times, Times Roman, or New Times Roman, among the typefaces with serifs, or Arial and Helvetica among the sans serif faces, as these typefaces are so common as to be cliched before you type the first word.
A serif is the little tail on the letters T, L, F, and so on. A face without serifs has none on any letter, as I believe is used once I post this entry to my blog.
A graphically interesting technique for a resume is to use both kinds of typeface, say one for the heads and another for the text. If you are using Microsoft Word, you can find examples of both in their list of typefaces. They also very nicely show you what each one looks like, which can help you choose. Remember that if you send out your resume as a Word document, it won't be readable as you have typed it if the person receiving it doesn't have your typefaces, so be sure to use the ones Microsoft supplies with the program.
A way to avoid this problem is to make your resume a PDF so that it can be read by Adobe Acrobat Reader. However, some sites do not accept PDFs. I solve this problem by having two versions of my resume, one in Word and one as a PDF. I hope the PDF format will eventually triumph, but who knows?
Cover Letter
The next thing you need is a good cover letter. You can work out a template for your cover letter, of course, but you must always remember to paraphrase the important wording of the ad in the context of your letter. The important wording is that which describes the job. You don't need to quote or paraphrase it in full, but you do need to use enough of it so that the recipient of the letter knows you read their ad, and that you know what job you're applying for and what kind of employee they're looking for.
I usually advise people to save their cover letters and when possible use key phrases from one to enhance what they are saying in another, as makes sense.
A good technique to use is to create a list of key phrases describing your skills. Say the same things several ways, and try to make the sentences count. Give them "punch." Writing and rewriting help you find at least one or two best ways to describe your skills and experience, and you can use those in cover letters to come.
Never send out a resume to apply for a job without including a cover letter. The companies who receive resumes without cover letters will just toss them. Think about it: Why would you be sending them essentially a blind piece of mail? If you don't use your cover letter to introduce yourself and mention which job you're applying for, they have no idea why you've send them a resume, and in the current job climate, they don't need to be bothered to figure it out. Every classified ad generates 100 or more applications.
The Interview
Should you be so fortunate as to get an interview, be sure to dress appropriately. I have gone to more than one temp agency while I was looking for work, only to find myself in a waiting room full of people who look like they've been living on the street. They haven't, but the clothing they've chosen to wear is too casual. Hoodies, droopy blue jeans, athletic shoes (i.e., sneakers), tops that are so tight on a young woman that her bare skin is visible, slacks that are hip height and so tight their handlebars or muffins are blobbing over the sides, or oddly styled shoes that are scuffed. They are looking for temp work, and I couldn't help thinking, What are they expecting to find? Janitorial jobs? Or worse?
In our current job market, I'm absolutely certain that a nicely dressed person, of whatever gender, is going to get the interview and possibly the job, while a slob with similar qualifications will be overlooked. This penchant for dressing slobbily is not a sign of bad breeding or even poverty. It's more a sign of what passes for "style" these days. Tim Gunn called it the "slobbification" of America. I noticed when I was in Paris about fourteen or so years ago that you simply did not see anyone on the streets dressed like this, while here in Chicago, in the Loop area where all the municipal buildings, museums, and several colleges and universities are, it's the prevalent fashion statement (which isn't a statement at all; it's a clause, something unfinished).
If a young woman drops something out of her purse and leans over to pick it up, I personally am not interested in seeing the tops of her buttocks and part of the thong she's wearing. Guys might be, but in a professional work environment, it's simply inappropriate. And even though guys might find the sight sexy and alluring, if the "guys" in question are her superiors, they might also find it unprofessional or worse.
For Men
So if you're a guy and you want to look good for an interview, take into account what kind of job you're applying for, where the interview will be conducted, and what the interviewer might be expecting of you. Obviously you don't show up at a construction site wearing your best shoes and a suit. But you look better if you show up in a clean work shirt, clean work pants, clean shoes and socks, hair combed and cut neatly, and so on. Depending on the type of work you want, you might want to wear a tool belt or some other indication of your trade.
If you are interviewing for a job as a salesperson, check out the business to see what the salespeople are wearing. If it's a Footlocker and the dress is casual, then come casually dressed, but again, everything clean, pressed, neat, and in good order. Footlocker might be one of the few places where sneakers are a good choice of footwear for an interview. It gives the interviewer something to ask you about, and it gives you an opportunity to show what you know about different kinds of athletic shoes.
