Most of us haven’t written an essay since we left school, and you probably don’t miss it. But writing skills are as important to your career as they were to your grade point average. In fact, nearly half of hiring managers say recent college graduates can’t write well – and it’s costing them jobs.
One of the first steps to writing an essay is to review the requirements. Something as simple as reading the directions can make a huge difference, but it’s often overlooked. Whether you’re putting together a project proposal or giving someone an estimate for a job, taking the time to read and understand what’s expected will save you a lot of headache later on.
Whatever your chosen career, you probably have to do research from time to time. Whether you’re thinking about buying a new computer, or getting info on a potential client, quick and accurate research will improve your efficiency. Even though you don’t have to cite your sources when you pick out a new laptop, knowing which websites to trust and whose reviews are reputable is essential.
One of the tools of essay writing that we often forget after school is revision. Taking the time to do something as simple as proofreading your emails to clients can make your business appear much more polished and professional. For more formal documents, especially client-facing publications, always get someone else to read it and look for grammatical errors or parts that simply don’t make sense.
Most professors agree that writing an essay is part of the learning process, it’s not just a final product to show what you’ve learned. It takes critical thinking skills, planning, research, and revision. These skills will help advance your career, even if you never write another essay.
Check out this infographic to learn more about essay writing:
