Joseph Cavelli
Dollieslager
11/10/15
The Importance of Grammar in the Workplace.
What are the most important traits you can show an employer when applying for a job? Things like showing that one is an efficient worker, or that one works well with others might be a common statement, but one thing that is of equal importance but would be rarely mentioned is having proper and efficient communication skills. Having the ability to communicate with a professional stature is an important skill in today's workforce. It not only shows that a person is a competent worker and demonstrates that he can put the effort into proper grammar it shows to his employer that he is willing to put that same effort into working for them. Proper grammar is also vital because some employers, such as iFixit’s CEO Kyle Weis, simply won't hire someone if they cannot communicate efficiently be if for their own personal reasons or because the job he is applying for requires that someone be able to accurately communicate with his employers and fellow employees.
The use of proper grammar in the professional workplace might not come off as important at a glance across the surface, but when one goes into greater depth and understands why the use of proper grammar in the workplace is important it becomes rather apparent. First off one should use proper grammar in their speech so that he can show that he is mentally organized. When speaking face to face someone can’t go back and edit what he said like one can with a digital work such as email, showing that he can keep his mind and thoughts organized and speak properly also shows that he can keep himself organized in his actual work (Adams.) Secondly the use of proper grammar ensures that his written work or speech is credible, which in a highly competitive working environment is of key importance. Using proper grammar in his speech and written work also invokes a sense of respect for the other person whom one is speaking to or composing an email for. Finally taking the time to ensure that he uses proper grammar is a sign of caring for what he does, and caring for what he does in his writing or his speech will show his superiors that he will care about his work and ensure that it is completely accurately and thoroughly (Weins).
The Virginia Education Wizard gave me the results that I had expected to get. The career I chose earlier, computer systems administrator, was recommended as well as other jobs related to computers and science as it recommended the science, technology, mathematics and engineering cluster from the first skill-based assessment. I was rather surprised from the other assessments however as I didn't expect to see some of the paths they recommended; for example, I answered it as truthfully as possible and it recommended secondary school teacher, which I could never see myself ever doing.
The field I hope I can work myself into is the field of network and systems administration. However in order to make it into this field that is rather competitive it will be vital that I have proper grammatical and editing skills. Administers must be capable of effectively communicating with their employer as well as any other employees so that problems with the network can be effectively diagnosed, as well as communicating with one’s employer or other employees so that they can know when he will be performing vital changes to the network they are using so they know to be prepared beforehand.(Occupational Outlook Handbook) It's not very good to lose an important finance report because someone didn't know the network was going to be reset. In the case in which an administrator may be working freely as a contractor rather than a dedicated employee for a business it may be harder for them to communicate in person, so it will be vital that they are able to communicate with one's clients through the use of email or instant messaging so that both the client and the administrator can get a handle on what exactly is going on.
To help further my communication skills for my desired future profession, there are a few things I can see being useful. The first skill I must develop to help aim my communication skills towards something that would fit my profession would be to practice, and in turn get better, at simplifying the details of something I know quite well so that those who do not share the same insight as I have can understand the information I am trying to inform them of with ease. The second skill would be to better my communication skills in general especially in the topic of punctuation, so that when communicating through writing forms such as email with my employer, boss, or superior I can show a much more professional knowledge of writing and thus hopefully convince them that I'm more competent at my job than they may have originally thought.
It all makes sense does it not? If someone was applying to a job it would better one's odds to show proficiency in their words as early as the application and interview process, especially if they wish to work for Kyle Weins or someone like him. Not to mention that for some jobs the ability to properly communicate information to an employer and any co-workers is absolutely vital or otherwise the job may be impossible to properly perform, and I'm guessing a company won't take too kindly to an employee costing them millions of dollars because of a simple grammar mistake.
Works Cited
Adams, Susan. “Why Grammar Counts At Work.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 7 July 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/>
"Network and Computer Sytems Administrators."U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Sept. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/network-and-computersystems-administrators.htm#tab-4>.
Weins, Kyle. “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing, 20 July 2012. Web. 22 sept. 2015 <http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/i_wont_hire_people_who_use_poo.html>