If you are interviewing for a job in a regular office and you have no idea of the dress code or the kinds of clothing people in the office normally wear to work (is it a formal place where you're expected to wear a suit every day or do the employees wear "dressy casual" clothing, for instance), wear a suit or a sport jacket and neatly pressed trousers. Invest in a comfortable pair of leather work shoes and make sure they're shined and dirt or mud free. If it's raining or snowing, wear appropriate boots.
For any and all jobs, get a good haircut. Shave and use shaving products that don't leave you with shavers' rashes or other skin eruptions. Do not wear any kind of strongly scented perfume or aftershave. Wear a watch but don't wear a stud in one ear until you know whether it's acceptable in the work environment. Avoid necklaces and bracelets. If you were or are in a fraternity or professional organization that has a pin, do wear it in your lapel if you think your interviewer would recognize the organization and it would add to the impression you want to make, but avoid religious decorations such as crosses, the Star of David, or other easily recognizable religious symbols. It's not so much a matter of concealing your religious affiliation as it is keeping your personal life personal.
For Women
Much of the advice I've given for men can be transposed to the women's column too. Make sure your clothes are neat, clean, carefully pressed, and so on. But I've noticed a tendency among women to wear clothes that are too small for them. On the TV program What Not to Wear, it's one of the most frequently aired observations the hosts make: Women these days tend to wear tops and pants that are too tight for them.
When I was a young woman, the goal we had was to conceal the lines of any of the underwear we wore. Unfortunately, this lead to widespread use of girdles and other constricting "foundation" garments, which were ultimately quite unhealthy and actually contributed to loss of muscle tone in areas constricted by the garment, such as the abdominal and upper thigh areas.
Nowadays, it seems that women's clothing and the women who wear it want everyone to see the outlines of their bras and panties, as well as an abundant share of actual flesh protruding from a gap between tops and bottoms of outfits. In fact, I think at least one part of the old way was superior: the insistence on a smooth line from neck to hem, whether of trousers or skirts or dresses. That means, buy a bra that fits properly. If you've never had an experienced saleswoman in the lingerie department fit you for a bra, now is the time to treat yourself. You will undoubtedly be surprised to find out that you've been buying and wearing the wrong sizes of cup and circumference for your entire life, or ever since your breasts appeared. Go to one of the better department stores or places that specialize in lingerie, like Victoria's Secret.
When you choose panties, look for those that are comfortable, that don't leave a panty line showing when you put on your trousers or skirt. Chances are that the size you've been wearing is too small. Just ignore the size markings. There are many differences among brands, and what fits properly in a size five in one brand may be skin tight or feel like bloomers in another. Even within the same brand you will find variations in fit from one style to another. Since you aren't allowed by law to try on panties, the best thing to do is buy one pair, wear it, wash it, wear it again, and see whether it keeps its shape, doesn't shrink or otherwise distort after it's been washed, and most of all, doesn't have elastic that digs into your flesh. If it's too tight and digs in, it'll affect anything you put over it and mangle the line of your body in your garment. Then, if you're satisfied with the panties, go back and buy a dozen pair. They don't have to be all the same pattern or color, but if the style works, it probably works in all of its variations.
The best way to keep lingerie in good shape is to hand-wash it, or to wash it on the gentle cycle, by itself and not mixed in with other laundry, in lukewarm to cold water, using laundry detergent meant for baby clothes. I occasionally toss in some Clorox 2 to brighten things, but that's it. Don't use the dryer to dry it; instead, invest in a rack you can set up in your bathtub or shower and hang it out to dry by itself. Don't use softeners on it because of the possible effects to your privates from these chemicals and scents.
I think most women don't have an understanding of what they look like, front and back, so they aren't aware of how these small adjustments can hinder or enhance the appearance of the clothes they wear. The basic thing to remember is that you should create the effect of being unified when you put on clothing. If a celebrity dresses like a slob and the lines show, whoever prints the photo can Photoshop out all the defects, but for the rest of us, we have to live with faults and no one Photoshops our errors to make them disappear.
Buying clothing that fits is imperative. Clothing that is too tight, because you think you need to wear a certain size, no matter how it fits or feels, is a disaster. You just end up looking heavier than you may actually be. Wearing a smaller size than you need does not magically convert you to that smaller size; it just makes you look like you're wearing clothes that are too small and too tight, or wearing something that shrunk when you laundered it. This type of garment does not make a good impression at a job interview; it makes you look foolish and unaware of how you look. If you are unaware of yourself, how can you become aware of the needs of your employer? The thoughts along this line are not good and will not help you create an impression of yourself as competent.
