Writing Reference

I'm all for asking for reference letters when you're about to finish your contract. Getting a reference letter now rather than waiting until later has it's benefits. First, your boss will be more likely to remember details about your position. Second, your boss is still there. If she/he moves on, you could easily lose contact. Third, you're still working there and can remind your boss. Let's face it, our employers are busy and might forget.

However, if you've left a job and didn't get a recommendation letter, don't worry, it's not to late. You can still request one. You might have to remind your boss about details, such as when you worked there or what your responsibilities were.

Whether you're still working at the institute that you're requesting a reference letter or you have moved on, there are essential pieces of information that every reference letter should include. It might help you to give your boss the template below. Sometimes you may be asked to help your boss write your reference letter, this is especially common if English isn't their first language. Just follow the template below.

Asking for a reference letter Dear (Name)

My name is (name) and I worked at your institute (dates) as a (job title). I am currently applying for a position in/at (country or institute). In order to apply for this position I must submit reference letters and I would like to know if you would be able to write a reference letter for me. If possible, could you please include two copies- one for my application and one for my personal records. I understand that you are very busy and have included a template to help you. I greatly appreciate your help with my application. Thank you so much for your time to get this done quickly.

Sincerely, (Your name) (Your postal address so they can snail mail you the letter)

What a reference letter should contain This is the basic information that a good reference letter should contain. You might want to give this information to your boss to make sure that they include everything.

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. As well as teaching short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan.

She has created TEFL Tips which has information for teachers from writing a CV, to giving a demo lesson, learning the local language, teaching tips for the classroom and more.

Since living in Peru since August 2004, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List. With 80 pages it's a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.

Do you ever have any of these problems?

Have you ever started to write an essay and found that you were staring at a blank screen and a flashing cursor? Did you feel like you were starting from scratch?

Have you ever started writing an essay and found that you could not remember some of the information you read? Or tried to put a reference in and could not find the page number of the quotation you were using?

Is your research usually scattered all over the place, in the form of books, photocopied pages, bookmarked websites and some notes? Do you find it hard to create an essay out of disorganised research?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then learning how to create and use a research document can help! If you organise and record your research properly, you should never have any of these problems again.

How can you organise your research?

Your research should be organised so that the transition from doing your research to writing your essay is simple. The best way to do this is to organise your research so that it matches the organisation of the essay. In Step 2 of writing an academic essay, you would have written a rough essay plan before you began your research. This essay plan is the guide you need to use to organise your research.

Copy and paste this essay plan into a Word document. All your research for this essay will be recorded in this one document. Use each of the dot points from your essay plan (topics you are planning to discuss) as a heading in your research document. When you do your research, you will organise it in the order that the information will appear in your essay. Doing this means you will be organising your research by theme or topic, not by source.

This means that you will not simply record all the information from one source together and then go on to type up the information from your next source underneath it. If you do things that way, you would need to go back and re-organise your research later, into the correct order for your essay. That would be a waste of your time.

Why should you record your research (instead of just reading or taking a few notes)?

If you do not record your research properly, you can spend hours, days or weeks doing research, and then when you start to write your essay you will find that you have to go back and re-do things, like search for page numbers or correct quotations. You must record your research in a way that makes essay writing easier for you. It should be accurate, include all the information you need, and give you a chance to record your own ideas and thoughts on the material you are reading as you go along. Do not leave this until the end.

Instead of just taking notes when researching, a better and more efficient way to research is to critically arrange and organise material by typing out all the important information you find. You do not need to type out everything, just the critical, relevant and important information for your essay. Then you can add your own notes. (Make sure you use punctuation marks so you can see what is a quotation and what are your own words.)

There are a few important reasons for why it is better to type out sources word for word in your research rather than only take notes.

1. You do not have to remember everything you have written, all the important material is written down. 2. When you begin writing your essay you will have all information you need to make accurate direct quotations. 3. You will not make the mistake of writing something in your essay that you think you have thought of yourself, but is in fact something you are remembering from a book word-for-word. 4. You still have the opportunity to write your own notes about the sources as you go along, and develop your own ideas. But you will do this in a way that makes it clear what is from the book, and what are your own ideas.

How should you record your research?

You must record the following information from your sources:

1. Reference information about the source you are using 2. The subject or topic of each paragraph you type out (to help organise your ideas) 3. The exact wording of the source (using punctuation marks to show you are quoting) 4. The page number of the information you are typing up 5. Your own ideas and thoughts about the material you are reading

While you are doing all this, you can be working on your reference list at the same time. Each time you begin reading a source, type up all reference information into your reference list straight away. One good way of setting out your research is as follows:

The topic/subject of the paragraph 'The exact wording of the source/paragraph that you are typing up goes here, using punctuation marks so you can see that you are quoting' (Put the reference information here, the way you would in an in-text reference: Surname, Year, Page number). [Your notes and ideas go here. Your own words go in square brackets and do not have punctuation marks, so you can easily see what are your own words and what words come from the source.]

So for example:

The number of people killed during the Spanish Civil War 'The number of people killed during the Spanish Civil War is very difficult to ascertain. It was probably over one million people. Many people went "missing" and were never found' (Nash, 1989, p. 61). [This is very interesting information since it shows that the number of people killed could be much higher than was originally thought.]

How can you develop your essay plan while you are researching?

All the decisions about what will go into your essay and in what order are made at the research stage, not at the essay writing stage. This is a common mistake made by students who do not establish enough of a connection between the two stages.

At the beginning of your research, you started out with your rough essay plan as a basis for the headings in your research document. As you go along, you may add more headings or sub-headings to your research document. For example, you might find that there are three sub-topics under the first main topic that you wish to discuss, and so you will create sub-headings for them. The information under these sub-headings will eventually become paragraphs in your essay.

As you conduct your research, you must critically analyse the information that you find. Change your sections around in order of importance. Decide what information should be included and what should not. All these decisions should be made at the research stage, so that by the time you come to do your writing you know exactly what you will be writing about and in what order, down to each paragraph. You will have in front of you exactly what information needs to be used in each section and paragraph of your essay. This also means that you will never feel like you are starting from scratch or have nothing to go on when you begin writing your first draft.

Dr. Lisa Lines
Director and Head Editor
Elite Editing & Tutoring

Web: http://www.eliteediting.com.au and
Blog: http://www.eliteediting.blogspot.com

Our PhD qualified academic editors will professionally edit your essay, assignment, thesis or dissertation. We provide an online service for high school, college, university and postgraduate students worldwide. Our professional editors are waiting to help you improve your grades. Submit your document for editing today.

