You are your own hero
Like most people my writing style has been influenced by the people I’ve worked with, the books I’ve read and the things I’m writing about. I’ve enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember, although I’m not entirely sure when I discovered my talent for storytelling. There are a few clues like being complimented on my written work at school and my ability to write complex policy documents in an easy to follow style at work. I favour a simple and direct approach using short sentences with impact and well-placed humour where it helps with messaging. My early career found me transcribing endless meeting notes from shorthand and typing them up for committee members to approve (or not) I was fortunate that my manager was the committee secretary, and I was her secretary. Together we tidied up the language so that most participants were delighted with their individual eloquence.
The committee meeting minutes were a real learning experience, not least for my newly acquired shorthand skills. The meetings often over-ran and it seemed like the most trivial of topics got the most air time. I developed my own style of working through the endless pages of shorthand notes, typing them up as written and then summarising the key points and actions in simple language. This worked well until my confidence improved and I managed to listen without writing, then trust my judgement to note the outcome. I’m writing about this here as so much of the written material we consume daily is similar to my ‘almost word for word’ shorthand notes. With a high dependence on email or text messages, it’s quick and easy to bash out a grunt-mail. Assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) we can add even more adjectives and superfluous detail. No need to read what’s written as we’ve appealed to a higher level of capability than we have ourselves, right? Wrong!
This may sound a little far-fetched although please trust me, it’s not. We need to use the tools available to help us express ourselves better, yet we also need to make them our own. To adopt our ‘tone of voice’ or personality may take a little practise but it’s an investment well made. Let’s face it, once you’ve knocked Chat GPT or CoPilot (other brands are available) into shape they’ll be your writing friends for life. I recently asked for help with a cover letter that I could send to a potential client attaching my CV. My vague request was well-rewarded. I was in awe of the level of detail and volume of response. On closer scrutiny the suggested response didn’t really say much more than “here’s my CV.” This experiment may seem a tad trivial although I wanted to demonstrate the need to carefully consider whether the output matches your brief. Yes, it was a cover letter, but it didn’t add benefit.
If you need to create a CV and / or a cover letter because like many students you’ll be leaving full-time education shortly I encourage you to keep your messages true to your strengths and personality. Remember to:
· Stay true to your strengths and don’t try to list every attribute you can think of
· Be positive about what you will contribute to a job or a new course of study
· Write in uncomplicated language – no bonus points for using long words
· Avoid flowery descriptions of day-to-day activities
· Use a clear and uncluttered layout
· Make your cover letter relevant to the job or course you’re applying to join and highlight relevant elements from your CV, plus a little more explanation / detail
· Make it your own whatever help (human or bot) you get
