Recommendation letters can be an extremely essential tool for earning a job.
Properly written ones are great to have and can open up so many opportunities
for a person seeking a job. With that being said, writing the recommendation
letters has many implications. The writer must be sure that it is accurate,
clear, and provides all the information an employer would wish to see. If the
letter is too general, then it proves nothing about the person it's about and
does not distinguish them from other applicants.
If I was asked by a former employee from years ago to write a recommendation
letter, and I could not remember any details of the employee’s time with me
except that they were an admirable employee, I would have to consider a few options.
The first thing I would do would be to ask my fellow workers about what they
remember from that specific employee. I wouldn’t reject the request because I would
want to do my best to help a quality former employee of mine. If this option
did not work out, I would then be honest with the employee and tell them that I know
they were of high quality but that I just could not remember specifics that I feel
future employers would want to know. I would make sure they know that I could
potentially write them a letter, but it would have to be just of what I remembered,
so it would be pretty broad and not detailed. I would suggest that they find
someone else to write the letter so that they will properly and accurately represented.
I think it is very possible for a business person to speak of their company in a positive way and to represent them properly while still remaining authentic. When I am at work and I have to email business people outside of my organization, I need to maintain my professional manner or I will not be taken seriously. With that being said, I think it is also important to be friendly and have a little personality so that the people you're communicating with know you're just another human being. If you can relate to the person you're communicating with and feel comfortable talking with him or her, then it will most likely be easier to maintain contact and work together. Sometimes in the business world we forget that we don't have to always have a poker face or act cold to others. As long as we can portray a friendly personality without sacrificing the reputation of the business, then we should continue to do so. When I email customers or fellow workers, I make sure that I use exclamation points where necessary. Exclamation points, in my opinion offer a little bit of a break from the corporate tone we're all so used to communicating in. They let us know that the person we're talking to has a little bit of a personality and isn't afraid to show it.I also try to appear understanding and open for conversation by relating to whoever I am communicating with.
I think blogging is a great way to write down your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. I think it's a great place to be creative and express all that you need to express. I agree that in some cases following the rules of grammar and spelling can hinder your creative abilities. I think it is okay to write words that you want to emphasize, wrong or in a silly way (e.g. GR8, girlz, boyz, etc.). As long as the reader knows you are trying to be sarcastic or funny then I think bad grammar or spelling adds to your personality as a blogger. If you are able to show your intelligence through your writing, then being funny about the way you spell things or use certain words shouldn't affect your credibility.
Sometimes when we write, we do so in a boring and monotone manner. For me, I appreciate when writer's aren't as serious and know how to make a joke. It's difficult to evoke that through writing alone, so spelling can sometimes help us understand a writer's purpose or personality. It gives the reader a break from the difficult to understand writing and allows the blogger to have fun with what he or she is writing. Instead of worrying about perfect grammar/spelling and mechanics, a writer should be able to intelligently portray certain ideas while adding a little humor in there.
Although I think certain PURPOSEFUL mistakes are humorous, I would not enjoy reading a post someone wrote where they couldn't figure out which there/their/they're to use. I also would be dubious of a writer's intelligence if they spelled "definitely" like "defiantly". All things considered, I appreciate writers poking a little fun at the strict world of grammar and spelling, but I want those things to be done in a purposeful manner and not on accident.
I have a love/hate relationship with social media websites. I enjoy being able to keep in touch with friends and family but I don't like how we tend to let it consume our time. I have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest account. I enjoy them all for different reasons. With each account, I make sure that the settings are private so that only people I know can view my pictures, posts, and information. Even though my accounts are private, there is always room for improvement. I could delete old pictures of myself holding the ever so popular peace sign or pictures of me sticking my tongue out (apparently that used to be cool). I could advertise myself more as a professional by updating my information including where I work and what I'm interested in. Other than that, all that I have on my accounts are pictures of my nieces, softball pictures, and pictures of food.
Material that could raise red flags for future employers are inappropriate pictures, inappropriate language, and bad spelling/grammar. Employers don't want to see revealing pictures or cursing on our accounts because they want to see us portray ourselves as professionals and if we can't do that online then we probably won't be able to do it in a corporate setting. Social media websites can be a great way to stay in touch with people you love and to connect with other business professionals, but if we aren't careful, one picture, post, or comment could destroy our reputation as young professionals.