You have spent weeks writing your resume, you have dusted it off, you have finally perfected it to be the resume that you can be proud of and totally represents your best qualities. You pat yourself on the back, and start handing it out to the select companies you wish to be considered for. Everything is perfect, until you get that phone call from Joe... your best friend in high school, whom you have not seen for years, maybe decades, and he phones you to tell you, some guy, from some company, phoned him, asking if he could recommend you for a job position, and what he knew about you... and Joe... sounds totally confused! You gut lurches, because you spent so much time dusting off that old resume, making sure it was perfect, forgetting you still had your old references from years ago. You wonder what this guy has told this potential employer, and now you may have lost your credibility for that job. When writing a resume, remember, references are the final key for an employer. They have read your resume, and like what they read, and vision you working for their company, and what you will bring to the table in terms of experiences and education. Then they talk to Joe.... and its all over before it started. You may be lucky, and they try one of your other references, but chances are, if you have Joe... on there as the first reference, your second one is probably just as bad! Update your references, include only qualified people who know you and your work, and would highly recommend you. Ask them if you can use them for a reference, and make sure you keep up to date phone numbers for them, that way there are no surprise phone calls from the likes of Joe... that catch them off guard as they try to remember the guy they last saw at the college party!.

click here for tips on getting your resume noticed, make it stand out and get that job. Article and website by Diane Palmer

Most people don't give much thought about references until after a potential employer asks for them. After all, searching for a job is very time consuming and doesn't give you much of a chance to think about anything except getting interviews. But reference checks are a very important part of the job search process: both for job seekers and for employers. For employers, references are a chance to add depth to the information they have learned about you from the interview and from your resume.

At a minimum, your references should confirm the information the employer has about you and that you are a competent employee. However, you should strive to provide references who can be as enthusiastic about you and you would be about yourself. A great reference makes the hiring manager feel good about their decision to hire you and sets a positive tone for your first few days on the job. As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression and your references can help you do that.

Getting Your Ducks In a Row

It's a good idea to get a reference letter from your manager as soon after leaving a position as possible. Getting a reference letter right away makes it easier for your manager to recall specific contributions you made to the team. Even if you don't end up needing a reference right away, having the reference letter provides you with something to fall back on in the event you are unable to contact your former manager at a later time. Plus, if you decide to go back to the manager a year or more later to ask them to provide a phone reference, you can remind them about the reference letter they wrote for you.

Before asking someone to take the time to write a reference letter or provide a phone reference, it's a good idea to get a feel for what they would say about you. One way to do this is to say "Do you feel you know me well enough to write a good reference letter?" instead of just "Could you write a reference letter?" This way, if the person doesn't feel they could say something positive, they have an easy way to decline your request.

Employers who ask for references want to confirm dates of employment and position titles at a minimum. They will also try to find out if your former boss would rehire you given the opportunity. And many employers will ask the reference to grade your abilities in the specific areas that will apply to your new job. For example, if you're applying for a job as a manager, the employer may ask your reference to rate your managerial skills on a scale from 1 to 10. Having a sense of the types of questions employers are likely to ask your references, you should try to gauge the potential reference's response to these questions before deciding to let them vouch for you. For example, you could say "I'm curious - if you had the chance, would you hire me again to work for you?"

Using Non-Employer References

If you don't have a lot of good references from former employers, non-employer references can be helpful too. Generally, a potential employer will want at least two references from former employers. But if they require three references, you may be able to provide two from former employers and one from someone else. Professors, former co-workers and customers can all be good references if they know you well. If you have a choice between providing three lukewarm references from former employers or two lukewarm references from former employers plus one glowing reference from someone you didn't work for, the latter is probably the better choice. A survey done by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) found more than eight out of ten human resource professionals regularly check references, so don't count on an employer not contacting a lukewarm or bad reference.

Legal Issues

There are a lot of misconceptions about the legal issues surrounding reference checks. Some job seekers mistakenly believe that former employers can only provide dates of employment, position titles and salary history. Even though many companies have established regulations specifying that managers are only to confirm dates of employment, position and salary history, many managers are either unaware of these regulations or simply ignore them. Legally, an employer can provide as much information as they want about your tenure with their organization.

As long as a former employer does not knowingly provide false information in a reference check, it is fair game. An employer can legally say or write negative things about you if they are just opinions. For example, the employer could say "John was a horrible manager." What is not legal would be for an employer to knowingly provide false information. For example, if a former manager didn't like you, they could not say "John started a fire in our office building that caused thousands of dollars in damage" if it was not true. Regardless of the legal rules, you do not want your references to say bad things about you. There are companies that for a small fee will call your references and provide you with the results. If you suspect a reference you're using is saying unfavorable things, you may wish to consider using a reference checking firm. Alison & Taylor is one of the leading companies in this market. To find out more about them, visit this link:
http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/at.htm

Illinois May 30, 2004 -- Author of On The Net Resource Guide for Writers is offering publishers, editors, literary agents, and other writing related website owners the chance to become a part of the second edition of her writing reference book. Your listing in the book is free of charge, and it also helps the author add to her next edition. In addition, you will not only help the author and promote your website free to thousands, but you will also be helping writers find you.



The first edition of On The Net Resource Guide for Writers was published by Virtual Bookworm Publishing Inc. in 2002, and it was published under the name of Misti Jackson. The first edition is still in the markets today, and is still selling copies. Over 500 resources made up the first edition of this book, and the author hopes to make her next edition even bigger.



To find out more about On The Net Resource Guide for Writers, and also to submit your website for consideration into the second edition visit the author's website at http://www.mistijackson.bizhosting.com. If you have any questions about the book or wish to speak with the author directly before submitting your website you may contact her by postal mail, phone, fax, or email.



Newsletters, ezines, and websites are free to reprint this press release in their publication as long as it is reprinted exactly as it is here, and the author asks that if you reprint the press release in your newsletter, ezine, or on your website that you contact her and let her know where it has been reprinted.



Contact: Misti Sandefur

Author & Book Reviewer

Phone 618 672 4386

Fax 618 672 4386

RT 3 Box 255

Harrisburg, IL. 62946

msks04@shawneelink.net

If you are sending your CV to a perspective employer by post or
fax it is essential that you send with it a covering letter. You
need to use the covering letter to create a good impression so
that the employer or recruiter will want to read your CV. It
will have more impact if it is individually written in response
to a particular role or advertisement.

In the case of email applications it is acceptable to write a
brief paragraph of a few sentences explaining where you heard
about the role and why your qualifications and experience are a
perfect fit for the job. You should ensure the tone of the text
is formal as would be the case with a paper covering letter. It
is a mistake to be too informal as this can be seen as
unprofessional.

When making any sort of job application either Speculative,
where you are sending you CV to an employer/agency with no
specific vacancy in mind or, specific, where you are sending
your CV in response to an advertisement for a particular role,
the overall covering letter format is the same.