Use common sense about what you wear to an interview. If it's a sales job in a high-end boutique, wear a good dress or nice suit. Always wear stockings and the nicest shoe with a heel you can stand. Do not wear scent of any kind, and keep the jewelry to a minimum. So wear a nice watch, a pair of earrings that neither dangle to your shoulders nor have blinking headlights, perhaps a bracelet but not an armful of them, and keep the rings to a minimum.
One Last Thing About Clothes
Find out as much as you can about the business where you are interviewing, and dress appropriately. A business suit is a business suit; don't wear it to interview at your local Jewel grocery store; do wear it to an office of any kind. Dress to impress, not to the point of overkill. Dress down, not up.
Before you leave home, take a good look at yourself in a full-length mirror. Would you hire you for this job?
Thank-you Notes
Just as you like to be thanked when you do a good job, so does a potential employer like to be thanked for taking the time to sit down with you and interview you about a job you'd like to do for him or her. Just shaking hands at the end of the interview and saying "thank you" doesn't quite do the trick. Either an e-mail or a note sent by snail mail is what really does. You took the extra time, you thought about what was said during the interview, and you're grateful to have had the opportunity to present your credentials in consideration for being given the job. That's what you need to convey to the interviewer.
Buy a pack of thank-you notes and use them every time you get an interview. They can definitely tip the scales in your favor, so there's no question about whether they're worth the time and postage.
So, to start the year off right, get your ducks in a row and go for it. Get that job you deserve because you've devoted so much time and effort to making yourself into the best employee a business can hire.
Good luck.
Resume
The first thing you need is a good resume. By a good resume, I don't mean one with a lot of bells and whistles, such as decorative borders, oversized type, millions of exclamation points, or exaggerations about things you've done in your life. Like many situations, the easiest solution is the simplest one. A good resume is clean. It's typed with a readable format. Try to avoid using Times, Times Roman, or New Times Roman, among the typefaces with serifs, or Arial and Helvetica among the sans serif faces, as these typefaces are so common as to be cliched before you type the first word.
A serif is the little tail on the letters T, L, F, and so on. A face without serifs has none on any letter, as I believe is used once I post this entry to my blog.
A graphically interesting technique for a resume is to use both kinds of typeface, say one for the heads and another for the text. If you are using Microsoft Word, you can find examples of both in their list of typefaces. They also very nicely show you what each one looks like, which can help you choose. Remember that if you send out your resume as a Word document, it won't be readable as you have typed it if the person receiving it doesn't have your typefaces, so be sure to use the ones Microsoft supplies with the program.
A way to avoid this problem is to make your resume a PDF so that it can be read by Adobe Acrobat Reader. However, some sites do not accept PDFs. I solve this problem by having two versions of my resume, one in Word and one as a PDF. I hope the PDF format will eventually triumph, but who knows?
Cover Letter
The next thing you need is a good cover letter. You can work out a template for your cover letter, of course, but you must always remember to paraphrase the important wording of the ad in the context of your letter. The important wording is that which describes the job. You don't need to quote or paraphrase it in full, but you do need to use enough of it so that the recipient of the letter knows you read their ad, and that you know what job you're applying for and what kind of employee they're looking for.
I usually advise people to save their cover letters and when possible use key phrases from one to enhance what they are saying in another, as makes sense.
A good technique to use is to create a list of key phrases describing your skills. Say the same things several ways, and try to make the sentences count. Give them "punch." Writing and rewriting help you find at least one or two best ways to describe your skills and experience, and you can use those in cover letters to come.
Never send out a resume to apply for a job without including a cover letter. The companies who receive resumes without cover letters will just toss them. Think about it: Why would you be sending them essentially a blind piece of mail? If you don't use your cover letter to introduce yourself and mention which job you're applying for, they have no idea why you've send them a resume, and in the current job climate, they don't need to be bothered to figure it out. Every classified ad generates 100 or more applications.
