From the project, I learned how difficult it was to obtain responses from people online. I learned the importance of the needs and wants of the client. Much of the work and effort I put into the first project was lost when I switched over to another project to cater to a different audience. I learned how time consuming creating a website and video can be. I also found out that there is a wide variety of fields on the subject of scuba diving (physics, medical, etc).
From the class, I learned how to clearly write and place graphical images in a document. In addition, I learned to be careful of what I say around others, especially if I do not know them. I also learned that I need to view each technical paper I write from an ethical and moral point.
This class has allowed me to learn how to create a website and videos. I have learned how to interact with people both online and coworkers. I will be able to use the material I have learned about writing technical papers and reports and use them in my future employments.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Website up and running.
Website for Beginning Scuba nears completion. Ready to be turned in. Visit the website at http://introtoscuba.weebly.com/.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Dombrowski: (1) Tobacco and Death and (2) Star Wars
Ch 6: Tobacco and Death: When Is A Cause Not A Cause?
- Dombrowski: “”…this chapter more than some others seem to take a particular side on the “debate”””.
- Sophism: a confusing or illogical argument used for deceiving someone (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophists)
- Recent Years:
(a) Sophists showing power of language to shape ideas and opinions and even knowledge itself
(b) Demonstrated effective power of language to challenge prevailing structures of power and authority
- Why was public outraged by the ethical lapses in technical communication associated with the Challenger disaster and not deaths caused by cigarettes?
(a) Challenger – witnessed on television, scarred millions of people, deaths quick and violent
(b) Cigarettes – witnessed by few, deaths slow and painful
Answer: publicity
- Technical and Scientific Information used for corporate and personal gain:
(a) disguising self-serving posturings as technical facts
(b) disguising grim reality as pleasurable indulgences
(c) disguising knowledge as beliefs
Misleading the public and evading ethical responsibilities
Cause
Reason #1: Concerns probabilities and populations rather than certainties and individual persons
- Most people see causation as a fairly direct and mechanical matter
- Another meaning: Statistical Causation – a probability of what will happen in a population or group but says nothing about particular individual cases
- People care about themselves first and populations second (do not realize they are the same thing)
Reason #2: Misinformation, obfuscation, denial, and opposition
- Statistics – one of the most important tools of medicine and public health in modern times
John Stuart Mill – one of the major figures in logical reasoning of the twentieth century
(a) Method of “concomitant variation” by which an increase in an independent variable leads to an increase in a dependent variable, and a decrease yields a decrease (one causes another even though we do not know why)
- Examples statistical causation: public safety, medical community
- Smoking related deaths transcend genders and race; therefore, no other conceivable factor could explain the strength of the observed correlation other than smoking itself (known for over fifty years)
- Unknown: specific, microscopic mechanisms by which smoking causes cancer and other diseases
- Causation is fundamental to examining the role of ethics in technical and scientific communications about smoking and disease
- Sophists are traditionally known as hustlers and charlatans
- Sophists clashed with Aristotle and Plato over the use of rhetoric
- Sophists = Tobacco Industry
- Tobacco decision makers:
(a) know that smoking increases risk for cancers and death
(b) create documents and debate for the tobacco industry knowing the facts
- Challenger decision makers:
(a) not certain mission would end in a disaster
(b) took dangerous risks to achieve organization’s goals
Conclusion: Tobacco decision makers behaved much more unethically than the Challenger decision makers
Documents
Tobacco Industry
(a) sophistical treatment of causation
(b) ability to identify a few legitimate scientists to argue on the issue of causation
(c) Enormous financial and legal resources to use in defense
- Supported by states for tax revenue
- Uses money to settle out of court if about to lose
- Plaintiffs die before jury deliberates
- Tobacco Industry is very secretive / careful about documents (do not leave “smoking guns” around)
- Charges against Tobacco Industry (on an unprecedented magnitude):
(a) fraud
(b) conspiracy
(c) negligence
(d) false advertising
(e) product liability
1950s
- Tobacco Industry needed better public relations to counter against the American Cancer Society
- Published “A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” which is widely cited by the Tobacco industry:
(a) articulates a position central to the industry’s subsequent justifications of its activities (causation and proof have not been demonstrated
(b) shows frank disdain by the industry of scientific, medical, and technical research accepted by nearly all medical and scientific professionals outside the industry
(c) attempts to lay upon industry a mantle of scientific honesty and rigor that has been found to be false and deliberately misleading
- Summary: basically attempts to say that industry is a protector of public health and an authority on scientific rigor
- 4 points in document
(a) lung cancer has many possible causes (doesn’t mention smoking was extremely common)
(b) “no agreement among the authorities”
(c) “no proof that cigarette smoking is one of the causes”
(d) conclusions drawn from statistics can be misleading or confusing
- Tobacco Industry uses words to mislead public
- Tobacco Industry’s statements mixed with serious and comic meanings allowing industry to defer either way
1960s
- US Surgeon General became involved
- Tobacco Industry running out of reputable scientists willing to endorse them
- Nicotine found to be addictive
- Tobacco Industry: protects itself over health of public
1970s
- introduced filters to cigarettes
- told public that it was done because of perception of public that smoking is linked to health problems
- Tobacco Industry “technical documents” acknowledges health hazard then denies it (tries to go both ways)
- People became interested in health of non-smokers (started banning smoking)
- Inversions of meaning and opposition to generally accepted knowledge – hallmarks of sophistical argumentation
- mid 1970s: ignorance is bliss (industry closed down research into effects of smoking because of all the bad health information they were finding)
- public and government kept in the dark by having reports written under supervision of lawyers (lawyer-client confidentiality)
1980s
- Control over information tightened even more
- Reports limited to snippets in order to limit potential damaging information
- Lawyers were present every step of the way in scientific research
1990s
- Secret documents come to light from whistleblowers and disgruntled insiders
- Tobacco Industry backed into a corner from private and public perspective
- Liggett Group (Major Tobacco Company) admitted nicotine was addictive in 1997. Other tobacco companies distance themselves away from it.
- States start suing Tobacco Companies successfully
A Single Word
- Management says nicotine is not addictive
- Documents appear that indicate otherwise (management knew as well)
- Industry defers to public health authorities by putting statements such as “Smoking causes cancer.” on boxes but not necessarily agreeing with the statements
Graphical Images
- Words difficult to pin down regarding their meaning, interpretation, and ethical significance. Graphical Images are even harder (photographs, etc.)
- The charm of diversions is an old theme running throughout the history of rhetoric and ethics.
- R.J. Reynolds: launched campaign geared towards children (ages 9 to 24) to smoke his brand of cigarettes after studies showed that most people were faithful to the first brand of cigarettes smoked
- David McLean (Marlboro Man) was forced to smoke up to five packs of Marlboros a day in order to get the right advertising effect
- Graphical images also used to teach children about the harmful effects of smoking
Ethical Appraisal
- Aristotle
Aristotle does not approve of the tactics used by the Tobacco Industry. The industry was unethical and was dishonest in their debate for why smoking is not unhealthy. Debate was pointless because the truth of whether smoking cigarettes is harmful to one’s health is already apparent.
- Kant
Tobacco documents are clearly unethical because they do not act in a manner which could become a universal principle applying to everyone. The Tobacco Industry has not treated everyone in a way which they would want to be treated. They have continually opposed those working for the public good for the benefit of their industry.
- Utilitarian
Utilitarian perspective weighs cost against benefits. Question is to whom? The Tobacco Industry’s plan follows that idea; however, few people outside the industry would view it as ethical.
- Feminist Perspective and Ethics of Care
The actions of the Tobacco Industry is unethical because they are impersonal corporations driven by their own goals and do not care that many people die a slow, painful death as a result of smoking.
Ch 7: Star Wars: Hope vs. Reality
Examine ethical issues in technical communications involving claims about the software that was to be used in the Star Wars nuclear missile defense system.
- The speculation of communicators had gone too far in the Star Wars Missile Defense System. Went so far as to speculate about technologies that had not been discovered yet, and also suggested a present technical reality that did not exist.
- Claims about the feasibility of and effectiveness of Star Wars were buried in language that freely intermixed past and present technical reality with future goals and wishful expectations.
Context
- Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as “Star Wars” after the movie, was to protect the US from annihilation by the nuclear missiles of the Soviet Union.
Overview of SDI
- President Ronald Reagan proposed SDI on March 23, 1983 as a way to defend the US against a nuclear attack.
- Startling announcement because:
(a) vast scope
(b) unanticipated by the public
(c) astronomical expense of the proposed system
- Speech doesn’t offer plan but a goal of the form of a “vision of the future”
- Speech noteworthy not only of important military statement but also for its ethical and moral components as well.
- Value dimension gives speech its ethical thrust.
- Show powerful influence of values in shaping public discourse and technical claims about a highly technical topic.
A Complex System
- 5 key areas
(a) surveillance, acquisition, tracking, and kill assessment
(b) directed energy weapons
(c) kinetic energy weapons
(d) survivability, lethality, and key technologies
(e) systems concepts and battle management
- 4 phases of missile flight
(a) boost
(b) post-boost
(c) midcourse
(d) terminal
- idea for redundant system that tries to intercept missile at each of the four phases (would have to be quick so entirely computer automated)
- ground, air, space, and submarines working together flawlessly and seamlessly. Not to mention having to operate in space and prepare for different strategies such as subsequent missile attacks after they empty themselves and not have all counter defenses work at the same time. Does not help that the US military has a bad record when it comes to software and hardware (imagine surviving the conditions of space).