Here are the top ten rules to remember when writing a covering
letter. 1. The covering letter should consist of 1 page on plain
white A4 paper. 2. You should use a font that offers a clean and
clear appearance. Arial is best 3. Aim for a maximum of three
paragraphs. Remember simple is best 4. Use upbeat and positive
language and avoid exaggerated statements 5. Ensure there are no
spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes. 6. Always use black
ink. 7. Express yourself with confidence. 8. Where possible,
write to a named individual 9. Covering letters should be
tailored specifically for each application 10. Be concise and to
the point. Try to avoid repeating what's in your CV.

Covering letter format

Your contact details This should include your name, address,
telephone number and email address if you have one. Remember
make it easy for the employer to contact you.

Employer/agency details This should include whom the letter is
going to, company name and full address. If you know the name of
the person e.g. if it is mentioned in the advertisement then use
it. If no particular name was mentioned use a department title
e.g. Personnel manager or Managing director

Date You should use long date format in full e.g. 27th April
2006 and not 27/4/06

Salutation & Opening If you know the name use it e.g. Dear Mr
Smith. If you don't know, use Dear Sir/Madam. It is preferable
to use a name. The company's web site is often a good place to
search for the appropriate individual.

Letter title Centre and bold the text. This will enable the
addressee to know immediately that this is an application

Paragraph 1 - Why you are writing You want to try & get the
interest of the Employer. You should start the letter with the
reason for writing and indicate the position that you are
applying for along with how you heard of the vacancy. This is
also a good place to tell then why you are interested in the
position and convey a genuine interest in the company. The
company website will be a good source of background information.

Paragraph 2 - What you can offer them Here you describe briefly
why you think you should be considered for the role. You should
summarise relevant qualifications for the position along with
your experience and skills. Also give a brief example of one or
two jobs you have worked in that relate to the position. Try to
make sure that it is not just a list of what is in your CV but
is individualised to the job application.

Paragraph 3 - Summarise and next step Refer to your enclosed CV
and also ask for the interview. You may at this point suggest
that you will be making a follow up call. It is also important
that you thank the reader for their time and consideration and
tell them that you look forward to hearing from them.

Closing Use "Yours sincerely" if you are sending the letter to a
named person, otherwise use "Yours faithfully". Add a few blank
lines and finish with your name. The space between is used for
your signature once printed.

Finally you may want to add your telephone number and email
address beneath your name. Remember you want to make it easy for
them to contact you.



E & O E - Copyright 2005 CV
Writing

Writing-World.com's Guide to… Paying Markets for Fiction and Poetry - More Than 675 Publications That Pay for Your Work, by Moira Allen (book review)

Writing-World.com's Guide to Paying Markets for Fiction and Poetry by Moira Allen, is more than just a book of data for writer's submissions. The author includes only paying markets of periodicals (E-zines, magazines and a few newspapers). The author created a highly valuable section entitled "About this Guide", that explains what each section of details listed under the publications means. She even goes as far as describing the various rights that are often required by periodicals. I learned within the first 17 pages that I had been addressing envelopes incorrectly for international shipping by placing the country in mostly small caps beside the state or province. And what a surprise that was for me - I had no idea there was a protocol for shipping out-of-country! This important chapter also discusses common issues and problems with email and online submissions. Moira's discussion on literary magazines was also very informative and interesting.

Listing markets for short stories, poetry, fiction, fantasy, horror, Christian, adult and many other genres from romance to mystery - this book is sure to help authors market their books and freelance writers sell their articles. Author Moira Allen, goes a step farther and sub-groups markets into smaller categories, such as Children/Christian and Flash Fiction, to make the selection easier for writers.

Reference books like these tend to be dry and boring to read, but Moira's book is written personably - which is difficult to do when listing data. Each listing has numerous helpful tips and information including what kind of material the publication accepts submission for, what the publication's pay rate starts at, what rights are requested and contact information (including emails and website URLs).

This book has definitely found a spot on my writer's reference shelf in my office!

Publisher: Writing-World.com
Available at: http://www.writing-world.com/bookstore/index.shtml

We have all had a colleague, ex-employee, friend or relative ask us for a letter of recommendation or to be a reference in their job search. Most of the time, we are honestly thrilled to be asked and at other times we would rather not be included. Savvy recruiters who verify references daily are usually very good at reading between the lines and making a judgment about what you are trying to say or trying to avoid saying. Before you say "Yes" to the next request for a letter of recommendation or to be an employment reference here are 3 things you should think about.

1. How to say "No"!
Those of us who have actually hired others, know that a less than positive recommendation can cause just as much damage, if not more than not giving one at all. If you feel you should decline, you are obligated to do it early to give the candidate an opportunity to ask someone else. Of course by now every savvy job seeker knows that it is not in good taste to list someone as a reference unless you have cleared it with them first. Since not everyone is as aware of that as they should be, and new college grads can be at fault here, you might end up with the unexpected phone call one day. In this case, for the candidate's sake, it would be best if your day was going well since the potential employer might form a lasting impression based on your first reaction.

If you haven't known the job seeker long enough to be comfortable giving a reference, you should decline. You may or may not offer to assist them to find someone else more appropriate to be listed as their reference. A general rule of thumb is to have known someone for at least a year. Exceptions apply if you are asked by someone with whom you might have worked on a specific project or team for a limited time or if you might have taken a class with a college professor who can attest to your capacity or promise in a specific area.

Feel free to decline also if you don't know enough about the job, the career or the candidates' background to speak with confidence. Whatever you do, if the answer is "No", you must do it early.

2. How much time do you have?
Writing for fun and leisure is one thing; writing with a deadline is another. Be prepared to spend the time required to do it right! Do not be afraid to ask for help if time is limited. Being a reference for someone or writing a letter of recommendation is an important component in the successful job candidate's employment process. If you have made the commitment then be prepared to take the time to write a meaningful letter - one that the candidate could possibly keep as part of a career or job portfolio. I still have a letter of recommendation written by my first boss, twenty-five years ago. Feel free to use available on-line writing resources that can help with templates of recommendation letters and samples of recommendation letters, but be very careful not to copy generic formats that recruiters see everyday. One such on-line source with great tips for writing reference letters is www.jobweb.com.

3. How much do you really know the person asking for the letter of recommendation?
According to the Society of Human Resource Managers (www.shrm.org), over 53% of all job applicants lie to some extent on their resumes and more than 70% of all college students said they would lie in order to get a job. HireRight (www.hireright.com), the Irvine, California corporation that screens over 1 million resumes per year reports that 20 percent of candidates state fraudulent degrees on their resumes, 30 percent show altered employment dates, 40 percent make extravagant salary claims, 30 percent have inaccurate job descriptions, 25 percent list companies that no longer exist, and 27 percent give falsified references.

Keep in mind here that your recommendation letter is more than a cautious endorsement of a candidate. It's your testament to their work ethic, their honesty and their integrity. Of course employers understand that your letter of recommendation is solely based on your own experience of the candidate, but be sure to keep your own professional integrity in mind.

