Communication and finding a job

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by ffreeloader, Oct 25, 2005.

  1. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    I copied this from another post and started this thread for two reasons: this subject deserves its own thread and I didn't want to distract from that thread.

    I agree completely. The inablility to coherently express thoughts in any written medium is a very significant barrier to employment. How a person expresses themselves in writing has a lot to do with how intelligent someone such as an employer will percieve that person.

    Whether you like or dislike this idea is basically irrelevant. It's just the reality of the corporate world, and basically the world at large. If you can't communicate clearly and concisely you are at a major disadvantage in any business setting that requires written communication. And IT requires a lot of written communication.

    In just about any position in IT you must be able to write well. You must be able to document what you do so someone else can clearly follow your procedures. You must be able to communicate troubleshooting information in writing fairly often, and if you can't write the information clearly it's going to be a major problem. The above are just two instances which require good writing skills, and there are many more.

    I really think that there ought to be a cert for communication and it ought to be a requirement for any and all other certifications in IT. It just isn't professional at all to write like a little kid. Spell words correctly. Punctuate sentences. Place two spaces between sentences. Make it as easy as possible for other people to understand what you are saying. BE PROFESSIONAL its a requirement for the job.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  2. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Just one addition.

    If you can't spell, you can't work on a computer. It will reject all mispellings, or do something other than what you want it to do. If you don't believe that's important, you haven't really learned how limiting a gui is, how little the wizards that you use from a gui really allow you to do. If you can't spell you will never harness the real power of any computer.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  3. Clyde

    Clyde Megabyte Poster

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    *harrummph* *ahem* great thread... carry on... :biggrin


    on a serious note, excellent post ffreeloader

    and on the same topic. It does take extra effort to decipher writing that breaks the rules, and believe me, a recruiter won't bother.. it'll be on to the next CV and your's is in the bin...
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA, MCSE
    WIP: MCITP
  4. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Unfortunately not everybody can write as eloquently and professionally as our Freddy. I so wish I could.

    ffreeloader in this and many other threads, clearly displays a talent for expression which I admire! It makes me want to read his posts and listen to what he has to say. The opposite happens when I read a post written in kids speak or whatever the word is for this childish slang.

    We should all strive to improve our communication skills, it is of paramount importance in IT and most other industries.

    You will not be taken seriously in the corporate world if you communicate with people in the same manner that a nine year old girl chats to her friends on MSN.

    If you want to be successful in life, if you want to climb the corporate ladder, if you want to lead a team or manage a project, it is your communication skills that will get you there!

    Now where did I put that thesaurus :eek:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  5. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    I just ran across a joke that is relevant to this thread.

    Did you hear about the guy who sent is friend to a warehouse for his bachelor party? :twisted: :p :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  6. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    :blink No Freddy, pray tell :rolleyes:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  7. Clyde

    Clyde Megabyte Poster

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    yup, and the thoughts you'll be expressing are likely to be complete BS, but they'll at least have the virtue of legibility :D

    oh, and warehouse...heh heh
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA, MCSE
    WIP: MCITP
  8. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    *warehouse*

    Ah, now I get it, sorry I am a bit slow on the uptake sometimes :oops:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  9. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    High praise coming from you, Bluerinse.

    I don't normally like to comment on posts like yours because all that praise makes me rather uncomfortable. However, I'll make an exception this time because communication is such an important concept.

    We all have differing levels of ability to express ourselves, but we can all be better than we now are. I really work at writing. I probably do it because I really enjoy writing, but I'm always striving to improve my writing skills as much as I am working to improve my computing skills. Every post I have ever written I see problems with when I read them later. I'm never satisfied with how I express myself. I'm never satisified with my computer knowledge either.

    In anything we do what level of skill we have is determined in a great part by how much we care about what we are doing. Attitude is everything, and our attititude toward how we do everything we do shows up immediately.

    That's why communication skills are so important. They showcase our attitude towards our committment to learning, to improving ourselves, and the attitude we have to making sure we understand others and want to be clearly understood by others. This is something that business leaders, political leaders, anyone in any position of leadership looks at. They may not consciously recognize that they are doing it, but they do it. They know what it takes to succeed because they have succeeded themselves, and they look for these types of qualities in the people they bring into their organizations.

    I have been working with a DVR program called Job Club for the past few months and this lesson has been really brought home for me. As I sit in the rooms and listen to the people speak about looking for jobs or even why they aren't looking for jobs, their attitudes are the first thing you see. They may try to hide them by saying they really want a job, but their attitudes are very well expressed, even if they themselves can't see their own attitudes, by how and what they communicate. Most of these people are mad at me because I have received so much help from DVR, but to tell the truth I wouldn't spend any money on training them either because of their attitudes. It would simply be money tossed down the drain.

    Communication, or the lack of it, expresses attitude in many ways. It's one of the most important determining factors in where and how far we will go in life. Mine gets negative at times, but I get over it, because I recognize that being negative will ruin me in the end more than any one other single factor.

    Learn to communicate well and it will be one of the tools that will propel you forward in business and in life.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1

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