Category: writing

 
Career 5 Ways To Write Better Job Descriptions If you are to get the right candidates in the interview room, you’ll need to appeal to those candidates in the right way. That’s why the writing of the most informative and compelling job descriptions is such a key part of Online Recruitment. Here are just some of the techniques you should try to give your own firm’s job descriptions that bit more vital impact and relevance.

1.Come Up With A Clear Job Title Is it obvious what the position title means from first glance, even for those from outside your company? If it isn’t, this may be because the title is too long or uses confusing terminology. By carefully optimising your job title, you can come up something short and punchy, but also meaningful that even the most casual reader can quickly understand.

2.Outline What It’s Like To Work For You Is the ‘vibe’ in your office formal or casual? Whatever your company culture may be, it’s vital to communicate this in the job description. You may also do this in part by detailing certain specific features of life on your premises, such as morning meetings, team seminars and what travel arrangements are required to get to the office.

3.Stipulate The Daily Duties Candidates will be able to better visualise what your vacancy is really about if you accurately describe the most mundane everyday requirements of the job. Also consider what this job’s daily duties are likely to be in the future, so that the eventual recruit is unlikely to be surprised by how the position evolves over the coming months and years.

4.Detail The Most Valuable Skills What are the skills necessary for this job to be done to the required standard? If the candidate is well-informed on these, they will be able to compare them to their own skills and consider whether they are a truly suitable candidate for the role. This will help to narrow down the list of applicants to only those who are a good match to the position. 5.Explain What Would Represent The Greatest Success You won’t want the person that you eventually hire for this position to be merely ‘good enough’, so it makes sense to precisely describe what would constitute particular success in the role.

When every potential candidate knows this, those that walk into your interview room are likely to be more informed and better prepared to answer your most challenging questions. If you are to recruit the best people for your vacancies, it isn’t enough just to know what your needs are for your open roles – they also need to be outlined in your job descriptions. This makes the most clear and informative descriptions all-important. Follow the above steps, and you will maximise your chances of achieving this with your own firm’s job descriptions – and getting the best results from your online recruitment as a result.

Meet the five W's: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

Oh, them, you say. Inverted pyramid and all that journalism stuff. The five W?s are old-timers, old news.

Well, yes. But there?s a reason they?ve been around a long time.

Plus, I?ll let you in on a secret: They?re not just for reporters writing breaking news stories or publicists cranking out press releases. You can apply the 5 W's to marketing pieces, even advertising. Let me show you how.

Beyond PR

The five W?s have long been the mainstay of PR professionals who must write newsworthy press releases to get media attention for their clients. By effectively using the five W?s, they?re speaking the language of journalists and the news business.

However, marketing, advertising and sales promotion are undisguised selling. How do the five W?s apply? Let?s run through them. Think about an ad, Web site, brochure, or sales letter.

Who ? Who is the audience, customer, or prospect? Who are you?
What ? What is the product, service, offer?
When ? What is the time element? Why is it important or urgent now?
Where ? Where is the market(s) or company (yours and/or theirs)?
Why ? Why should they respond or buy? What are the reasons or benefits? Why you instead of your competitor?

I?m not suggesting that the five W?s are a marketing cure-all.

You still need to stick to marketing basics: presenting products and services as solutions to problems; showcasing features and benefits; providing proof with testimonials, opinions and statistics; and having a strong call to action.

Simply use the five W?s to help flesh out all aspects of your message.

Stress-free Interviewing

With a firm grasp of the five W?s, I believe you can adequately steer your way through any interview. The five W?s give you the question-asking framework to approach any person, subject and project.

Ideally, you prepare for an interview, considering the focus of your piece, gathering background information and preparing questions in written form or in your head.

The five W?s are a good starting point, but you?ll find them absolutely indispensable in those instances when you have little or no time to prepare for an interview. The five W?s will help you ask some decent questions and come away with what you need to write the piece.

Don?t Forget ?How?

Not widely publicized because it doesn?t begin with a "W," "how" is a frequent sidekick of the 5 W's.

How important is "how"? It?s of prime importance in every rags-to-riches story. We all want to know how they did it. It?s critical to new technology, as in how it works. You can probably think of other examples. Lean heavily on "how," for it can be just as important as the five W?s.

Copyright (c) 2006 Neil Sagebiel

Creative writing is all about turning ideas into words. First, of course, you must have an idea; something to write about. But unless you know how to put those ideas down into words you can sit there staring at your computer all day and will have nothing to show for it but a blank screen and a headache So how do you bridge the gap? How do you get your ideas out of your head and down on paper in such a way that they will actually make sense to someone else? It begins by learning how to collect your thoughts.
Five Tips for Bridging the Gap between the Idea and the Word
The bridge between the ideas that you have and the words that you write is actually quite simple. It consists of learning how to collect your thoughts. Many people believe that their thoughts and ideas are coherent; that they make sense. And in their minds those ideas may make perfect sense. Unfortunately, there usually comes a time between the having the idea and getting it out on paper that something important gets lost. Somewhere you misplaced the nuances that made your topic so appealing when you first thought about it. The following five tips can help you in collecting your own thoughts and putting them down on paper.
Keep a Writing Journal. Not only should you keep a writing journal, it should stay with you. It doesn't matter what size. Even a small, pocket-sized notebook will work. And yes, it is an annoyance to always carry a journal around with you. However, being able to record your thoughts as they occur is a lifesaver, especially if you are in the middle of something else; like a meeting or a family activity.

Write Down Everything. It isn't enough to just have a writing journal; you have to get into the habit of writing everything down. I don't care if it is just a fleeting thought; you need to write it down. You need to write everything down. Get used to putting your ideas into words and make sure that when you re-read what you have written that it makes sense to you as well. If you look back through your journal and find that you can't understand what you were talking about, then you need to refine your note taking style.

Re-Write Every Day. At the end of every day you need to go through your journal and take those ideas that you have written and copy them into a working notebook or even type them into your computer. This will not only help to keep your ideas fresh in your head, it will also help you to begin a working copy of your idea; one which you can adjust and adapt as need be.

Be Your Own Worst Critic. It is not enough to simply write your ideas down, nor even enough to re-write your ideas so that they flow smoothly. Sometimes you have to pull the entire structure apart and re-build it from the ground up. Even though the idea may have sounded good the first time you wrote it down, it can always be better! Write and re-write your ideas out until they say exactly what you want them to; until you can see the picture that they paint in your mind.

Use a Sounding Board. It helps to have a sounding board; someone who is willing to read your work and give you their unbiased opinion. It is not this person's job to edit your work. You simply want their reaction to how the words sound; what sort of picture that it paints in their head. If you do not have a friend or acquaintance who is willing to serve as a sounding board for you, there are many websites out there that allow you to post your work and have readers critique it for you. This is invaluable in learning how to fine tune your writing.
The Benefits of Learning How to Collect Your Thoughts
Learning how to collect your thoughts and being able to bridge the gap between the idea and actually expressing the idea is a daunting task. But by using five tips listed above you can go from simply having an idea to being able to share that idea with others in a way that they will be able to understand.

When it comes to making the most of your website or blog, you will need to have top notch content. The bottom line is that content brings visitors to your site, and visitors bring profits.

In order to increase traffic to your site, you will want to use a good mix of keyword articles. These will go a long way in increasing your traffic from search engines. Not to mention the fact that keyword articles can also be very educational.

When looking to choose a keyword article company to help you out, there are three important things that you should keep in mind. These details are as follows.

1. A good keyword article company should be devoted to helping you succeed through quality content. This means that you will want to find a service that offers quality content, not just fluff. After all, people are going to be reading what you put on your site. If your writers do not do a good job you will not be making your visitors happy.

2. Even though price is not everything, you will want to take it into consideration. Think of it this way. If you need 10 articles a week, and one service offers them for $6 an article and another $8, you will be saving $20 total every week. Over the course of a month this is $80; and during the year $960. Surely you could find something to do with an extra $960. Remember, costs can add up; shop for the best price without compromising quality.

3. Search for personal service. When you order any type of copywriting project chances are that you will need to be in touch with the writers you are working with. This means that you should do your best to choose a service that will walk you through the process, not one that simply completes the work and sends it back without communication.

Overall, there are several top quality keyword article companies that are available to work for you. As long as you do your research and follow the tips above you should be able to find the one that best suits your needs.

Having a website that sells isn't just about having a "snappy" design, although that's a part of it. And it's not just about marketing your site effectively, although that's very important too.

It's also about ensuring that once people reach your page they want to stay for awhile. To do that, you need a combination of the following:

? a logical, informative, easy-to-navigate structure
? an attractive, professional design
? web copy that sells
? marketing strategies and elements in place to attract the right audience

In this article we'll go back to basics and discuss the fundamentals of developing an effective structure for your website. In future articles we'll go into detail on each point and walk you step-by-step through each of the points outlined here.

Many people fall into the trap of making their website simply an on-line brochure that includes selling information. In most situations, visitors to your site DON'T want to be sold.

Instead, they want information on your type of product or service. So ...

1. Add value. Add value. Add value.

The more value-added information you can include on your site, the warmer the relationship you will build with your prospect and the much greater the chances they'll visit your site again and again, refer their friends/colleagues to your site, and of course, buy from you. Make sense?

Here are just some of the types of information you can include on your website:

? Selection tips - how to select the right "widget" for your needs
? How to get the best performance from your product - operating instructions
? Different uses for your products including real life case studies which help your prospective customers get a "horse's mouth" feel for the benefits of owning your product.
? In-depth instructions on how to build something using a range of your products. For instance, if you owned a hardware chain you could include plans and instructions on how to build a pergola or a retaining wall. You could then list all the tools and other items a handyman needs to build it in a checklist type format. From there, the customer could go directly to a full description of each item and then a shopping cart.
? Frequently Asked Questions which help overcome the most common objections.
? Success stories and case studies which flag some of the tremendous successes clients have achieved. See "Imagine Getting Results Like These".
? Directory of useful links that relate to a prospect's needs. For instance, an accountant could include links to the ATO site, ASIC, ASX, BRW etc. etc.

For instance, on this site we include dozens of articles to help business professionals improve the effectiveness of their promotional material.

We do that because we love to give advice that helps people but also we're hoping to build a relationship with potential clients so they'll want to invest in our services down the track.

This philosophy of adding value stems back to the age-old, much coined saying "give generously and you will receive". For more information on this strategy see our article on the law of reciprocation.

Writing articles can be a tedious exercise but it's one that pays off handsomely in the end. Having said that, if you don't have the time to write your own articles you can source other people's articles to publish on your site without spending any money.

Many businesses write articles for their own site but also grant reprint rights so other sites can publish them in return for an acknowledgement and a link back to the author's site. If your organisation operates business-to-business (b-2-b) and you'd like to feature any of our articles on your site, just send me an email letting me know which articles you'd like to feature, and I'll be happy to discuss this opportunity with you.

2. Make it interactive

Naturally it makes sense to know who is visiting your site because you can then contact them to further build the relationship with them and to secure a sale. To do that you can offer:

? a free subscription to a weekly or monthly e-zine
? a "membership" that entitles them to certain privileges
? a FREE consultation
? Guest book - in theory this sounds like an effective way to capture emails. In reality you could find that it's very open to abuse by people wanting to post pointless messages. Also, there's no real benefit in signing a guest book.
? A discussion forum on the other hand provides people with the opportunity to interact with other members and also either post ideas or get advice. If you venture down this track, make sure you moderate the page before items are posted as again, this is open to abuse by your competitors and others who want to "play games".

I used to stress over what to get my mom for Mothers Day. For years it was flowers, cards, clothes or even decorative items for her house. As I got older, I noticed that the things she kept around and bragged on most were the things that cost little or nothing but came from real love. You know the ones, the hand print in plaster and/or paint, the photo mug of us together at the zoo and the hand written card all covered in glitter that said nothing more than "I Love You Mommy" on it.
OK, so I'm not a kid any more, but I still noticed that what mom's really like best are the gifts that create or retell of fond memories together.
It was at that very moment that I knew I had to do something different in my Mother's Day gift giving. I needed more of me and us in it and a lot less of it's just for her. Mom's aren't about taking, they are all about giving... especially in giving of themselves to the ones they love most. I needed a Mother's Day present that showed not only that I appreciated all that she had done for me, but one that reminded her that our time together really meant something that couldn't be lost.
Now that I know the real secret to what Mom's really want for Mother's Day, it's become one of my favorite holidays and one we both look forward too each and every year.
Here's just two of the ideas that have kept my mom bragging for months to her friends and the rest of the family.
Mother's Day Gift Idea #1 - The Memory Letter
I got this idea from the old glitter covered card she still had from my school days. I just took it to a new level.
Very simply, I downloaded some free stationery pages to use as the decoration. I then sat down and made a list of some of the really great times I've had that my mom played a large roll in. Vacations, shopping trips, long drives to get me to sporting events, anything that brought a vision of my mom in my head. Bad times that she made better for me were even better.
I then just sat down and put those storied in writing. You know... "Dear Mom, Remember when..." and I filled several pages with those vivid memories. At the end, I simply wrote: "Mom, it's the little things you did that I'll always remember most."
I then printed the stationery pages out (I have lousy handwriting so I typed them) on the stationery downloads and sealed them in a nice envelope that read: "To Mother With Love - Don't open until Mother's Day" and placed that envelope inside another one to mail.
I'm told the tear's of joy fell for days after and she reads the letter again several times a year. I got the biggest hug in the world the next time I was home for a visit.
Mother's Day Gift Idea #2 - The Photo Memory Journal
The idea for this one came from the photo mug I had made for her as a teen. Again, I just took the basic idea and stepped it up a few rungs on the ladder.
This one happens in two parts. Part one, pick up a cheap diary or journal book from your local retail or book store. If you are really short on cash, you can also download some free digital stationery page templates, print a few pages and bind them with some ribbon or lace. Your mom isn't going to care how much it cost as it will be part two that makes the gift.
Part two:
This is what really makes it special. Plan for a day (rain or shine) that you both have off, preferably just a few days after Mother's Day. You can do it before, but I think it's better if part two happens afterward. Pick some place special such as a garden, park, tea room or other photogenic location. You can even plan an afternoon tea followed by the trip to the tropical gardens etc.
On the fist page of the journal, you'll put the planned date, the time you'll pick her up and a note to dress for rain, dress for casual or dress for formal. Nothing more except for the Happy Mother's Day Mom and your signature.
The anticipation will build over the next couple days until the event and that serves to set the mood and ingrain the memory. If your area is prone to rain/spring snow/ or other such weather, be sure and have a backup planned if it's not an indoor event.
The real key is that you are going to do something special together and you will take photos and write memories in the journal to go with them. I even had the rest of the family show up at the end and had professional photos taken of the whole family... first time in 10+ years. My point is that you can do this for next to nothing or you can, if you have the means, spend a little cash and get professional help. The result is the same... Joy and a new treasured memory you made together that will be remembered for many years to come.
Now that you get the idea, take a look around your mother's home and in her closets... ask her if she still has any of your childhood gifts or art projects. Then, take a little imagination and turn that into an updated Mother's Day she'll soon not forget.
One last note.
We filled only a few of the pages of that first journal with memories and photos. Now, we plan little trips a couple of times a year together so we can fill in the rest of the book. She treasures these times more than I can tell you and one day when she's no longer with me, I have no doubt I'll be treasuring the book even more.
Happy Mother's Day Memories...

Scrapbooking is a rewarding, relaxing hobby. A� Walking into a scrapbooking store, looking at A�magazines or browsing on-line sites can be very confusing to the beginner, so let me just take you through some of the basics. A�Layouts can be single or double pages, and range from very simple to very elaborate. A�You can spend a lot of time on each layout and make all your own letters and embellishments; A�or you can take shortcuts and use ready-made stickers, embellishments and letters. A�I would suggest that the beginner take advantage of what is already available; A�and once you have mastered the basics, then move on to making your own embellishments.
Rules
There is only one rule in scrapbooking - all papers, adhesives, stickers and albums must be acid-free. A�Acid-free will help preserve your photos. A�Good scrapbooking products will also be lignin-free. A�When lignin in paper breaks down, it causes brown spots and yellowing.
SuppliesA�
Basic supplies include: A�an album and refill pages, a small paper trimmer (guillotine), a pair of craft A�scissors, a ruler, a craft mat, some coloured plain and patterned paper, and adhesive. A� A�There are numerous cutters, punches and various tools available if you want to make shapes - the most useful shape to begin with is an oval. A�There are a number of albums on the market, the standard size is 30cm x 30cm, and most scrapbooking papers will fit this size, although may need to be trimmed slightly. A�You can either cover the whole white album page with plain or patterned paper, (or a combination of both) or you can work on the white page and just highlight your photos with coloured mats and decorate the page with stickers.
CroppingA�
Cropping photos - refers to cutting off excess background so that the subject is central. A�You will fit more photos on a page, and won't be distracted by background that doesn't tell a story. A�Sometimes you will decide to leave the background in to give a sense of scale to the subject, A�particularly in a scenic shot, and this is fine.
Matting
Once you have decided on the photos you are going to use on the page, have a really good look at them, noting the colours. A�If any one colour pops out, this is a good one to use for a mat A�for your photo. A�A mat is a piece of paper or card cut slightly larger than the photo. A�It is not essential to mat photos, but is a good way to link the photos on your page. A�If you have several colours in the photos and can't decide which colour to use as the mat, hold the photo in front of it. A�One particular colour will usually stand out. A�A good choice of colour will make the photo appear brighter and cleaner, and a poor choice will fade the photos or overwhelm them. A�When you are satisfied with the mat colour, stick your photo to it. A�If you have several photos to go on a page, mat them all before you start arranging them on the page.
Heading
Use lettering stickers or print a heading on the computer - if you draw a heading, make sure the pens are acid free.
Completing Your PageA�
Arrange the photos on the page, leaving room for a heading and journalling. A�When you are happy with the arrangement, then stick your photos down. A� A�Next, add the heading, and then the journalling.
Journalling
Journalling is where you tell the story of the page. A�Journalling can be written directly on the page, or written or printed on small mats. A�Journalling should include who, what, where and when, and any comments about the day or event that stand out. A�If you are handwriting, use an acid-free pen.
Embellishments
Embellishments refer to any extras on the page - these can be stickers, lace, buttons, paper flowers, ribbons, tickets, programs - almost anything goes - but they should not be too bulky, and if A�not acid-free, should not come into contact with the actual photos. A�Embellishments should also complement the layout, e.g. toys would be perfect on a child's page, but not on a heritage page.
I hope this beginner's guide has been helpful. A�The great thing about scrapbooking is that the finished product is entirely your own, unique, production. A�Getting a group of friends together to scrapbook is also a good way to start. A�You can bounce ideas off one another, and on a practical level, share equipment and papers. A�I always thought I wasn't clever or crafty enough to scrapbook, or didn't have the time, but now realise that I am clever and crafty enough, because the only person I have to please is myself; A�and as far as having enough time - I usually scrapbook now instead of watching television. A�We all need some "me" time; A�and this is a perfect way to get that in.

Content writing is said to be the most easy and relatively straight-forward thing one can ever do. But when you finally sit down for it then you realize how difficult it can be. Web content writing means writing quality yet unique content for the website so that ultimately it boosts the business and your website. But ironically web content writing is chiefly driven by seo and web design. To be more precise web design literally dictates that what font should be used, particular type of wording, perfect layout.