For the most part, being asked to write a letter of recommendation is an honor. It means that you may have impressed the candidate as someone whose words could have an influence on their future. Most of us remember having to ask others to attest to our strengths at some time or another and were grateful when they did. It's only right to pass that on, being ever mindful of the ramifications.

You want to get into the best schools, and pay for your education, but to do both you need references. You begin applying for schools and scholarships, until you realize that you need to get 3 reference letters for each scholarship or application. What next?
Finding Referees
In order to find referees, you need to determine how many references you need. Do you need 18 reference letters? Do you need 7 online forms filled out? Do you simply need the contact information for 3 references?
Once you have established how many references you will need, you can figure out how many people will meet that need. Often, to get 30 or more references, you will only need 3 or 4 people. Once your referee writes you the first letter, the hard work is done. It often doesn't take too long to have your references tailored for each application.
It is also important to establish what type of reference you need. Do you need to have all academic references from teachers and professors? Or can you have a few references from community sources? Take this into consideration when planning your references.
Asking for References
You now need to ask for references. When you ask for a reference, be specific. Say, "Will you please be my reference for my application to X college? I need you to fill in an electronic application by November 12th."
Ask someone that you trust to give you a good reference, and someone that will be organized enough to complete the package properly. You don't want your application to suffer because of another person's mistakes.
Reference Packages
Your referees are busy people. You need to make their lives easier by organizing as much of it as you can for them. You can do everything short of writing the letter itself.
If you want them to do more than one reference for you, make it easy on them by giving them a sheet of paper with the references you need by when. Make sure that each one is clearly labeled with specific instructions (for instance: you might need some in duplicate and some in triplicate). If your reference is submitting the letter themselves, then give them a stamped, addressed envelope. If your reference is returning the letter to you, make sure that you pick up the envelope when you say you will. Be sure to have them sign across the seal!
Your references want to write a good letter. Help them out by giving them a cheat sheet. On this sheet you should explain that you are jogging their memories. Write how long you have known them, what courses you have taken with them, and any accomplishments that you achieved with their help.
Include your resume or curriculum vitae in your reference package. You want to keep everyone up-to-date on your accomplishments. You should also include any essays that you had to write for your scholarship or university application. This means that your referees will be able to make direct mention of your future plans and how well-suited you are to the program.
Organizing your References
You need to keep master list of what applications are due when. You will want to have on this list who your references are for each subject. Check off each reference after you have received it or know that it has been sent.
Give your references time to write the letter. You don't want them to write a rushed letter. Give yourself time to finish the application. Letting them know early means that you can give them a deadline that is a few days before the actual deadline. This will ensure that all of your materials get where they need to be on time.
Thanking your References
Each person who writes you a reference should get a thank you card. This card will explain what you have chosen to do. Explain what school you are going to, what scholarships you have received, and acknowledge your referee's part in the process. Even if you did not get what you applied for, let your reference know. For extra-helpful references, you might even consider getting a box of chocolates or flowers.
Thanking your referees keeps them happy. If they are happy, then they will write you letters later when you need it. You never know when you will need another reference. And, who knows…one day you might be writing reference letters yourself!
Morgan James is the editor of The Guide to Student Loans. You can get more information on funding your education, and your options.
For more information on references for school or jobs, visit The Guide to Resumes.

The term Resonance, in the field of writing, is not commonly used in our everyday language; however, it is a very important component of writing and plays a major role in captivating an audience with a title whether in a novel, a book, or even a screenplay. Resonance in writing refers to something that is beyond the immediate visible meaning of words. Simply put, it is the effect that follows after reading the title and speculating what it will be about.

There are two types of Resonance when it comes to dealing with a title to attract a reading audience. These are:

1. Automatic Resonance - Automatic Resonance happens when you see or hear a title of a novel, book, or screenplay that stirs up some emotion or image that already exists in your own life experience. Automatic Resonance makes you feel that you know something about that topic and feel connected to the title automatically. You as the reader already have an idea of what to expect from a title like that along with emotions, images, and or memories to apply to that title. An example of Automatic Resonance is "Perfect Health" by Dr. Deepak Chopra.

2. Acquired Resonance - Acquired Resonance, on the other hand, happens after you've read the novel, book, or screenplay. You can be in for a real surprise when you find the title has absolutely nothing to do with what you already know. Everything is neutral until you've read that novel, book, or screenplay. An example of Acquired Resonance is "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

So which type of Resonance will you use when writing your next book, novel, or screenplay title? You, as the writer, have the power to help conjure up emotions, images, and/or memories with your title. But then, you also have the power to send a surprise with a twist for your reader.

Krystalina Soash is a freelance writer specializing in article writing. Her writing services include: proofreading, editing, and ghostwriting. You may visit her at http://writingforyounow.com

You have a business; you are new and want to build a client list. However, the public doesn't know much about you.



One of the best ways to build the relations, credibility and to help get people to know more about you and your area of expertise is to write articles. People are always looking for good articles for their websites, blogs and newsletters. The important words here are good and content.



Good articles are content rich. The help the reader understand that which you are writing about. It gives them insight, whether it is about Business, Communication, Health or any number of subjects.

When you provide an article for your reader, whether you wrote it or published it, you are doing your clients a service by educating them in the areas that they wish to learn. Moreover, your credibility can be built or diminished by the article.

Articles also help to keep your website updated and helped to increase your search engine ratings.

Stagnate websites that never change, get a much lower rating with Google. As well, do not encourage your audience to come back. They are thinking, ok, I saw it.



A summary of the benefits are:



For the author, they:



Increased Exposure

Give Credibility (You show your expertise)

Develop Relations (People get to know you better)

Create links to your site

Give you free Publicity



For the Publisher or Website Owner, it provides:



Content

Related Articles that you donย't have to write

Reference and information that you donย't have to write

A vast resource of free information





However, it is important to remember that there can be a downside. Of which you can avoid, once you understand what it is.



There is nothing worse than reading an article that is nothing more than a sales letter, a news release or an inflated glorified piece on how wonderful you are. You need to give the public something that they can use.

Then they are much more likely to follow your link in your resource box, back to your site to find out more about you.



Remember, that in each article, you are communication something about you. You want the message that be one that encourages people to want to get to know you better, to learn more about you know and to become one of your clients or subscribers.



In your resource box, make sure you are clear, stating who you are and where they can find out more about you.

Most article directories and magazines have set limits on the size and amount of information you can place so it is important to ensure it is accurate and inviting. You are not writing articles just for praise and admiration. You do have a business to run and bills to pay. Even if you are a millionaire and want to write just for the shear joy of it and love to teach for free, your resource box is still important, as you would want the readers to know that the information came from a credible source.



So go ahead and get started. Don't stop at one article, it can easily become buried.. Make it a habit and write them regularly whether it is once a week or once a month. And remember, have fun doing them.



"To Master Communication

is to Master Wealth"

It is important to remember that a CV is essentially a marketing document for use in a very competitive field. It needs to be written in a format which will be pleasing to the eye and impart information in a very clear and concise way.

When you use for CV in support of your application for a job it will probably arrive along with a number of others. The person reading it will only allow a very short time for an initial appraisal of each candidate. Even though you may be the ideal candidate, you will have lost your opportunity to prove it if the first impression of your CV is not pleasing to the reader.

It is a sad fact that the prospective employer is not actually interested in you as a person, only in what you can bring to the organisation. This means that although it is a very common mistake, it is a really bad idea to include too much detail.

The trick in writing a CV is to identify your target market and then demonstrate that you have the skills and competencies that the prospective employer is looking for. This needs to be done in a clear, easy to understand format.

The best thing to do is to lead with a profile which should be your introduction. It should explain who you are and what you have to offer, the rest of the CV then demonstrates the claims you make in the profile. This profile is usually followed by bulleted list showing either transferable skills and competencies, or achievements. This means that the reader is off to a flying start in identifying you as the ideal candidate for the job on offer.

Avoid the temptation to describe yourself in glowing terms with the use of superlatives, such as 'excellent'. It is unlikely that a prospective employer will take your word for such claims. What you need to do is to ensure that the claims you make are demonstrable and focused upon your actual skills and achievements.

As you progress in your career so your educational qualifications will become less important and you should be careful how you prioritise this information. Certainly after you have been in employment for a while you don't need to include a long list of GCSE passes. Frequently it is better to simply include vocational training and qualifications in a section after the career history.

There is no doubt that bulleted lists are the very best way of organising information. However, you should try to remember that you are trying to get an important message across. Bullet points are not just there as paragraph dividers. Where possible each point should be on one line and there should never be more than seven points. This will ensure that you capture and retain the reader's attention, otherwise they may well simply skim over the detail and not understand what you are trying to say.

Finally a word about references. All that is needed here is to say 'available upon request'. It is considered to be very bad form to give details of names and addresses. This is also a good way of monitoring progress, if you receive a request to furnish details of your references then you know you are at least being considered for the position on offer.

Peter from CV Writing Services

Did you ever hear of the "golden rule?" The golden rule states to "treat others as you would want to be treated." This is great advice for anyone who is about to travel, especially if you're visiting a foreign country.

Most travel writers are probably unaware of the "golden rules of travel writing." Whether you're an aspiring or experienced travel writer, it's good to know and review the golden rules of travel writing. These rules can help you stay on track with your writing. Refer to them at anytime if you're stuck or need inspiration.

Golden Rules


Travel as much as you can. It's not necessary for you to travel around the world. Travel within your own backyard and discover something new and then write about it. Your discoveries will be interesting to someone, somewhere.
Write every day. Even if you write for an hour each day, the point is to write! This is a great way to improve upon your travel writing skills.
Read publications such as National Geographic and Travel + Leisure Magazine. If you have a plan to reach a goal of writing for one of these publications then start by reading them. This is a great way to learn what types of articles are printed. Pay attention to the style and tone of each article.
Take a travel writing course or two. It will not hurt you to sign up for a travel writing course.
Join a writing group. You can join writing groups online or where you live. Visit Meetup.com and see what's available. Make sure to check out your local bookstore because they usually have book clubs and writing groups.
Purchase a couple of travel writing books. L. Peat O'Neil's book See the World, Sell a Story is a fantastic book. It's packed with useful information and you'll find great resources at the end.
Do not give up! Sometimes success takes time. Avoid giving up too soon before your dream is realized. Go with the flow and detach from your dream. This may sound contradictory from what you're used to doing. If you hold onto something and try to force it to happen, you can sabotage your dream. Take a step back, breathe deep, and just write. Visualize yourself being a travel writer but do not become obsessed with it. If you do, you" put out an energy that reeks of desperation. You'll create situations where you find yourself feeling desperate all of the time. This will only hinder your chances of being successful in travel writing.
Follow these golden rules and your travel writing will be good as gold! Refer back to them as often as you need to do so. It's important to nurture your travel writing and yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey you take to get there.

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

When I wrote my first personal reference letter of recommendation I didn't know where to start.It was pretty challenging...and now that I'm older you'd think writing reference letters comes easier. Well, it does - sometimes.

Other times my computer screen is the equivalent of a gigantic blank page that gets bigger as the minutes go by.And when I'm in my worst state of "I don't know what to write" frame of mind minutes seem like hours.Now, I'm not talking about writing a 1500 word article or anything daunting like that, but a simple 3 - 4 paragraph letter.

I've discovered that no matter how much I improve as a writer, there are times when I struggle to write even simple things when I can't give it 100% of my attention, which seems to be pretty often these days.So, to compensate I collect letters, flyers, newspaper inserts, magazine articles, etc and put them in what I call a "swap file"- physical paper as well as e-documents that I store in my computer.

And when I start writing something from scratch I'll pull them out and scan the headlines and content for to trigger new ideas. This process works well for me and sometimes I amaze myself. For example, I recently leafed through some flyers about healthcare and an article about resume writing and ended up writing a dynamite personal recommendation letter for a friend.

What does creativity have to do with reference letters?Everything!I don't know about you but the last thing I want to do is give a boring letter of recommendation to a friend who's competing with scores of others for a few job openings. If I did that I they'd be better off without my letter.

Another thing that I do to improve my letter writing skills is gather and collect writing tools, templates and forms. In total, they inspire and help me save lots of time while achieving outstanding results.

So, if you need to write a reference letter for a friend do them a favor...write something interesting that can help them distinguish themselves from people they may find themselves competing against.The alternative is to not write anything at all, but what kind of friend would you be if you did that?

Visit By The Letter to discover how to write a sizzling Personal Reference Letter of Recommendation.

Your reason for using Letter Samples for Character References comes down to this... to make things easier for yourself. Not only will you shave hours off of trying to come up with solid well written letters, but you'll also be able to give the reference seekers letters that they can be proud of.

One sample letter can be the difference between finding the right words for the right situations and being frustrated out of your mind, getting a job or not and writing letters quick and effortlessly or toiling endless hours and still not being able to come up with a satisfactory letter.

Ultimately there comes a time when writing character reference letters where you have to seek any help you can get. Family and friends look up to you and place a lot of importance on a reference letter from you. Of course you can't let them down, but because you're not in the habit of writing reference letters you struggle to write letters that they deserve.

So, what can you do? Well, it happens to be the point of this article...one of the easiest things you can do is use sample character reference letters as templates for writing your own.

In many instances all you have to do is a little bit of editing; add or replace your name, insert the reference seeker's name, personalize it with a specific example or two unique to them and you're done.

Does this sound simple? It is. Sample reference letters makes it quick and easy to create interesting and compelling reference letters without stressing over the right words.

Writing good, compelling letters is hard work and takes up a lot of time, but if you're anything like me you barely have enough time in the day to take care of the things that you need to do for yourself.

However, when you start with character reference letter samples not only will you shave hours off of trying to come up with solid letters, you'll also feel good about the quality of the letter you give the reference letter seekers - letters that they'll be proud of.

So, we've come full circle and are right back where we started. When writing reference and recommendation letters you want to make things easier for yourself - and starting with letter samples for character references can help you do just that! Now, you too can write attention getting character reference letters with ease.

Want to learn more about how letter samples for character references can make your reference letter writing needs easier? Then click http://www.by-the-letter.com/letter-samples-for-character-references.html right now for more information.

Copyright ฉ Shaun R. Fawcett

In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don'ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of reference. These are usually more "situational" than "how-to" in nature.

These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That's because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of reference in their various forms (i.e. reference letters, character reference letters, employment reference letters, college reference letters, and general reference letters).

Write It Only If You Want To
If you are asked by someone to write a reference letter about them, you don't have to say "yes" automatically. If it's someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying "yes" and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don't get sucked into writing a reference inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front
On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a reference letter for them, and you know you'll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say "no" right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be "yes".

A gentle but firm "no" will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don't think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Someone Else
If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting reference letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn't like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It As You See It
Writing a less than honest letter of reference does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing reference letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don't over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best
An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of reference. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody's perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

Bottom Line:
The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of reference.

It's an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don't agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.

No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.

Chinese characters seem the most difficult part for foreign friends to learn the Chinese language. In my opinion, the main reason for that may be Chinese characters look very different from their quarter parts in the Roman languages: each character represents not only the pronunciation, but a certain meaning. Many a complaint comes from that Chinese characters are so unlike each other that you have to learn them one by one, and there are so many to memory, and that when encountering a new character, the previous knowledge of other ones helps little, you can neither pronounce it directly nor guess what it means. Actually, there really are some connections between Chinese characters, all composed in a defined way. You are unable to discover that probably because the numbers of the characters you know are too limited, or you didn't learn them in the Chinese perspective.
Chinese characters are the writing system to record the Chinese language. With a history as long as 8,000 years at least, it's perhaps the oldest surviving writing system in the world. An old Chinese legend said that Chinese characters were invented by Cangjie, a historian official under the legendary emperor, Huangdi in 2600 BC. Obviously, the fable cannot possibly be true, for the creation of a great writing system made of so many characters are such a huge project, too huge to be one single person's accomplishment. But perhaps Cangjie really made some contributions in the existing Chinese writing system: instead of the inventor, he might be a collector and collator of scattered Chinese characters in ancient China. Thanks to many a contributor like Cangjie and the common people using and spreading characters, a complete well-developed writing system had finally come to birth. The indisputably evidence is Chinese character inscriptions found on turtle shells dating back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1123 BC), formally called Oracle bone script. Of the 4,600 known Oracle bone logographs, about 1,000 can be identified with later Chinese characters, and the other unidentifiable ones are mostly the names of people, places or clans.
In view of formation, written Chinese is a script of ideograms. Xu Shen, in the Eastern Han Dynasty (121 AD), was a distinguished scholar who had attained unparalleled fame for his etymological dictionary entitled Shuo Wen Jie Zi, whose literal meaning is "explaining written language and parsing words". In Shuo wen, Chinese characters are classified into six categories, namely pictogram, ideograph, logical aggregates, pictophonetic compounds, borrowing and associate transformation. However, the last twos are often omitted, for the characters of these categories have been created before but somehow borrowed to represent another meaning, or detached into separate words. Generally, Chinese characters fall into four categories in view of their origin.
Pictograms (Xiang4 xing2 zi4)
Pictograms are the earliest characters to create, and they usually reflect the shape of physical objects. Examples include the sun, the moon, a woman, fire. From this picture-drawing method, the other character forming principles were subsequently developed. Over a long history, pictograms have evolved from irregular drawing into a definite form, most simplified by losing certain strokes to make ease of writing. Therefore, to see the actual picture of what it represents, you must have a lot of imagination as well as knowledge of the origin of the character and its evolution. However, only a very small portion of Chinese characters falls into this category, not more than 5 percent.
Ideograph (Zhi3 shi4 zi4)
Also called a simple indicative, Ideograph usually describes an abstract concept. It's a combination of indicators, or adds an indicator to a pictograph. For example, a short horizontal bar on top of a circular arc represents an idea of up or on top of. Another example: placing an indicative horizontal bar at the lower part of a pictogram for wood, makes an ideograph for "root". Like pictograms, the number of this category is also small, less than 2 percent.
Logical aggregates (Hui4 yi4 zi1)
It is a combination of pictograms to represent a meaning, rather like telling a little story. A pictograph for person on the left with a pictogram for wood on the right makes a aggregate for "rest". This story-telling formation is relatively easier to learn, yet most of aggregates have been reformed into phonetic compounds, or just replaced by them.
Pictophonetic compounds (Xing2 sheng1 zi4)
Also called semantic-phonetic compounds, just as the name implies, it combines a semantic element with a phonetic element, taking the meaning from one and the phonetics from the other. For instance, the character for ocean with a pronunciation of yang2 is a combination of a semantic classifier which means "water" with the phonetic component yang2, referring to goat or sheep on its own. This last group of characters is the largest in modern Chinese, making up around 90% of all Chinese characters. The superiority of phonetic-compounds over the first three categories lies in its unique phonetic components, for many an object and concept are hard to express through photographs or ideograms, and its association with the character pronunciation helps Chinese vocabulary extends much faster than logical aggregates. Therefore, most newly created characters take this more scientific formation approach.
However, over the centuries evolution, the Chinese language has undertaken such a great change, that most pictophonetic compounds don't pronounce as its phonetic elements any longer, and the semantic components appear even not relevant to its current meaning. Only when knowing the origin and evolution of the character, you can understand its formation. For example, the phonetic-compound for cargo or goods takes the character for shell as the semantic element, and that's because shells used to be a medium of exchange in ancient China, like the currency.
I do hope the above information can be of some help in your study of Chinese characters. Please tell me what you think about it, so I could be a better help in the future writing. Thank you!
Lily Chao is the author of EaseChinese.com at http://www.easechinese.com, a website providing a collection of reviews and recommendations of Chinese language learning resources, and more. She is also a would-be TCSL (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language) teacher, living and studying in Beijing, China.

The Japanese language is so fascinating. The tonal qualities of the language is quite unique and the inherent politeness of the Japanese people is translated well into its language which is in turns elegant and stylish and drips with respect.



Japanese writing is also a very elegant script and it has evolved from its original Chinese script beginnings to become something that is intrinsically Japanese. There are actually different types or ways of writing Japanese characters and it has been a source of confusion for people who are not familiar with Japanese culture or for students of Japanese culture who have not yet fully researched the intricacies of the Japanese written language.



The three ways of writing Japanese characters are Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana, with another version called Romaji being used for special purposed.



Kanji



The word kanji is a Japanese derivative of the Chinese word hanzi, which translates to "Han characters". The word Han pertains to the Han Dynasty and is also the name that the Chinese use to refer to themselves.



Using Kanji would mean employing between 5000 to 10000 Chinese characters. This meant that writing in this form was very difficult. In 1981, the Japanese government, as a measure to simplify how Japanese is written and read, intrduced the j?y? kanji hy? or List of Chinese Characters for General Use. The list includes 1945 regular characters and 166 special characters that has a use only for writing people's names. All official documents, as well as newspapers, textbooks as well as other publications only use this form.



Hiragana



Chinese characters are considered as the source for Hiragana syllables. Hiragana - which means "ordinary syllabic script" -- was referred to originally as onnade or "women's hand" because women used this form the most. Men are known to write in Kanji and Katakana. But usage of Hiragana evolved through the centuries, and by the 10th century, it was being used by both men and women.



The earliest versions of hiragana had diverse characters that represent the same syllable. The whole system was simplified however in order to make it easier to use by establishing a one to one correspondence between the written and spoken syllables.



Katakana



The Katakana "alphabets" have a very storied history. It was taken from abbreviated Chinese characters that were used by Buddhist monks. They used Katakana in order to illustrate the correct pronunciations of Chinese text back in the 9th century. Initially, there were so many different symbols used just to represent one syllable that it became quite confusing. But through time, it became more streamlined. Katakana was initially thought of as "men's writing" but over the centuries it has been used to write onomatopoeic words, foreign names, telegrams, and non-Chinese loan words. Katakana contains about 48 syllables.



There is also another script used in the Japanese language called Romaji. It is basically used to write the Latin alphabet into Japanese characters, especially for English or Latin alphabet-spelled words that do not have a direct Japanese translation.

If you've been asked to write a reference letter for a friend, a former employee or even a student, you'll find there are good sample reference letters to follow and some really bad ones, too. The best sample reference letters follow some basic points that can make it very easy to draft a letter for a person you feel is worthy.

Before agreeing to write a reference letter for someone, remember, if you don't feel comfortable in writing the letter don't. If you have reservations about the person's abilities or skills, that will come through in your writing. In essence, this means your letter could actually do them more harm than good.

If you have decided to write a letter, however, follow the basics of a good sample reference letter can really help you through the process. Based on some of the best sample reference letters, a good draft will include:

• Your qualifications to be writing the reference letter. No good sample reference letter will allow you to get away from doing this. You need to explain your connection to the person, your personal background, and how long you've know the person you're writing the reference letter before. If you're a friend, say so. If you're a friend who happens to be a doctor or a judge or even a teacher, say that, too!
• Your impressions of the person. Be specific about the person's strengths and weaknesses they've maybe managed to overcome. Give details about how their strengths have helped you, them or even your company. The more descriptive you can be in your reference letter, the better.
• Reasons why you feel the person would be an asset to the company. All good sample reference letters explain these. It could be you feel the person is a real go-getter who is willing to learn anything he or she doesn't know. Or, maybe the person is highly qualified and has a drive to succeed that's second to none. Just make sure your reference letter explains the whys.
• Good sample reference letters will also ask you to extend yourself for further discussion about the person in question. This means giving your telephone number or e-mail address. If you really feel the person is worthy of your time, make sure you're available to answer questions a potential employer might have.

Writing a reference letter for a friend, employee or student can be a daunting task. You want the letter to help them in their pursuits, but you don't want it to sound so gushy that it appears as if they've paid you to write it. Take your time, review sample reference letters and make sure your letter is balanced and fair.

If you have any questions or concerns about the reference letter you've drafted, ask co-workers or friends to give the draft a once over. There might be things about the person you've overlooked that they can point out, too. A second set of eyes on a reference letter can really help, especially if the eyes belong to a person who knows the job candidate, as well.

In order to learn how to set up the format for a reference letter in the litigious culture of today, many important factors must be taken into consideration. If you approach it from the stand point that anything you write may end up in a court of law, you will write an excellent sample reference letter.

You have been asked to write a letter of reference letter for an employee. This person values your opinion, and you are glad to be of help. The problem is you are unsure how to go about writing a reference letter.

Reference letters are generally written for prospective employers, scholarship applications, and character reference. An effective reference letter will contain the following:

1. You must know enough about the person and their skills, abilities, and their character to write clearly and truthfully.

2. You should know whether your organization allows you to write a letter of reference. Some do not!

3. State your title, position, and any other pertinent information.

4. State the title of the person, position, primary responsibilities and professional associations. Also include dates of employment.

5. Use a business like but courteous and warm tone.

6. Do not make vague statements like such as he was respected among his coworkers. But rather say that James led the way in increasing production by 20% over the last year.

7. Describe certain instances where James really shined. You could mention that he stayed late to complete a critical project. Also that he worked diligently to help a customer make a product decision.

8. Say how James is a keen observer and that he knows how to make customers eventually buy. He stays with them every step of the way if they have questions. As you write, give a true, in depth knowledge of the type of person James is.

9. When completed, print five of these sample reference letters on company stationery and give them to James. This gives him additional letters for any other positions that he may apply for in the future. It saves you from having to write them again.

10. If you know it, put the address of the company to whom the letter is being sent, as well as the name of the person who will be collecting these reference letters. A personalized greeting is far better than a general To Whom It May Concern salutation.

11. Leave the address area blank in the other four copies, so that the employee can use them for other job opportunities that may arise.

If you are stuck on what to write, ask James to write a letter about himself in his own words. Use this letter to jog your memory or to give you starters if you get stuck. This is a great time saver if you are struggling to put the right words on paper.

Make sure the reference letter shows James how much you value him. It will help him feel more confident when he moves on to the next level.

Have you ever experienced writing a letter of reference and not knowing what to write? Has anyone approached you requesting a letter of reference and you felt you had to say no? Have you ever wondered how to write a letter of reference?

This letter is generally meant to help someone obtain employment. They are also used when applying for college. There are employers who would require this letter from their employees and regard this letter as a character reference. Often, the purpose for which a letter of reference is intended is huge. This is why it is important to learn how to write a letter of reference especially if you seem to have a lot of people requesting this letter from you.

In almost all cases, only people who know you will request this letter from you. You need not wonder how to write a letter of reference. It's easy but it's easier to write a letter if you are at least familiar with the person; otherwise, you wouldn't even know where you would begin. It is advisable to decline the request and promptly suggest that the person seek for it elsewhere. It is also not advisable to write a recommendation letter if you don't feel like creating one for a particular individual, although you may know of him or her. This kind of letter only works well if you know you can actually recommend the person.

