Improving the Quality of Writing One Professional Profile at a Time

Right now the best way for any of us to get our name out there and get noticed is to write.  Whether it’s a blog, daily tweets or your LinkedIn profile what you write is how people get to know you.  So, how well you write is pretty important.  It’s how you make your first impression.

Not everyone is a gifted writer.  But you don’t really have to be.  Look at those Twilight books.  Not very well written, but the author has more money than either of us will ever see.  She may not be a great writer but what she has is a decent vocabulary.  You can get around writing not being your strong suit if you can at least sound literate.  And that means building your vocabulary and having a basic understanding of sentence structure.

Not sure what that looks like?  Pick up a book.  Actually, pick up a lot of books.  The best way to increase your vocabulary and learn to write decently is to read.  Seriously.  It doesn’t mean boring books, either.  Good writers lead by example.   Stephen King, aside from being an amazing storyteller, writes beautifully.  Reading his books you’ll learn proper grammar, increase your vocabulary (I’ve had to look up a word he’s used on occasion) and see a great example of correct sentence structure.  All while being thoroughly entertained.  Or so scared you have to sleep with the lights on.  Either way, it’s a great learning experience.

Don’t rely on newspapers and magazines.  They write, on average, at a middle school level.  You’re going to have to up your game on your resume and professional profiles if you want to impress anyone.  As a professional it’s kind of assumed that you can communicate better than the average middle schooler.  If you really feel like you aren’t up to it, then you should seriously consider hiring someone to write it all up for you. 

There are tons of resources online to become a better writer.  The Write Cave, for one, will direct you to writing resources.  Another is an article I came across.  Actually, a friend of mine who shares my somewhat obsessive passion for all things literary found it and shared.  It’s got a list of words that will improve your vocabulary in a particularly impressive way.  I highly encourage you to use these words in your daily conversations as much as possible.  I take no responsibility for the consequences.

But really, the best way to improve your vocabulary and writing skills is to read.  Right now is the perfect time of year to pick up a couple of books and get to it.  The nights are long and cold, just right for snuggling in with hot cup of tea next to the fire with your book.  Just forget that you’re learning something good for you.  Don’t ruin it.  And have a cookie.