Congressional Office of Technology Assessment
- Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report was fairly optimistic but with significant concern
- Four “misapprehensions” regarding the stated goals of the president’s plan
(a) Separate devices such as lasers are not the same as the total system, which is complex
(b) SDI is unlike any prior technical program such as the Manhattan project
(c) Hopes for completely new technologies cannot be realistic
(d) Accurate predictions cannot be made about the performance of the complex system. No realistic test of the system beforehand. All possible outcomes cannot be anticipated.
- Concerns that system (millions of lines of code) would have to operate flawlessly the first time
- Draws 3 conclusions from the chapter on software
(a) Experience shows that large, complex software systems cannot be reliable and would always have unresolved issues
(b) No guarantee that the system would not fail during battle as a result of software error. High probability of failure drawn from experience with the BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) system
(c) No adequate models exist for the development, production, test, and maintenance of software for full-scale BMD systems
Congressional Hearing
- 2 questions
(a) Does the person share the president’s view that Star Wars would render nuclear weapons “impotent and obsolete”?
(b) Does the person share the view of Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger that Star Wars would be a “reliable and total” system of protection against nuclear weapons?
- President’s science advisor, George Keyworth, basically said that the purpose now was not defense but leverage in negotiations for arms control and reduction agreements.
- Director of SDI Organization, Lt General Abrahamson, presented the goals, aims, and intentions as practical realities.
- The exchange between Senator Tsongas and various others showed that seemingly definite technical information can be derived from speculation and wishes and from backward reasoning that might not hold up under scrutiny.
SDI Documents, Pro and Con
+ Pro
- Moral, political, or ideological statements used to try to convince others
- Goal reduced from protecting the US and allies to arms deterrent
- Optimism about new technologies yet to be discovered and anything was possible in America
+ Con
- Infeasibility
- Overwhelming consensus of nation’s technical community is that there is no prospect whatever that science and technology can, at any time in the next several decades, make nuclear weapons “impotent and obsolete.”
- Examples used to show human and software error makes president’s vision impossible
- Amount of resources involved and current technology is impossible
Parnas
- David Parnas: father of software engineering and has experience in designing military software systems.
- The technical is ethical and the ethical is technical for Parnas
- Statement on SDI is an exemplary model of clear, effective, and ethical technical communication in many ways.
- Statement is highly technical yet clear. General but not vague. Direct, incisive, and entirely clear. It has consistent focus and a clear, coherent development of its arguments, which all deal with crucial points.
- On the contrary, SDI supporters very lengthy explanation and very technical. Reader feels compelled to fold out of exhaustion, confusion, or intimidation.
- Clear about the need for truthfulness and for frank, open discussion in public about technical and strategic realities.
- Point was that there was no software that could be developed that would be trustworthy in the sense that it would work 100 percent of the time when it was needed to
- Ethos: a rhetorical term referring to believability on the basis of perceived character
- Parnas also gives credibility to his statements by giving his qualifications as a software engineer and a military systems designer.
- Resignation from panel adds to credibility because he had nothing to gain by resigning but a good bit to lose.
- Everybody on pro SDI panel had something to gain by continuation of project, and Parnas was the only qualified person on the panel
- Parnas explains his sense of professional ethical responsibility that motivated his action.
- As a professional:
(a) I am responsible for my own actions and cannot rely on any external authority to make my decisions for me.
(b) I cannot ignore ethical and moral issues. I must devote some of my energy to deciding whether the task that I have been given is of benefit to society.
(c) I must make sure that I am solving the real problem, not simply providing short-term satisfaction to my supervisor.
- need only to be true to their professional responsibilities
- No inconsistencies between professional responsibilities, public, civic responsibilities, and personal responsibilities.
- Plato, Aristotle, Kant, feminist ethicists, and an ethic of care perspective approve of the way Parnas acts and his caring concern for the public good through honest, open discussion.
- Utilitarianism disagrees because the personal good oftentimes will disagree with the public good or professional good.
- Whistleblower because he made to light wishes of his colleagues for him to shut up. He also made the panel seem unqualified, selfish, ineffective, and unethical.
- Awarded the first Norbert Weiner Award for Social and Professional Responsibilities by the organization Computer Professionals for Social Responsibilities in 1987.
Star Wars Boycott Pledge
- Sense of ethical and civic responsibility by the community showed in the form of the Star Wars Boycott Pledge.
- Department of Defense tried to get many scientists and technical experts to support them.
- Signers were communicating about the technical, political, and ethical matters.
- Petition included 15 Nobel Prize winners and over 50 percent of the faculty of the top twenty US physics departments along with 3700 scientists, engineering professors, and researchers at over 110 academic institutions.
- Sociologist Michael Nusbaumer says “Scientists of all types are increasingly aware of and are being held responsible for their science and its relationship to larger social and political issues.”
Patriot: Small-Scale SDI
- Patriot Missile Defense system : small Star Wars system
- Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) still develops missiles to intercept incoming warheads
- Patriot Missiles were less likely to intercept SCUD missiles during the Persian Gulf War as time went on.
- Our responsibility as technical communicators is to try to ensure as best we can that our representation of information corresponds to the reality.
Technical Claims about Air Operations
- Example when it comes to the discrepancy between claims and reality (a large one in this case).
Ethical Appraisal
+ Aristotle
- Undecided: unclear whether supporters could be characterized as representing a virtuous persona or whether they deny any suggestion over feasibility and realistically
+ Kant
- Undecided: same dilemma (in what way were the supporters of SDI acting: virtuous or themselves)
+ Utilitarianism
- Ethical if carried through with intended purpose (defense)
- Unethical if carried through knowing it would be ineffective
+ Feminist Perspective and Ethics of Care
- Feminist perspective opposed to military
- Defense of US and Allies shows caring
- On the other hand unethical considering SDI supporters tried to stop dissenting voices
+ Resignation of David Parnas
Aristotle – ethical (sought the true, good, and right in this matter)
Kant – ethical (treating audience as he himself would wish to be treated and his sense of duty prevails)
Utilitarian – ethical (actions avoided fruitless costs on a program that would fail)
Feminist – ethical (showed caring towards the public)
Parnas’s statement is an exemplary model of ethical technical communication considering he could have just said nothing and taken the easy way out.
Conclusion
- SDI had a laudable goal.
- Many reasons for SDI not working. Most important was software would not work as needed.
- Concern for security can cloud our judgment over highly technical matters.
- Our ethical responsibility as communicators is to make sure that our hopes and wants do not cloud our claims about our technical abilities.
- Dombrowski: “”…this chapter more than some others seem to take a particular side on the “debate”””.
- Sophism: a confusing or illogical argument used for deceiving someone (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophists)
- Recent Years:
(a) Sophists showing power of language to shape ideas and opinions and even knowledge itself
(b) Demonstrated effective power of language to challenge prevailing structures of power and authority
- Why was public outraged by the ethical lapses in technical communication associated with the Challenger disaster and not deaths caused by cigarettes?
(a) Challenger – witnessed on television, scarred millions of people, deaths quick and violent
(b) Cigarettes – witnessed by few, deaths slow and painful
Answer: publicity
- Technical and Scientific Information used for corporate and personal gain:
(a) disguising self-serving posturings as technical facts
(b) disguising grim reality as pleasurable indulgences
(c) disguising knowledge as beliefs
Misleading the public and evading ethical responsibilities
Cause
Reason #1: Concerns probabilities and populations rather than certainties and individual persons
- Most people see causation as a fairly direct and mechanical matter
- Another meaning: Statistical Causation – a probability of what will happen in a population or group but says nothing about particular individual cases
- People care about themselves first and populations second (do not realize they are the same thing)
Reason #2: Misinformation, obfuscation, denial, and opposition
- Statistics – one of the most important tools of medicine and public health in modern times
John Stuart Mill – one of the major figures in logical reasoning of the twentieth century
(a) Method of “concomitant variation” by which an increase in an independent variable leads to an increase in a dependent variable, and a decrease yields a decrease (one causes another even though we do not know why)
- Examples statistical causation: public safety, medical community
- Smoking related deaths transcend genders and race; therefore, no other conceivable factor could explain the strength of the observed correlation other than smoking itself (known for over fifty years)
- Unknown: specific, microscopic mechanisms by which smoking causes cancer and other diseases
- Causation is fundamental to examining the role of ethics in technical and scientific communications about smoking and disease
- Sophists are traditionally known as hustlers and charlatans
- Sophists clashed with Aristotle and Plato over the use of rhetoric
- Sophists = Tobacco Industry
- Tobacco decision makers:
(a) know that smoking increases risk for cancers and death
(b) create documents and debate for the tobacco industry knowing the facts
- Challenger decision makers:
(a) not certain mission would end in a disaster
(b) took dangerous risks to achieve organization’s goals
Conclusion: Tobacco decision makers behaved much more unethically than the Challenger decision makers
Documents
Tobacco Industry
(a) sophistical treatment of causation
(b) ability to identify a few legitimate scientists to argue on the issue of causation
(c) Enormous financial and legal resources to use in defense
- Supported by states for tax revenue
- Uses money to settle out of court if about to lose
- Plaintiffs die before jury deliberates
- Tobacco Industry is very secretive / careful about documents (do not leave “smoking guns” around)
- Charges against Tobacco Industry (on an unprecedented magnitude):
(a) fraud
(b) conspiracy
(c) negligence
(d) false advertising
(e) product liability
1950s
- Tobacco Industry needed better public relations to counter against the American Cancer Society
- Published “A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” which is widely cited by the Tobacco industry:
(a) articulates a position central to the industry’s subsequent justifications of its activities (causation and proof have not been demonstrated
(b) shows frank disdain by the industry of scientific, medical, and technical research accepted by nearly all medical and scientific professionals outside the industry
(c) attempts to lay upon industry a mantle of scientific honesty and rigor that has been found to be false and deliberately misleading
- Summary: basically attempts to say that industry is a protector of public health and an authority on scientific rigor
- 4 points in document
(a) lung cancer has many possible causes (doesn’t mention smoking was extremely common)
(b) “no agreement among the authorities”
(c) “no proof that cigarette smoking is one of the causes”
(d) conclusions drawn from statistics can be misleading or confusing
- Tobacco Industry uses words to mislead public
- Tobacco Industry’s statements mixed with serious and comic meanings allowing industry to defer either way
1960s
- US Surgeon General became involved
- Tobacco Industry running out of reputable scientists willing to endorse them
- Nicotine found to be addictive
- Tobacco Industry: protects itself over health of public
1970s
- introduced filters to cigarettes
- told public that it was done because of perception of public that smoking is linked to health problems
- Tobacco Industry “technical documents” acknowledges health hazard then denies it (tries to go both ways)
- People became interested in health of non-smokers (started banning smoking)
- Inversions of meaning and opposition to generally accepted knowledge – hallmarks of sophistical argumentation
- mid 1970s: ignorance is bliss (industry closed down research into effects of smoking because of all the bad health information they were finding)
- public and government kept in the dark by having reports written under supervision of lawyers (lawyer-client confidentiality)
1980s
- Control over information tightened even more
- Reports limited to snippets in order to limit potential damaging information
- Lawyers were present every step of the way in scientific research
1990s
- Secret documents come to light from whistleblowers and disgruntled insiders
- Tobacco Industry backed into a corner from private and public perspective
- Liggett Group (Major Tobacco Company) admitted nicotine was addictive in 1997. Other tobacco companies distance themselves away from it.
- States start suing Tobacco Companies successfully
A Single Word
- Management says nicotine is not addictive
- Documents appear that indicate otherwise (management knew as well)
- Industry defers to public health authorities by putting statements such as “Smoking causes cancer.” on boxes but not necessarily agreeing with the statements
Graphical Images
- Words difficult to pin down regarding their meaning, interpretation, and ethical significance. Graphical Images are even harder (photographs, etc.)
- The charm of diversions is an old theme running throughout the history of rhetoric and ethics.
- R.J. Reynolds: launched campaign geared towards children (ages 9 to 24) to smoke his brand of cigarettes after studies showed that most people were faithful to the first brand of cigarettes smoked
- David McLean (Marlboro Man) was forced to smoke up to five packs of Marlboros a day in order to get the right advertising effect
- Graphical images also used to teach children about the harmful effects of smoking
Ethical Appraisal
- Aristotle
Aristotle does not approve of the tactics used by the Tobacco Industry. The industry was unethical and was dishonest in their debate for why smoking is not unhealthy. Debate was pointless because the truth of whether smoking cigarettes is harmful to one’s health is already apparent.
- Kant
Tobacco documents are clearly unethical because they do not act in a manner which could become a universal principle applying to everyone. The Tobacco Industry has not treated everyone in a way which they would want to be treated. They have continually opposed those working for the public good for the benefit of their industry.
- Utilitarian
Utilitarian perspective weighs cost against benefits. Question is to whom? The Tobacco Industry’s plan follows that idea; however, few people outside the industry would view it as ethical.
- Feminist Perspective and Ethics of Care
The actions of the Tobacco Industry is unethical because they are impersonal corporations driven by their own goals and do not care that many people die a slow, painful death as a result of smoking.
Ch 7: Star Wars: Hope vs. Reality
Examine ethical issues in technical communications involving claims about the software that was to be used in the Star Wars nuclear missile defense system.
- The speculation of communicators had gone too far in the Star Wars Missile Defense System. Went so far as to speculate about technologies that had not been discovered yet, and also suggested a present technical reality that did not exist.
- Claims about the feasibility of and effectiveness of Star Wars were buried in language that freely intermixed past and present technical reality with future goals and wishful expectations.
Context
- Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as “Star Wars” after the movie, was to protect the US from annihilation by the nuclear missiles of the Soviet Union.
Overview of SDI
- President Ronald Reagan proposed SDI on March 23, 1983 as a way to defend the US against a nuclear attack.
- Startling announcement because:
(a) vast scope
(b) unanticipated by the public
(c) astronomical expense of the proposed system
- Speech doesn’t offer plan but a goal of the form of a “vision of the future”
- Speech noteworthy not only of important military statement but also for its ethical and moral components as well.
- Value dimension gives speech its ethical thrust.
- Show powerful influence of values in shaping public discourse and technical claims about a highly technical topic.
A Complex System
- 5 key areas
(a) surveillance, acquisition, tracking, and kill assessment
(b) directed energy weapons
(c) kinetic energy weapons
(d) survivability, lethality, and key technologies
(e) systems concepts and battle management
- 4 phases of missile flight
(a) boost
(b) post-boost
(c) midcourse
(d) terminal
- idea for redundant system that tries to intercept missile at each of the four phases (would have to be quick so entirely computer automated)
- ground, air, space, and submarines working together flawlessly and seamlessly. Not to mention having to operate in space and prepare for different strategies such as subsequent missile attacks after they empty themselves and not have all counter defenses work at the same time. Does not help that the US military has a bad record when it comes to software and hardware (imagine surviving the conditions of space).
Congressional Office of Technology Assessment
- Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report was fairly optimistic but with significant concern
- Four “misapprehensions” regarding the stated goals of the president’s plan
(a) Separate devices such as lasers are not the same as the total system, which is complex
(b) SDI is unlike any prior technical program such as the Manhattan project
(c) Hopes for completely new technologies cannot be realistic
(d) Accurate predictions cannot be made about the performance of the complex system. No realistic test of the system beforehand. All possible outcomes cannot be anticipated.
- Concerns that system (millions of lines of code) would have to operate flawlessly the first time
- Draws 3 conclusions from the chapter on software
(a) Experience shows that large, complex software systems cannot be reliable and would always have unresolved issues
(b) No guarantee that the system would not fail during battle as a result of software error. High probability of failure drawn from experience with the BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) system
(c) No adequate models exist for the development, production, test, and maintenance of software for full-scale BMD systems
Congressional Hearing
- 2 questions
(a) Does the person share the president’s view that Star Wars would render nuclear weapons “impotent and obsolete”?
(b) Does the person share the view of Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger that Star Wars would be a “reliable and total” system of protection against nuclear weapons?
- President’s science advisor, George Keyworth, basically said that the purpose now was not defense but leverage in negotiations for arms control and reduction agreements.
- Director of SDI Organization, Lt General Abrahamson, presented the goals, aims, and intentions as practical realities.
- The exchange between Senator Tsongas and various others showed that seemingly definite technical information can be derived from speculation and wishes and from backward reasoning that might not hold up under scrutiny.
SDI Documents, Pro and Con
+ Pro
- Moral, political, or ideological statements used to try to convince others
- Goal reduced from protecting the US and allies to arms deterrent
- Optimism about new technologies yet to be discovered and anything was possible in America
+ Con
- Infeasibility
- Overwhelming consensus of nation’s technical community is that there is no prospect whatever that science and technology can, at any time in the next several decades, make nuclear weapons “impotent and obsolete.”
- Examples used to show human and software error makes president’s vision impossible
- Amount of resources involved and current technology is impossible
Parnas
- David Parnas: father of software engineering and has experience in designing military software systems.
- The technical is ethical and the ethical is technical for Parnas
- Statement on SDI is an exemplary model of clear, effective, and ethical technical communication in many ways.
- Statement is highly technical yet clear. General but not vague. Direct, incisive, and entirely clear. It has consistent focus and a clear, coherent development of its arguments, which all deal with crucial points.
- On the contrary, SDI supporters very lengthy explanation and very technical. Reader feels compelled to fold out of exhaustion, confusion, or intimidation.
- Clear about the need for truthfulness and for frank, open discussion in public about technical and strategic realities.
- Point was that there was no software that could be developed that would be trustworthy in the sense that it would work 100 percent of the time when it was needed to
- Ethos: a rhetorical term referring to believability on the basis of perceived character
- Parnas also gives credibility to his statements by giving his qualifications as a software engineer and a military systems designer.
- Resignation from panel adds to credibility because he had nothing to gain by resigning but a good bit to lose.
- Everybody on pro SDI panel had something to gain by continuation of project, and Parnas was the only qualified person on the panel
- Parnas explains his sense of professional ethical responsibility that motivated his action.
- As a professional:
(a) I am responsible for my own actions and cannot rely on any external authority to make my decisions for me.
(b) I cannot ignore ethical and moral issues. I must devote some of my energy to deciding whether the task that I have been given is of benefit to society.
(c) I must make sure that I am solving the real problem, not simply providing short-term satisfaction to my supervisor.
- need only to be true to their professional responsibilities
- No inconsistencies between professional responsibilities, public, civic responsibilities, and personal responsibilities.
- Plato, Aristotle, Kant, feminist ethicists, and an ethic of care perspective approve of the way Parnas acts and his caring concern for the public good through honest, open discussion.
- Utilitarianism disagrees because the personal good oftentimes will disagree with the public good or professional good.
- Whistleblower because he made to light wishes of his colleagues for him to shut up. He also made the panel seem unqualified, selfish, ineffective, and unethical.
- Awarded the first Norbert Weiner Award for Social and Professional Responsibilities by the organization Computer Professionals for Social Responsibilities in 1987.
Star Wars Boycott Pledge
- Sense of ethical and civic responsibility by the community showed in the form of the Star Wars Boycott Pledge.
- Department of Defense tried to get many scientists and technical experts to support them.
- Signers were communicating about the technical, political, and ethical matters.
- Petition included 15 Nobel Prize winners and over 50 percent of the faculty of the top twenty US physics departments along with 3700 scientists, engineering professors, and researchers at over 110 academic institutions.
- Sociologist Michael Nusbaumer says “Scientists of all types are increasingly aware of and are being held responsible for their science and its relationship to larger social and political issues.”
Patriot: Small-Scale SDI
- Patriot Missile Defense system : small Star Wars system
- Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) still develops missiles to intercept incoming warheads
- Patriot Missiles were less likely to intercept SCUD missiles during the Persian Gulf War as time went on.
- Our responsibility as technical communicators is to try to ensure as best we can that our representation of information corresponds to the reality.
Technical Claims about Air Operations
- Example when it comes to the discrepancy between claims and reality (a large one in this case).
Ethical Appraisal
+ Aristotle
- Undecided: unclear whether supporters could be characterized as representing a virtuous persona or whether they deny any suggestion over feasibility and realistically
+ Kant
- Undecided: same dilemma (in what way were the supporters of SDI acting: virtuous or themselves)
+ Utilitarianism
- Ethical if carried through with intended purpose (defense)
- Unethical if carried through knowing it would be ineffective
+ Feminist Perspective and Ethics of Care
- Feminist perspective opposed to military
- Defense of US and Allies shows caring
- On the other hand unethical considering SDI supporters tried to stop dissenting voices
+ Resignation of David Parnas
Aristotle – ethical (sought the true, good, and right in this matter)
Kant – ethical (treating audience as he himself would wish to be treated and his sense of duty prevails)
Utilitarian – ethical (actions avoided fruitless costs on a program that would fail)
Feminist – ethical (showed caring towards the public)
Parnas’s statement is an exemplary model of ethical technical communication considering he could have just said nothing and taken the easy way out.
Conclusion
- SDI had a laudable goal.
- Many reasons for SDI not working. Most important was software would not work as needed.
- Concern for security can cloud our judgment over highly technical matters.
- Our ethical responsibility as communicators is to make sure that our hopes and wants do not cloud our claims about our technical abilities.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Dombrowski on Challenger Disaster
Challenger Disaster: Information versus Meaning
What did show?
1) show importance of clear communication
2) powerful role of complex social forces
3) interplay between values and language in communication
Two Governmental Reports
1) Report of Presidential Commission
1.1) Analysis show: lengthy and poor knowledge of technical writing
2) Differences
2.1) More than Information
2.2) Confusing Language
2.3) Conclusions do not follow logically
Conclusion:
- weight ethical implications
- express our judgment clearly
Two Crucial Shifts in Meaning
- O-Ring Charring
- - lack of reaction on managements’ part
- Powerful Role of Assumptions
Challenger shows realistic limitations of optimistic assumptions
“Smoking Gun” Memorandum (by Mr. Boisjoly)
Subject Line – grabs attention (uses key words)
1st paragraph – brief and clearly states its purpose
2nd paragraph – description of past and current affairs
3rd paragraph – hypothetical and plausible outline of consequences caused by the above complications
4th paragraph – cannot fulfill duty to both organization and ethics
Final paragraph – very emotional in giving his conclusion
Graphical Images
- People determine what numbers mean
Ethical Appraisal
- Aristotle: ethics and debate
approves memorandum on the subject of ethics
might approve debate between presidential and congressional report
- Kant: responsibilities
Approves: Memorandum and Congressional Report
Disapproves: Presidential Report
- Utilitarianism: good of the many
Unclear on all counts
- Feminist and Ethics of Care
Launch decision unethical by both
Conclusion:
Challenger disaster shows how values and ethical judgment play a key role in the communication of even highly technical information
Changed way information is read and interpreted
Hierarchy problem (different responsibilities and interests)
What did show?
1) show importance of clear communication
2) powerful role of complex social forces
3) interplay between values and language in communication
Two Governmental Reports
1) Report of Presidential Commission
1.1) Analysis show: lengthy and poor knowledge of technical writing
2) Differences
2.1) More than Information
2.2) Confusing Language
2.3) Conclusions do not follow logically
Conclusion:
- weight ethical implications
- express our judgment clearly
Two Crucial Shifts in Meaning
- O-Ring Charring
- - lack of reaction on managements’ part
- Powerful Role of Assumptions
Challenger shows realistic limitations of optimistic assumptions
“Smoking Gun” Memorandum (by Mr. Boisjoly)
Subject Line – grabs attention (uses key words)
1st paragraph – brief and clearly states its purpose
2nd paragraph – description of past and current affairs
3rd paragraph – hypothetical and plausible outline of consequences caused by the above complications
4th paragraph – cannot fulfill duty to both organization and ethics
Final paragraph – very emotional in giving his conclusion
Graphical Images
- People determine what numbers mean
Ethical Appraisal
- Aristotle: ethics and debate
approves memorandum on the subject of ethics
might approve debate between presidential and congressional report
- Kant: responsibilities
Approves: Memorandum and Congressional Report
Disapproves: Presidential Report
- Utilitarianism: good of the many
Unclear on all counts
- Feminist and Ethics of Care
Launch decision unethical by both
Conclusion:
Challenger disaster shows how values and ethical judgment play a key role in the communication of even highly technical information
Changed way information is read and interpreted
Hierarchy problem (different responsibilities and interests)
End of Harty
Part 6: And Now a Word (or Two or Three) about Ethics
- Final Important Point: All businesses and technical writing must not only meet the needs of its intended audiences and follow a process approach, but it must also adhere to the strictest ethical and legal standards.
+ Communication Failures Contributing to the Challenger Accident: An Example for Technical Communicators (by Dorothy A. Winsor)
Background note: Hierarchy: NASA => Marshall => MTI
- Why do people not communicate material defects, and how to prevent them?
1) Managers and engineers view the same facts but from a different perspective
2) The general difficulty of either sending or receiving bad news
- Knowledge defined as not simply seeing facts but interpreting them.
- Interpretation varies depending upon point of view.
- Communication redefined as not only sharing information but also sharing interpretations.
- Greater tendency to believe in good news than the bad
- Communication within the company is terrible
- Communication outside the company is nonexistent
- Real Life Example: Challenger Explosion
1) Physical Cause of Accident
1.1) Cause: Failure of a rubber seal (O-ring)
1.2) Reason: Failure to question why O-rings became increasingly defective
2) Early Responses to Bad News: Disbelief and Failure to Send Upward
2.1) Reasons
2.1.1) Ignore the problem and it will go away
2.1.2) Schedules to keep
2.1.3) Refusal to take responsibility
2.1.4) Everything is fine to superiors, but serious problems to plant floor
3) Continued Bad News Rejection Despite Contradictory Evidence
3.1) All the companies did not seem concerned about the crew’s lives on the shuttle; thereby continuing to send defective materials until an accident would prompt it to change.
4) Internal Versus External Communication of Concern from MTI Engineers
4.1) Internal Communication was serious while external communication provided no interpretation
4.2) Example of hierarchal problem: Managers did not agree and therefore did not translate the concerns into a language understood by the executives => End result: engineers’ failed to translate technical documents into language that could be understood by the executives, and the disagreement of the managers did not place importance behind the engineers’ fears.
5) The Split Between Managers and Engineers
5.1) Same problem as above. A failure in the link of hierarchy results in the message getting lost.
5.2) Convinced managers too late (might have also convinced themselves a little too late)
6) Conclusion
6.1) Refusal to take responsibility, refusal to communicate bad news both inside and outside the company, split hierarchy lines, and fear of loss of contracts and positions caused the Challenger disaster.
+ How to Lie with Statistics (by Darrell Huff)
1) Statistics
1.1) Sensationalize
1.2) Inflate
1.3) Confuse
1.4) Oversimplify
2) The Sample with the Built-In Bias
2.1) Moral: You can prove about anything you want to by letting your sample bias itself.
3) The Truncated, or Gee-Whiz, Graph
3.1) Truncated to look nicer
3.2) Pay attention before making assumptions
4) The Souped-Up Graph
4.1) Exaggerated axes makes it look more alarming
5) The Well-Chosen Average
5.1) Mean – average
5.2) Median – middle (half way through)
6) The Insignificant Difference of the Elusive Error
6.1) Need to look at the lowest and highest value
7) The One-Dimensional Picture
7.1) Misleading because of the lacking 3D factor
7.2) Book encourages you to shirk responsibility for doing these types of graphs because “everyone else does it” so you can’t help it
8) The Ever-Impressive Decimal
8.1) The more decimals you have, the more exact you are (hence why we have significant digit rules) and deceives readers more than if you gave one number without a decimal which makes it look like an approximation
9) The Semiattached Figure
9.1) Unrelated instances that could be tied together (coincidence)
10) The Unwarranted Assumption, or Post Hoc Rides Again
10.1) Cause and effect reversed and sometimes intermingled
- A well wrapped statistic misleads, yet it can’t be pinned on you
+ Determining the Ethics of Style (by Dan Jones)
1) William Lutz – doublespeak or misleading language is not done by accident but as a product of clear thinking
2) Joseph Williams – Different connotations and denotations of a word
3) Richard Lanham – Why do we call prose either good or bad, and why do people think bad prose threatens the foundations of civilizations
4) What is Ethics?
4.1) Study of right and wrong conduct (simply defined)
4.2) Has many broad terms
5) Ethics and Technical Prose
5.1) Keep in mind who will be affected and how by the way you write
6) Ethics and the Professions
6.1) The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics (p 370)
6.2) STC Ethical Guidelines for Technical Communicators (p 372)
6.3) Obligations to: society, employers, clients, coprofessionals, and professional organization (technical writers, computer professionals, and engineers)
+ Legal and Ethical Issues in Editing (by Carolyn D. Rude)
- Legal and ethical issues pertain both to individuals and to organizations
- Protect individuals and groups from harm (breast cancer sequence is copyrighted so you have to apply to study it. How is that protecting people from harm?)
1) Legal Issues in Editing
1.1) Intellectual Property: Copyright, Trademarks, Patents, Trade Secret
1.2) Copyright
1.2.1) Owner has say whether they can be copied or reproduced
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2.2) Ownership
1.2.3) Copyright expires after 70 years after the owner’s death or 95 years beyond publication
1.2.4) Copyright can be renewed
1.2.5) Ownership can either be one person, multiple people, or corporation
1.4) Copyright Notice, Registration, and Deposit
1.4.1) Registration in Copyright Office gives maximum legal protection (everything is copyrighted regardless after it exists in fixed form)
1.4.2) Problem with this is with lawyers, the more lawyers win over those who can’t afford it (Microsoft over webdomain name infringement Mikesoft which was unintentional and against linux)
1.5) International Copyright Protection
1.5.1) Not all countries offer copyright protection and some are not as good as others
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6) Permissions and “Fair Use”
1.6.1) Written permission for reusing copyrighted material should include the three bullets on p 377
1.6.2) Now have copyright where only 1 computer can have software installed even if you own it
1.6.3) Not everyone reads copyright and license agreements (evidence for Adobe where they said by installing this software you are no longer a person. Not many people paid attention because it’s too long)
1.7) Copyright and Online Publication
1.7.1) Cyberspace law is still developing
1.7.2) Laws act as a deterrent but they mean nothing if someone doesn’t care about the laws
1.8) Trademarks, Patents, and Trade Secrets
1.8.1) Employees owe a “duty of trust” to current and former employers
1.9) Product Safety and Liability
1.9.1) Manufacturers cannot avoid responsibility with disclaimers (result: stupid lawsuits and stupid clauses in the new disclaimers)
1.9.2) Instructions, Safety Labels, and the Duty to Warn
1.9.2.1) Clear and complete instructions
1.9.2.2) Show hazards and attach necessary safety labels
1.9.3) The Editor’s Legal Responsibility
1.9.3.1) Encourages editors to be careful in the legal edit (now need lawyers to interpret it)
2) Libel, Fraud, and Misrepresentation
2.1) Libel is a defamatory statement without basis and open yourself up to lawsuits
2.2) Fraud and misrepresentation deceive the public
- Final Important Point: All businesses and technical writing must not only meet the needs of its intended audiences and follow a process approach, but it must also adhere to the strictest ethical and legal standards.
+ Communication Failures Contributing to the Challenger Accident: An Example for Technical Communicators (by Dorothy A. Winsor)
Background note: Hierarchy: NASA => Marshall => MTI
- Why do people not communicate material defects, and how to prevent them?
1) Managers and engineers view the same facts but from a different perspective
2) The general difficulty of either sending or receiving bad news
- Knowledge defined as not simply seeing facts but interpreting them.
- Interpretation varies depending upon point of view.
- Communication redefined as not only sharing information but also sharing interpretations.
- Greater tendency to believe in good news than the bad
- Communication within the company is terrible
- Communication outside the company is nonexistent
- Real Life Example: Challenger Explosion
1) Physical Cause of Accident
1.1) Cause: Failure of a rubber seal (O-ring)
1.2) Reason: Failure to question why O-rings became increasingly defective
2) Early Responses to Bad News: Disbelief and Failure to Send Upward
2.1) Reasons
2.1.1) Ignore the problem and it will go away
2.1.2) Schedules to keep
2.1.3) Refusal to take responsibility
2.1.4) Everything is fine to superiors, but serious problems to plant floor
3) Continued Bad News Rejection Despite Contradictory Evidence
3.1) All the companies did not seem concerned about the crew’s lives on the shuttle; thereby continuing to send defective materials until an accident would prompt it to change.
4) Internal Versus External Communication of Concern from MTI Engineers
4.1) Internal Communication was serious while external communication provided no interpretation
4.2) Example of hierarchal problem: Managers did not agree and therefore did not translate the concerns into a language understood by the executives => End result: engineers’ failed to translate technical documents into language that could be understood by the executives, and the disagreement of the managers did not place importance behind the engineers’ fears.
5) The Split Between Managers and Engineers
5.1) Same problem as above. A failure in the link of hierarchy results in the message getting lost.
5.2) Convinced managers too late (might have also convinced themselves a little too late)
6) Conclusion
6.1) Refusal to take responsibility, refusal to communicate bad news both inside and outside the company, split hierarchy lines, and fear of loss of contracts and positions caused the Challenger disaster.
+ How to Lie with Statistics (by Darrell Huff)
1) Statistics
1.1) Sensationalize
1.2) Inflate
1.3) Confuse
1.4) Oversimplify
2) The Sample with the Built-In Bias
2.1) Moral: You can prove about anything you want to by letting your sample bias itself.
3) The Truncated, or Gee-Whiz, Graph
3.1) Truncated to look nicer
3.2) Pay attention before making assumptions
4) The Souped-Up Graph
4.1) Exaggerated axes makes it look more alarming
5) The Well-Chosen Average
5.1) Mean – average
5.2) Median – middle (half way through)
6) The Insignificant Difference of the Elusive Error
6.1) Need to look at the lowest and highest value
7) The One-Dimensional Picture
7.1) Misleading because of the lacking 3D factor
7.2) Book encourages you to shirk responsibility for doing these types of graphs because “everyone else does it” so you can’t help it
8) The Ever-Impressive Decimal
8.1) The more decimals you have, the more exact you are (hence why we have significant digit rules) and deceives readers more than if you gave one number without a decimal which makes it look like an approximation
9) The Semiattached Figure
9.1) Unrelated instances that could be tied together (coincidence)
10) The Unwarranted Assumption, or Post Hoc Rides Again
10.1) Cause and effect reversed and sometimes intermingled
- A well wrapped statistic misleads, yet it can’t be pinned on you
+ Determining the Ethics of Style (by Dan Jones)
1) William Lutz – doublespeak or misleading language is not done by accident but as a product of clear thinking
2) Joseph Williams – Different connotations and denotations of a word
3) Richard Lanham – Why do we call prose either good or bad, and why do people think bad prose threatens the foundations of civilizations
4) What is Ethics?
4.1) Study of right and wrong conduct (simply defined)
4.2) Has many broad terms
5) Ethics and Technical Prose
5.1) Keep in mind who will be affected and how by the way you write
6) Ethics and the Professions
6.1) The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics (p 370)
6.2) STC Ethical Guidelines for Technical Communicators (p 372)
6.3) Obligations to: society, employers, clients, coprofessionals, and professional organization (technical writers, computer professionals, and engineers)
+ Legal and Ethical Issues in Editing (by Carolyn D. Rude)
- Legal and ethical issues pertain both to individuals and to organizations
- Protect individuals and groups from harm (breast cancer sequence is copyrighted so you have to apply to study it. How is that protecting people from harm?)
1) Legal Issues in Editing
1.1) Intellectual Property: Copyright, Trademarks, Patents, Trade Secret
1.2) Copyright
1.2.1) Owner has say whether they can be copied or reproduced
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2.2) Ownership
1.2.3) Copyright expires after 70 years after the owner’s death or 95 years beyond publication
1.2.4) Copyright can be renewed
1.2.5) Ownership can either be one person, multiple people, or corporation
1.4) Copyright Notice, Registration, and Deposit
1.4.1) Registration in Copyright Office gives maximum legal protection (everything is copyrighted regardless after it exists in fixed form)
1.4.2) Problem with this is with lawyers, the more lawyers win over those who can’t afford it (Microsoft over webdomain name infringement Mikesoft which was unintentional and against linux)
1.5) International Copyright Protection
1.5.1) Not all countries offer copyright protection and some are not as good as others
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6) Permissions and “Fair Use”
1.6.1) Written permission for reusing copyrighted material should include the three bullets on p 377
1.6.2) Now have copyright where only 1 computer can have software installed even if you own it
1.6.3) Not everyone reads copyright and license agreements (evidence for Adobe where they said by installing this software you are no longer a person. Not many people paid attention because it’s too long)
1.7) Copyright and Online Publication
1.7.1) Cyberspace law is still developing
1.7.2) Laws act as a deterrent but they mean nothing if someone doesn’t care about the laws
1.8) Trademarks, Patents, and Trade Secrets
1.8.1) Employees owe a “duty of trust” to current and former employers
1.9) Product Safety and Liability
1.9.1) Manufacturers cannot avoid responsibility with disclaimers (result: stupid lawsuits and stupid clauses in the new disclaimers)
1.9.2) Instructions, Safety Labels, and the Duty to Warn
1.9.2.1) Clear and complete instructions
1.9.2.2) Show hazards and attach necessary safety labels
1.9.3) The Editor’s Legal Responsibility
1.9.3.1) Encourages editors to be careful in the legal edit (now need lawyers to interpret it)
2) Libel, Fraud, and Misrepresentation
2.1) Libel is a defamatory statement without basis and open yourself up to lawsuits
2.2) Fraud and misrepresentation deceive the public
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Section 5 Part 2: Cover Letter and Online Resumes
The Basics of a Cover Letter by Steven Graber
Cover letter similar to resume => marketing tool
FORMAT:
1) The Parts of a Letter
+ Two styles
- Personal style
- Business style (aka block style)
1.1) Return Address
- either left or centerline at top of paper
- avoid abbreviations
- include contact info on cover letter if gets separated from resume
1.2) Date
- two lines below return address
1.3) Inside Address
- four lines beneath the date
1.4) Salutation
- two lines beneath company’s address
- vary intro depending on familiarity
1.5) Length
- three or four short paragraphs on one page => ideal
1.6) Enclosure
- used primarily in formal or official correspondence
- not necessary in cover letter
2) Paper Size
- standard size (8.5’’ x 11’’) : any other size is awkward
3) Paper Color and Quality
- use matching paper and envelopes for both resume and cover letter
- regular white or ivory paper (plain)
4) Typing and Printing
- word processing program
- handwritten letters unacceptable
- do not photocopy one resume for everything else => will not be taken seriously
5) Envelope
- standard business-sized envelope that matches stationary
- type envelopes as well
- full name and title, specifically to contact person identified in cover letter
CONTENT:
1) Personalize Each Letter
- find the person who is interviewing
2) Mapping It Out
- overview of capabilities
- stress one or two capabilities
- intro and conclusion one sentence is fine
- make clear interest subject of company
2.1) First Paragraph
- state position applying for
2.2) Second Paragraph
- what I can offer you
2.3) Third Paragraph
- recommendations by other professionals and show how you exceed expectations
2.4) Fourth Paragraph
- look forward to hearing from them
- after one or two weeks, no phone call => a call is acceptable
2.5) Complimentary Close
- two lines beneath body of letter
- aligned with return address and date
- KISS (keep it simple stupid)
- sign letter above full name that appears in resume
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTERS
1) What Writing Style is Appropriate?
- polite, formal style balances confidence and respect for employer
- clear, objective, and persuasive
2) Tone: Reserved Confidence is Always in Style
- sound polite, confident, and professional
3) Emphasize Concrete Examples
- tangible relevant skills instead of personal attributes
4) Use Powerful Language
- action verbs
- simple language
- keep away from jargon or technical detail
5) Avoid Catchphrases
- explain how you are what you describe
6) Mention Personal Preferences?
- do not include asked salary unless prompted
- if prompted, say negotiable
- out of state, indicate willingness to relocate
7) Proof with Care
- Check for mistakes::other words => read your letter after printing
- Find mistakes and rewording => print again: paper is cheap
COVER LETTER BLUNDERS TO AVOID
1) Unrelated Career Goals
2) Comparisons and Clichés
- expressions detract from your letter’s purpose
3) Wasted Space
- Any unrelated information weakens your application
4) Form Letters
- Do not spam
- Write individual letters
5) Inappropriate Stationary
- graphics will NOT improve cover letter
6) “Amusing” Anecdotes
- don’t know how interview person will react to joke
7) Erroneous Company Information
- verify accuracy of company information
- if not do not say you are familiar with company’s products
8) Desperation
- sound determined, not desperate:: basically same thing as if you were trying to get a date
9) Personal Photos
- unless related, not applicable
10) Confessed Shortcomings
- do not show your weaknesses since employers will focus on that
11) Misrepresentation
- do not pad resume – may come back to haunt you
12) Demanding Statements
- cover letter => what you can do for them and not vice versa
13) Missing Resume
- create checklist of things to go in envelope before mailing
14) Personal Information
- don’t bother
- list interest and hobbies only if related
15) Choice of Pronouns
- use I and don’t refer to yourself like Julius Caesar…in the third person
16) Tone Trouble
- try to sound genuine and not stilted
- err on side of formality
- fine line to tread
17) Gimmicks
- the simplest answer is usually the easiest, and is usually wrong.
- don’t try anything novel…stick to tradition
18) Typographical Errors
- be consistent
- do not misspell
- double check materials and company it goes to to make sure it makes sense and you changed everything
19) Messy Corrections
- cover letter should contain all pertinent information
- retype and never add supplementary note handwritten
20) Omitted Signature
- use blue or black ink and sign your name
COVER LETTERS FOR SPECIAL SITUATIONS
+ Special Situations
- for lack of paid job experience
- out of workplace
- may have discrimination
- ex. College students
+ Emphasize strengths and marketability skills
+ Downplay weakness
RESPONSE TO A “BLIND” Advertisement
- tailor your letter to the information given
- define knowledge of industry, position, and qualifications (if mentioned)
COLD LETTERS
- directly contact potential employers without previous correspondence or a referral
- advertise availability to hiring managers and personnel department
BROADCAST LETTERS
- only applicable to seasoned executives
- tone reflects experience, knowledge, and confidence
+ people who are doing widespread job searches
- end up in human resource department instead of in the hand of a fellow executive
LETTER TO AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
- offers services primarily for clerical or support staff positions
+ letters addressed to them should:
- focus on who you are
- what type of position you are looking for
- what specific industry
- strongest skills related to the field
- mention personal preferences, including geographic and salary requirements
LETTER TO AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM
- alert an otherwise unknowing recruiter to your availability
- highlight your most impressive accomplishments and attributes
- briefly summarize all relevant experience
- preferences list (geographical location, travel, and salary)
- all mentioned in cover letter
NETWORKING LETTERS
- unless familiar with contact, word your correspondence in a businesslike manner
- state the name of the person who referred you
- make letter politely persuasive
- if met them, ask how they are and remind them about seeing them
THANK YOU LETTERS
- often appropriate or obligatory (correspondence doesn’t end with cover letters)
- acceptable to write thank you note on a generic blank note card but never a postcard
- keep letters short, proofread carefully, and send them promptly
Your Resume on the Internet by Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm
THE MYTH ABOUT THE INTERNET RESUME
+ one resume – several different formats
1) a designed or hard – copy version: ready to send to contacts via mail
-- bulleted lists, bold and italicized text, and other highlights
2) a scannable version – employers who use scanning systems
-- no bullets, bold, italics, or design highlights
3) a plain-text version – no frills plain text to copy and paste into online forms and online resume databases
4) an e-mail version – one formatted to meet the length-of-line restrictions found in most e-mail systems. Copy and paste into an e-mail message and forward to an employer or recruiter in seconds
+ may create HTML version of your resume
- many more job seekers doing that
- turn resumes in employment portfolio
- make sure to not violate copyright or confidentiality clauses
- post it separately from your website and do not link the two
RULES FOR RESPONDING ONLINE
1) Format your resume correctly for e-mail (copy and paste and send may screw formatting)
2) Send resume in body of e-mail message. Do not send as attachment unless specifically instructed by recipient. 20 seconds to catch their eye. Too late with attachment and may not bypass e-mail systems that refuse attachments.
3) Always include a cover letter. If responding to an advertisement: note where you found the advertisement and job codes
4) Use advertised job title or job code in the subject line of e-mail message: allows recipient to sort e-mails.
5) Read the application instructions included in the job announcement and follow them exactly. Jump through the hoops.
- Takes only a couple seconds to delete an e-mail message. Think and read then respond
E-RESUMES ARE NOT JUST FOR E-MAIL
1) easy to have typos if you type into the website
2) system does not allow career changers to build a function resume because everything is set in chronological order
3) Cannot save resume so you have to repeat the resume building effort
Careful where you put your private information: make sure it is protected.
PREPARING A PERFECT PLAIN-TEXT RESUME
Step 1: Check keywords – resume has all keywords that define job qualifications
Step 2: Save your resume as a Text Only document – allows adjustment of margins, works with other word processors
Step 3: Delete any page numbers: making resume appear as one continuous electronic document
Step 4: Use all CAPS for words that need special emphasis: text strips everything (bold, italics); use CAPS judiciously and sparingly
Step 5: Replace each bullet point with a standard keyboard signal: what we are currently doing
Step 6: Use straight quotes in place of curly quotes: don’t transfer either
Step 7: Rearrange text if necessary: line-by-line review to make sure it got transferred correctly
Step 8: Limit line lengths: limit each line to no more than sixty-five characters (including spaces)
Step 9: Save as text only with line breaks
Step 10: Copy the entire text in your ResTextBreak.txt document that you’ve opened in Notepad, and paste it in the body of the e-mail message
- Email to yourself and check format.
- Never use current office address, e-mail address, or phone number on resume. Employers say personal use of company time is stealing
WHERE, OH, WHERE SHOULD THAT RESUME GO?
- limit resume exposure by limiting your postings
1) post it only on one or two large online databases for maximum exposure
2) post it only on one or two targeted resume databases specific to your industry, occupational group, or geographic location
Don’t get responses within a month and a half, remove it from current location and place it elsewhere.
PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE
1) Does the site have a comprehensive privacy policy?
2) Do you have to register a profile or resume before you can search through the jobs?
3) Are most of the jobs posted by employers or by agencies acting on behalf of employers?
4) Can you set up one or more “e-mail agents” that will send matching jobs to you when you are not at the site?
5) Who has access to the database of resumes?
6) Can you limit access to your personal contact information?
7) Can you store more than one version of your resume so that you can customize it for different types of opportunities?
8) Will you be able to edit your resume once you have posted it?
9) Will you be able to delete your resume after you have found a job?
BEFORE YOU POST, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Consider:
1) Do you want your resume public?
2) Are you prepared for the consequences should an electronic resume come back to haunt you?
Put date of posting at the end of resume to avoid problems with employers
Cover letter similar to resume => marketing tool
FORMAT:
1) The Parts of a Letter
+ Two styles
- Personal style
- Business style (aka block style)
1.1) Return Address
- either left or centerline at top of paper
- avoid abbreviations
- include contact info on cover letter if gets separated from resume
1.2) Date
- two lines below return address
1.3) Inside Address
- four lines beneath the date
1.4) Salutation
- two lines beneath company’s address
- vary intro depending on familiarity
1.5) Length
- three or four short paragraphs on one page => ideal
1.6) Enclosure
- used primarily in formal or official correspondence
- not necessary in cover letter
2) Paper Size
- standard size (8.5’’ x 11’’) : any other size is awkward
3) Paper Color and Quality
- use matching paper and envelopes for both resume and cover letter
- regular white or ivory paper (plain)
4) Typing and Printing
- word processing program
- handwritten letters unacceptable
- do not photocopy one resume for everything else => will not be taken seriously
5) Envelope
- standard business-sized envelope that matches stationary
- type envelopes as well
- full name and title, specifically to contact person identified in cover letter
CONTENT:
1) Personalize Each Letter
- find the person who is interviewing
2) Mapping It Out
- overview of capabilities
- stress one or two capabilities
- intro and conclusion one sentence is fine
- make clear interest subject of company
2.1) First Paragraph
- state position applying for
2.2) Second Paragraph
- what I can offer you
2.3) Third Paragraph
- recommendations by other professionals and show how you exceed expectations
2.4) Fourth Paragraph
- look forward to hearing from them
- after one or two weeks, no phone call => a call is acceptable
2.5) Complimentary Close
- two lines beneath body of letter
- aligned with return address and date
- KISS (keep it simple stupid)
- sign letter above full name that appears in resume
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTERS
1) What Writing Style is Appropriate?
- polite, formal style balances confidence and respect for employer
- clear, objective, and persuasive
2) Tone: Reserved Confidence is Always in Style
- sound polite, confident, and professional
3) Emphasize Concrete Examples
- tangible relevant skills instead of personal attributes
4) Use Powerful Language
- action verbs
- simple language
- keep away from jargon or technical detail
5) Avoid Catchphrases
- explain how you are what you describe
6) Mention Personal Preferences?
- do not include asked salary unless prompted
- if prompted, say negotiable
- out of state, indicate willingness to relocate
7) Proof with Care
- Check for mistakes::other words => read your letter after printing
- Find mistakes and rewording => print again: paper is cheap
COVER LETTER BLUNDERS TO AVOID
1) Unrelated Career Goals
2) Comparisons and Clichés
- expressions detract from your letter’s purpose
3) Wasted Space
- Any unrelated information weakens your application
4) Form Letters
- Do not spam
- Write individual letters
5) Inappropriate Stationary
- graphics will NOT improve cover letter
6) “Amusing” Anecdotes
- don’t know how interview person will react to joke
7) Erroneous Company Information
- verify accuracy of company information
- if not do not say you are familiar with company’s products
8) Desperation
- sound determined, not desperate:: basically same thing as if you were trying to get a date
9) Personal Photos
- unless related, not applicable
10) Confessed Shortcomings
- do not show your weaknesses since employers will focus on that
11) Misrepresentation
- do not pad resume – may come back to haunt you
12) Demanding Statements
- cover letter => what you can do for them and not vice versa
13) Missing Resume
- create checklist of things to go in envelope before mailing
14) Personal Information
- don’t bother
- list interest and hobbies only if related
15) Choice of Pronouns
- use I and don’t refer to yourself like Julius Caesar…in the third person
16) Tone Trouble
- try to sound genuine and not stilted
- err on side of formality
- fine line to tread
17) Gimmicks
- the simplest answer is usually the easiest, and is usually wrong.
- don’t try anything novel…stick to tradition
18) Typographical Errors
- be consistent
- do not misspell
- double check materials and company it goes to to make sure it makes sense and you changed everything
19) Messy Corrections
- cover letter should contain all pertinent information
- retype and never add supplementary note handwritten
20) Omitted Signature
- use blue or black ink and sign your name
COVER LETTERS FOR SPECIAL SITUATIONS
+ Special Situations
- for lack of paid job experience
- out of workplace
- may have discrimination
- ex. College students
+ Emphasize strengths and marketability skills
+ Downplay weakness
RESPONSE TO A “BLIND” Advertisement
- tailor your letter to the information given
- define knowledge of industry, position, and qualifications (if mentioned)
COLD LETTERS
- directly contact potential employers without previous correspondence or a referral
- advertise availability to hiring managers and personnel department
BROADCAST LETTERS
- only applicable to seasoned executives
- tone reflects experience, knowledge, and confidence
+ people who are doing widespread job searches
- end up in human resource department instead of in the hand of a fellow executive
LETTER TO AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
- offers services primarily for clerical or support staff positions
+ letters addressed to them should:
- focus on who you are
- what type of position you are looking for
- what specific industry
- strongest skills related to the field
- mention personal preferences, including geographic and salary requirements
LETTER TO AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM
- alert an otherwise unknowing recruiter to your availability
- highlight your most impressive accomplishments and attributes
- briefly summarize all relevant experience
- preferences list (geographical location, travel, and salary)
- all mentioned in cover letter
NETWORKING LETTERS
- unless familiar with contact, word your correspondence in a businesslike manner
- state the name of the person who referred you
- make letter politely persuasive
- if met them, ask how they are and remind them about seeing them
THANK YOU LETTERS
- often appropriate or obligatory (correspondence doesn’t end with cover letters)
- acceptable to write thank you note on a generic blank note card but never a postcard
- keep letters short, proofread carefully, and send them promptly
Your Resume on the Internet by Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm
THE MYTH ABOUT THE INTERNET RESUME
+ one resume – several different formats
1) a designed or hard – copy version: ready to send to contacts via mail
-- bulleted lists, bold and italicized text, and other highlights
2) a scannable version – employers who use scanning systems
-- no bullets, bold, italics, or design highlights
3) a plain-text version – no frills plain text to copy and paste into online forms and online resume databases
4) an e-mail version – one formatted to meet the length-of-line restrictions found in most e-mail systems. Copy and paste into an e-mail message and forward to an employer or recruiter in seconds
+ may create HTML version of your resume
- many more job seekers doing that
- turn resumes in employment portfolio
- make sure to not violate copyright or confidentiality clauses
- post it separately from your website and do not link the two
RULES FOR RESPONDING ONLINE
1) Format your resume correctly for e-mail (copy and paste and send may screw formatting)
2) Send resume in body of e-mail message. Do not send as attachment unless specifically instructed by recipient. 20 seconds to catch their eye. Too late with attachment and may not bypass e-mail systems that refuse attachments.
3) Always include a cover letter. If responding to an advertisement: note where you found the advertisement and job codes
4) Use advertised job title or job code in the subject line of e-mail message: allows recipient to sort e-mails.
5) Read the application instructions included in the job announcement and follow them exactly. Jump through the hoops.
- Takes only a couple seconds to delete an e-mail message. Think and read then respond
E-RESUMES ARE NOT JUST FOR E-MAIL
1) easy to have typos if you type into the website
2) system does not allow career changers to build a function resume because everything is set in chronological order
3) Cannot save resume so you have to repeat the resume building effort
Careful where you put your private information: make sure it is protected.
PREPARING A PERFECT PLAIN-TEXT RESUME
Step 1: Check keywords – resume has all keywords that define job qualifications
Step 2: Save your resume as a Text Only document – allows adjustment of margins, works with other word processors
Step 3: Delete any page numbers: making resume appear as one continuous electronic document
Step 4: Use all CAPS for words that need special emphasis: text strips everything (bold, italics); use CAPS judiciously and sparingly
Step 5: Replace each bullet point with a standard keyboard signal: what we are currently doing
Step 6: Use straight quotes in place of curly quotes: don’t transfer either
Step 7: Rearrange text if necessary: line-by-line review to make sure it got transferred correctly
Step 8: Limit line lengths: limit each line to no more than sixty-five characters (including spaces)
Step 9: Save as text only with line breaks
Step 10: Copy the entire text in your ResTextBreak.txt document that you’ve opened in Notepad, and paste it in the body of the e-mail message
- Email to yourself and check format.
- Never use current office address, e-mail address, or phone number on resume. Employers say personal use of company time is stealing
WHERE, OH, WHERE SHOULD THAT RESUME GO?
- limit resume exposure by limiting your postings
1) post it only on one or two large online databases for maximum exposure
2) post it only on one or two targeted resume databases specific to your industry, occupational group, or geographic location
Don’t get responses within a month and a half, remove it from current location and place it elsewhere.
PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE
1) Does the site have a comprehensive privacy policy?
2) Do you have to register a profile or resume before you can search through the jobs?
3) Are most of the jobs posted by employers or by agencies acting on behalf of employers?
4) Can you set up one or more “e-mail agents” that will send matching jobs to you when you are not at the site?
5) Who has access to the database of resumes?
6) Can you limit access to your personal contact information?
7) Can you store more than one version of your resume so that you can customize it for different types of opportunities?
8) Will you be able to edit your resume once you have posted it?
9) Will you be able to delete your resume after you have found a job?
BEFORE YOU POST, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Consider:
1) Do you want your resume public?
2) Are you prepared for the consequences should an electronic resume come back to haunt you?
Put date of posting at the end of resume to avoid problems with employers
Monday, October 27, 2008
Resumes and other Written Materials for a Job Search part 1
Resumes and Other Written Materials for a Job Search
(1) No ONE way to write a resume or a cover letter
(a) Purpose of writing a resume and a cover letter is to get an interview
(b) Guides offer ADVICE
(c) Common sense be your guide as you write advertisements for yourself
(2) Managers agreed that:
(a) Looked at resumes and cover letters
(b) Sometimes scanned an applicant’s application materials
To determine as quickly as possible who to interview
Application Materials:
(1) Preparation and experience candidates had in the following skills and areas
(a) Written and oral communication skills
(b) Computer skills
(c) Interpersonal skills, as demonstrated by the ability to work as a member of a team
(d) Self-reliance and initiative, as demonstrated by the ability to work alone
(e) A sense of what the world of work demands in terms of professionalism and deadlines
(f) Specific skills in at least one business or technical area supplemented by secondary skills in a variety of related areas
(g) A sense of business and personal ethics
(h) The ability to manage time, set priorities, and work under stress
Writing Resumes and Letters in the Language of Employers
(1) Employers read with one though in mind: What can the candidates do for us?
(Why use a Resume?)
(2) Message of Resume: “I have something to offer you.”
(3) Marketing Rule: Don’t confuse customers by flaunting things that don’t speak to their needs.
(Giving your Message)
(4) Language
(a) Employers – “I need”
(b) You – “I want”
(5) Trying to get an interview is like school work (You have to do your research / study). Make sure you know what the industry you are going to needs and looks for. Try to get others in the same industry to review your resume and tell you what the industry needs.
(6) Old Message: How do you stand out? Why should I hire you?
(The Importance of Knowing what the Job is all About)
(7) A need for people to get things done (realistically)
(8) Teach me is a passive solution (and a problem) – the idea is “I want to contribute”
(Letters of Application)
(9) Good letters have this in common
(a) Looked like business letters. Paragraphing, neatness, and white 8 ½ in x 11 in stationary
(b) Succinct
(c) No misspellings or grammatical errors
Layout of a good Letter
Paragraph:
(1) First paragraph stated who the writer was and what he wanted
(2) 2 – 4 paragraphs explain why the writer wrote to the employer and mentioned areas of mutual interest, special talents that might be of interest to employers, or other factors relating to qualifications that could be better described in a letter than in a resume
(3) Final paragraph suggested a course of action
(Hard Work and Attention to Detail Make for a Good Letter)
(10) Print is letter quality
(11) Get someone to check for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors (like an English teacher)
(Don’t Delegate the Job of Letter Writing)
(12) The value of a resume is frequently more in its preparation than in its use.
(Resume Preparation)
(13) Make resume a testimony to your ability to organize your thoughts
(Nancy Jones – A Good Resume Made Better)
(14) Summary – Emphasize related subjects with double spacing while single spacing non impressive subjects or stuff you hope they will miss
(Janet Smith – The Proper Use of Headlines)
(15) Summary – What you did not where you did it
(Mark Meyers – The Functional Resume)
(16) Summary – Feature functions of the job he wanted and then describe things he had done that pertained to each area.
(Preparing a Resume for a Specific Job)
(17) Summary – Make resume appeal to each particular employer (and write courses and activities that pertain to the degree they want in hopes of them accepting it)
(Bruce Gregory Robertson – A Resume Reflecting an Active Mind and Body)
(Michelle Trio – The Curriculum Vitae)
(18) Latin for “course of life”
(The Job Objective)
(19) Summary - don’t state the objective – show it with your credentials ( Don’t agree)
(One Page or Two?)
(20) Summary – as long as you need to
(Additional Advice about Resumes)
(21) Show critics a resume without telling them it’s yours and ask:
(a) What qualifications does this person have?
(b) What do you see this person doing with these qualifications?
(c) What kind of an employer would want to hire this person?
(d) Does the resume project an image of a certain kind of person and what kind?
(22) In other words: “What message do you get about me?”
Notes:
(1) Do not pad your resume with false statements
(2) First Impression is Last Impression <= Saying
(3) Imagine trying to impress a girl / boy you really like. What would you do to get their attention?
(4) What is a secretarial manual?
(5) Anybody else find the final paragraph of the good letter a little too presumptious?
(1) No ONE way to write a resume or a cover letter
(a) Purpose of writing a resume and a cover letter is to get an interview
(b) Guides offer ADVICE
(c) Common sense be your guide as you write advertisements for yourself
(2) Managers agreed that:
(a) Looked at resumes and cover letters
(b) Sometimes scanned an applicant’s application materials
To determine as quickly as possible who to interview
Application Materials:
(1) Preparation and experience candidates had in the following skills and areas
(a) Written and oral communication skills
(b) Computer skills
(c) Interpersonal skills, as demonstrated by the ability to work as a member of a team
(d) Self-reliance and initiative, as demonstrated by the ability to work alone
(e) A sense of what the world of work demands in terms of professionalism and deadlines
(f) Specific skills in at least one business or technical area supplemented by secondary skills in a variety of related areas
(g) A sense of business and personal ethics
(h) The ability to manage time, set priorities, and work under stress
Writing Resumes and Letters in the Language of Employers
(1) Employers read with one though in mind: What can the candidates do for us?
(Why use a Resume?)
(2) Message of Resume: “I have something to offer you.”
(3) Marketing Rule: Don’t confuse customers by flaunting things that don’t speak to their needs.
(Giving your Message)
(4) Language
(a) Employers – “I need”
(b) You – “I want”
(5) Trying to get an interview is like school work (You have to do your research / study). Make sure you know what the industry you are going to needs and looks for. Try to get others in the same industry to review your resume and tell you what the industry needs.
(6) Old Message: How do you stand out? Why should I hire you?
(The Importance of Knowing what the Job is all About)
(7) A need for people to get things done (realistically)
(8) Teach me is a passive solution (and a problem) – the idea is “I want to contribute”
(Letters of Application)
(9) Good letters have this in common
(a) Looked like business letters. Paragraphing, neatness, and white 8 ½ in x 11 in stationary
(b) Succinct
(c) No misspellings or grammatical errors
Layout of a good Letter
Paragraph:
(1) First paragraph stated who the writer was and what he wanted
(2) 2 – 4 paragraphs explain why the writer wrote to the employer and mentioned areas of mutual interest, special talents that might be of interest to employers, or other factors relating to qualifications that could be better described in a letter than in a resume
(3) Final paragraph suggested a course of action
(Hard Work and Attention to Detail Make for a Good Letter)
(10) Print is letter quality
(11) Get someone to check for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors (like an English teacher)
(Don’t Delegate the Job of Letter Writing)
(12) The value of a resume is frequently more in its preparation than in its use.
(Resume Preparation)
(13) Make resume a testimony to your ability to organize your thoughts
(Nancy Jones – A Good Resume Made Better)
(14) Summary – Emphasize related subjects with double spacing while single spacing non impressive subjects or stuff you hope they will miss
(Janet Smith – The Proper Use of Headlines)
(15) Summary – What you did not where you did it
(Mark Meyers – The Functional Resume)
(16) Summary – Feature functions of the job he wanted and then describe things he had done that pertained to each area.
(Preparing a Resume for a Specific Job)
(17) Summary – Make resume appeal to each particular employer (and write courses and activities that pertain to the degree they want in hopes of them accepting it)
(Bruce Gregory Robertson – A Resume Reflecting an Active Mind and Body)
(Michelle Trio – The Curriculum Vitae)
(18) Latin for “course of life”
(The Job Objective)
(19) Summary - don’t state the objective – show it with your credentials ( Don’t agree)
(One Page or Two?)
(20) Summary – as long as you need to
(Additional Advice about Resumes)
(21) Show critics a resume without telling them it’s yours and ask:
(a) What qualifications does this person have?
(b) What do you see this person doing with these qualifications?
(c) What kind of an employer would want to hire this person?
(d) Does the resume project an image of a certain kind of person and what kind?
(22) In other words: “What message do you get about me?”
Notes:
(1) Do not pad your resume with false statements
(2) First Impression is Last Impression <= Saying
(3) Imagine trying to impress a girl / boy you really like. What would you do to get their attention?
(4) What is a secretarial manual?
(5) Anybody else find the final paragraph of the good letter a little too presumptious?
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