The Interview
Should you be so fortunate as to get an interview, be sure to dress appropriately. I have gone to more than one temp agency while I was looking for work, only to find myself in a waiting room full of people who look like they've been living on the street. They haven't, but the clothing they've chosen to wear is too casual. Hoodies, droopy blue jeans, athletic shoes (i.e., sneakers), tops that are so tight on a young woman that her bare skin is visible, slacks that are hip height and so tight their handlebars or muffins are blobbing over the sides, or oddly styled shoes that are scuffed. They are looking for temp work, and I couldn't help thinking, What are they expecting to find? Janitorial jobs? Or worse?
In our current job market, I'm absolutely certain that a nicely dressed person, of whatever gender, is going to get the interview and possibly the job, while a slob with similar qualifications will be overlooked. This penchant for dressing slobbily is not a sign of bad breeding or even poverty. It's more a sign of what passes for "style" these days. Tim Gunn called it the "slobbification" of America. I noticed when I was in Paris about fourteen or so years ago that you simply did not see anyone on the streets dressed like this, while here in Chicago, in the Loop area where all the municipal buildings, museums, and several colleges and universities are, it's the prevalent fashion statement (which isn't a statement at all; it's a clause, something unfinished).
If a young woman drops something out of her purse and leans over to pick it up, I personally am not interested in seeing the tops of her buttocks and part of the thong she's wearing. Guys might be, but in a professional work environment, it's simply inappropriate. And even though guys might find the sight sexy and alluring, if the "guys" in question are her superiors, they might also find it unprofessional or worse.
For Men
So if you're a guy and you want to look good for an interview, take into account what kind of job you're applying for, where the interview will be conducted, and what the interviewer might be expecting of you. Obviously you don't show up at a construction site wearing your best shoes and a suit. But you look better if you show up in a clean work shirt, clean work pants, clean shoes and socks, hair combed and cut neatly, and so on. Depending on the type of work you want, you might want to wear a tool belt or some other indication of your trade.
If you are interviewing for a job as a salesperson, check out the business to see what the salespeople are wearing. If it's a Footlocker and the dress is casual, then come casually dressed, but again, everything clean, pressed, neat, and in good order. Footlocker might be one of the few places where sneakers are a good choice of footwear for an interview. It gives the interviewer something to ask you about, and it gives you an opportunity to show what you know about different kinds of athletic shoes.
If you are interviewing for a job in a regular office and you have no idea of the dress code or the kinds of clothing people in the office normally wear to work (is it a formal place where you're expected to wear a suit every day or do the employees wear "dressy casual" clothing, for instance), wear a suit or a sport jacket and neatly pressed trousers. Invest in a comfortable pair of leather work shoes and make sure they're shined and dirt or mud free. If it's raining or snowing, wear appropriate boots.
For any and all jobs, get a good haircut. Shave and use shaving products that don't leave you with shavers' rashes or other skin eruptions. Do not wear any kind of strongly scented perfume or aftershave. Wear a watch but don't wear a stud in one ear until you know whether it's acceptable in the work environment. Avoid necklaces and bracelets. If you were or are in a fraternity or professional organization that has a pin, do wear it in your lapel if you think your interviewer would recognize the organization and it would add to the impression you want to make, but avoid religious decorations such as crosses, the Star of David, or other easily recognizable religious symbols. It's not so much a matter of concealing your religious affiliation as it is keeping your personal life personal.
For Women
Much of the advice I've given for men can be transposed to the women's column too. Make sure your clothes are neat, clean, carefully pressed, and so on. But I've noticed a tendency among women to wear clothes that are too small for them. On the TV program What Not to Wear, it's one of the most frequently aired observations the hosts make: Women these days tend to wear tops and pants that are too tight for them.
When I was a young woman, the goal we had was to conceal the lines of any of the underwear we wore. Unfortunately, this lead to widespread use of girdles and other constricting "foundation" garments, which were ultimately quite unhealthy and actually contributed to loss of muscle tone in areas constricted by the garment, such as the abdominal and upper thigh areas.
Nowadays, it seems that women's clothing and the women who wear it want everyone to see the outlines of their bras and panties, as well as an abundant share of actual flesh protruding from a gap between tops and bottoms of outfits. In fact, I think at least one part of the old way was superior: the insistence on a smooth line from neck to hem, whether of trousers or skirts or dresses. That means, buy a bra that fits properly. If you've never had an experienced saleswoman in the lingerie department fit you for a bra, now is the time to treat yourself. You will undoubtedly be surprised to find out that you've been buying and wearing the wrong sizes of cup and circumference for your entire life, or ever since your breasts appeared. Go to one of the better department stores or places that specialize in lingerie, like Victoria's Secret.