This is just for the benefits of the visitors so that they never feel uncomfortable or disappointed while surfing your site. Same happens in the seo as they want the content which is search engine keyword friendly. Thus, in short web content writers have to listen what seos and web designers have to say. To be honest web content writing is not as easy task and involves a careful process. And this careful process is basically dependent upon the right information, the right style, and the right keywords. All these measure are taken just to attract more visitors, easy for search engines to index, assuring that you achieve a good ranking and are easier for web users to find. Thus, it won't be wrong to say that web content writing is an art and skill which is to tackle with full ease.

Else you will end up loosing your visitors and customers. The sure shot mantra to web content writing is that each and every word should be focused on the reader or visitor. The content should be very engrossing and crisp so that visitor is bound and attracted to read it till the end. As longer the visitor sticks around your website, the better your chance of getting your message across.

And in return you'll achieve your goal for which you actually strived for. Considering the growing importance of content writing many companies have started hiring as well as providing professional writers who excel in the field of web content writing and could provide the best and satisfying services to their employers. The companies who wish for best content for their websites prefer to get the job done by professional writers to thrive excellence in the field. For that they simply search for the companies who provide content writing services through any search engine and hire the services which are most suitable.

content writing services entail website content writing, SEO Content Writing, brochure writing, blog writing, review writing, product descriptions, theme-based article writing, essay writing & editing and more. A website content service isn't just for website copy. It broadly consists of web articles, blogs, press releases, web pages and all other written content. These websites are on various subjects and cater to the web surfers all across the globe.

Website content writing is written in a particular manner adhering to the set guidelines. It depends upon the companies that serve their own subject matter. The matter posted on these websites is written by professional writers known as content writers.

Content writers play a vital role in the proficient content writing services. They serve various content in the various forms of articles, blogs, press realses to enhance the progress of the website promotions. They have a skill of learning and exploring new subjects which makes them expert in their writing.

Content writing services serve many benefits to website owners and businesses, and many countries in the world that have seen this service grounding positively for their company. It offers the company to expand their services on a broad range without considering a special field. Hence, it serves the viewers to get focused and knowledge of the website and ensures the business to get evolution in no time.

We all start out as infants in this world, depending on someone to nurture, love, and take care of us. We go through the discovery of everything being new, fresh, and exciting. Then the adolescent years come upon us and, as we become young adults, we learn different kinds of lessons about life from the people around us. Time goes on and we get older as do our mothers and fathers.
One day we may find ourselves expected to take care of them. We know that, as we get older, we may lose our sight, hearing, and memory. But nothing can prepare us for what happens when our loved one's dementia turns into Alzheimer's. The caretaker inevitably feels lost and alone. Our loved ones are not themselves anymore--at least not the way we remember them. They don't know who we are and they don't know who they are.
Some of us listen to what the doctors say and put them in the hands of professionals in a care center for the elderly. But some of us take on the challenge of caring directly for our parents, just as they once took care of us. We're not sure what is on the road ahead, but we know that we love our parents and want only the best for them.
When it was discovered that my father-in-law was not himself and his mental health was deteriorating we took on the task to care for him. It was hard to deal with the man he had become. We had to remember that he was now a victim of the disease--that this person was not longer really him anymore. It was a greater challenge than we could have imagined, caring for him to his dying day; but it was also rewarding.
Remember you are not alone. Don't feel that you've failed when you're aggravated, depressed, or angry. These emotions only show that you are human. I discovered "sun-downers" which is when the person is disoriented at dusk, and that was when dad was really not himself. As he was getting into the later stages of Alzheimer's he was restless and agitated and I started him on resperdol to help try to keep him calm. I used adult day cares for respite time a few hours of the day, just so I could let my mind and body rest. I also ran miles and prayed for strength to get me through this stressful time. Support groups also were very helpful for advice and knowledge from others dealing with this disease. And hospice was wonderful as dad was in the final stages of his Alzheimer's and helped us get ready for his death.
If you are a caregiver or plan to be one, remember that MOMENTS are important. Hang on to those good moments even when the rest of the day is hard. Respite care is important, because if you don't take care of your self than how can you take care of your loved one. Support groups are very important so that you can vent, give ideas and get ideas from others. And remember that to the world you are but only one person, but to that one person you may be the world.