When you choose panties, look for those that are comfortable, that don't leave a panty line showing when you put on your trousers or skirt. Chances are that the size you've been wearing is too small. Just ignore the size markings. There are many differences among brands, and what fits properly in a size five in one brand may be skin tight or feel like bloomers in another. Even within the same brand you will find variations in fit from one style to another. Since you aren't allowed by law to try on panties, the best thing to do is buy one pair, wear it, wash it, wear it again, and see whether it keeps its shape, doesn't shrink or otherwise distort after it's been washed, and most of all, doesn't have elastic that digs into your flesh. If it's too tight and digs in, it'll affect anything you put over it and mangle the line of your body in your garment. Then, if you're satisfied with the panties, go back and buy a dozen pair. They don't have to be all the same pattern or color, but if the style works, it probably works in all of its variations.
The best way to keep lingerie in good shape is to hand-wash it, or to wash it on the gentle cycle, by itself and not mixed in with other laundry, in lukewarm to cold water, using laundry detergent meant for baby clothes. I occasionally toss in some Clorox 2 to brighten things, but that's it. Don't use the dryer to dry it; instead, invest in a rack you can set up in your bathtub or shower and hang it out to dry by itself. Don't use softeners on it because of the possible effects to your privates from these chemicals and scents.
I think most women don't have an understanding of what they look like, front and back, so they aren't aware of how these small adjustments can hinder or enhance the appearance of the clothes they wear. The basic thing to remember is that you should create the effect of being unified when you put on clothing. If a celebrity dresses like a slob and the lines show, whoever prints the photo can Photoshop out all the defects, but for the rest of us, we have to live with faults and no one Photoshops our errors to make them disappear.
Buying clothing that fits is imperative. Clothing that is too tight, because you think you need to wear a certain size, no matter how it fits or feels, is a disaster. You just end up looking heavier than you may actually be. Wearing a smaller size than you need does not magically convert you to that smaller size; it just makes you look like you're wearing clothes that are too small and too tight, or wearing something that shrunk when you laundered it. This type of garment does not make a good impression at a job interview; it makes you look foolish and unaware of how you look. If you are unaware of yourself, how can you become aware of the needs of your employer? The thoughts along this line are not good and will not help you create an impression of yourself as competent.
Use common sense about what you wear to an interview. If it's a sales job in a high-end boutique, wear a good dress or nice suit. Always wear stockings and the nicest shoe with a heel you can stand. Do not wear scent of any kind, and keep the jewelry to a minimum. So wear a nice watch, a pair of earrings that neither dangle to your shoulders nor have blinking headlights, perhaps a bracelet but not an armful of them, and keep the rings to a minimum.
One Last Thing About Clothes
Find out as much as you can about the business where you are interviewing, and dress appropriately. A business suit is a business suit; don't wear it to interview at your local Jewel grocery store; do wear it to an office of any kind. Dress to impress, not to the point of overkill. Dress down, not up.
Before you leave home, take a good look at yourself in a full-length mirror. Would you hire you for this job?
Thank-you Notes
Just as you like to be thanked when you do a good job, so does a potential employer like to be thanked for taking the time to sit down with you and interview you about a job you'd like to do for him or her. Just shaking hands at the end of the interview and saying "thank you" doesn't quite do the trick. Either an e-mail or a note sent by snail mail is what really does. You took the extra time, you thought about what was said during the interview, and you're grateful to have had the opportunity to present your credentials in consideration for being given the job. That's what you need to convey to the interviewer.
Buy a pack of thank-you notes and use them every time you get an interview. They can definitely tip the scales in your favor, so there's no question about whether they're worth the time and postage.
So, to start the year off right, get your ducks in a row and go for it. Get that job you deserve because you've devoted so much time and effort to making yourself into the best employee a business can hire.
Good luck.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Digression: New Year's Day, 2011
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I'm pulling together some pieces on job hunting for this week's postings, so if you're working on a resume, stay tuned.
Remember: I can help you get the resume in shape in terms of layout and design, as well as grammar, punctuation, and spelling, for $22 per hour. Terms of payment can be discussed.
Remember: I can help you get the resume in shape in terms of layout and design, as well as grammar, punctuation, and spelling, for $22 per hour. Terms of payment can be discussed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)