Learning how to write a letter of reference is not that difficult. It doesn't even have to be wordy or long. You only need to explain how the person is related or known to you. Is he your neighbor? Is he a co-worker or a business acquaintance? Is he your student? You also need to put down how long you have known the person. This would determine how well you know the person. A letter of recommendation for someone you have known only known for two days is not really credible.

Aside from mentioning the length of time you have known the person, you also need to mention your shared experiences with the person if there are any. This would give the recipient of the letter a clue as to how trustworthy your claims and recommendations are.

Many people do not know how to write a letter of reference because they do not simply know what to say. Basically, you need to mention of three traits that the person requesting the letter possesses. Is the person honest? Is he dependable? Is he the kind of person that you would want to have on your team? What are his skills?

You need to carefully think of the things you have to say before you actually start writing the letter. Make a draft if necessary. Add an anecdote if you feel like it would help. Just make sure that the person will stand out.

Once you have learned how to write a letter of reference, you wouldn't have difficulty phrasing the words and sentences that will help the person achieve the purpose for which your letter is intended.

Without a doubt teaching jobs can be quite difficult to secure these days. Just go to any popular teaching forum or teacher discussion board and look at all the posts from teachers who are desperately trying to land a good teaching position.

Due to the fact that teaching jobs are so difficult to secure, teachers must do everything they can to stand out form the crowd.

One of the most important aspects of getting a teaching job is your teacher resume. What makes the teacher resume so important is that it is the first, and often times the only thing an administrator or teacher interview committee will see or hear about you. As the old saying goes...you only get one chance to make a first impression...

Therefore, you need to use your resume to make that first impression.

There are many features that make up a quality teacher resume, but this article is about one specific part of that resume...the references. Remember, just like anything else, a person is most likely going to remember the first and last thing they hear/see/read etc. The same holds true for your resume...to stand out you must open with a bang and close with a bang. Unfortunately, this is where many people miss the mark.

At the end of every resume is where the applicant should list their references. However, I am shocked at how many people still simply write "references available upon request". This is a huge mistake. Why make it difficult for your potential employer to seek out your references? Are you trying to hide something? Because that is exactly what "references available upon request" indicates.

What you should do instead is make sure you list your specific references at the bottom and make sure to provide their title/position, telephone number, and email address. Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for the interview committee to contact your references.

Another mistake people make is not listing enough references. All too often people will list only three references. Any qualified teacher should be able to get many, many references. Now, while you will not need to list them all, by listing 5-10 of them you are separating yourself from all the other teachers who only listed three, or worse, stated "references available upon request".

The bottom line is that you want your resume to say loud and clear "Go ahead, check my references...I encourage you do so!"

Again, your references are the last thing the reader will see when reading your resume. By ending with several references that are easy to contact, you are ending with a bang that will make your teacher resume stand out amongst all the others.

I have always enjoyed writing. Sometimes it's a problem for me to just sit down and write something. There are days when I choose "procrastination" over "proactive". Putting things off is common with everyone. I am very gifted in this area. ;)

Here are 4 areas to focus on to jumpstart your next writing session.

* Concentration

* Preparation

* The First Word

* Use your notebook

Concentration:

There are way too many distractions. Cell phones ringing, blaring car alarms and unexpected visitors are just a few things that can disrupt your concentration. It then becomes easier to justify not writing today.

The best thing to do to encourage creative writing is to make it a ritual. Find a nice spot to write, maybe, in a quiet room in your home where you will be left undisturbed for a period of time. Set a time to work; a scheduled time to write. Stick to it.

Keep reference books and materials close to hand.

Focus on one idea at a time.

View your next writing session as an opportunity; an opportunity to do something you enjoy. It can be fun. And when you are having fun nobody ever has to tell you to concentrate!

Preparation:

Once you have your topic: Google it. Read everything you can online and offline related to your idea. Search the net for testimonials, reviews and articles about your topic. Brainstorm related sub-topics.

Give it a rest. Let your subconscious mind percolate and play with the information you provided. Get some exercise. Some of my best ideas come to me while I am out walking around in the evening.

Getting Started: Where to begin? That blank page staring back can be intimidating.

Just dive right in there!

Type the word "The."

Type the next word (the first thing that pops into your mind) and the next word.

At this point, quality is not important. You just want to create a "flow" where the words come easily.

Don't stop to edit. Save all your corrections for the second draft. Resist the impulse to rewrite. That will only interrupt the flow and is another way to avoid the task at hand.

If you are like me you will have a 2nd, third and fourth draft. You have to get your first draft completed before your have anything to rewrite! Stay focused.

Carry a Notebook:

As a creative writer, you will be "hit" by odd ideas and notions in the oddest of places.

Maybe you are stuck in traffic or brushing your teeth when inspiration strikes.

You could wake from a dream and have a killer idea.

" I'll remember that." We say to ourselves, but when next we write there is no access to that memory file.

Just use a notebook. Jot those things down as they come to you. It only takes a moment.

Capture all your of your ideas as they transpire. Who knows? One of them may be the "Next Big Thing!"

After a successful job interview, the next thing that will probably happen before your employer fully decides to hire you is an employment reference check. People tend to think of such job reference checks as afterthoughts instead of the very important factors they are in a job application. Having the right job reference can make all the difference between you getting a job and someone else getting that job. For employers, getting value for their money is an important issue and they want to be sure that the person they are hiring is as good as they claim to be on their application.

These important tips should assist you when you are providing job references to a potential employer:

Sometimes You Don't Need a Reference Letter

Especially if it is an informal letter, potential employers aren't interested in your past and such letters do not have genuine credibility as they can be written by anyone. What employers need is a live and talking witness who can attest to your personality and whether you are suitable for the job you are seeking out, and they would preferably like someone they could easily reach on the phone.

Write References on a Separate Sheet

You should write your references on a separate sheet and not on your main resume. Only provide references when they are asked for, and you should have at least five references that can be easily contacted by the employer if needed. Sometimes when references aren't asked for in your application you may add the line "references available upon request" so that they know you have a list of potential references on standby.

Choose References Wisely

Don't choose someone as a reference simply because their title and job description looks good on paper, and don't choose someone because they are a friend. The best people to have as references are former superiors who were responsible for your supervision and whom you reported to. These references will be quite aware of your strengths and weaknesses in order to highlight why you would be the best possible choice for the job as far as your employers are concerned. However, if you are fresh out of college, getting up to five references in terms of work may be a serious problem so you can go ahead and contact co-students, your professors in college or other acquaintances you may have met by virtue of your brief work experience.

Get Approval First

You don't simply go and list someone as a reference without asking whether they are comfortable first. What if the employer contacts your reference and catches them unaware? It will not seem professional to an employer, and neither will your reference be able to provide a comprehensive answer to the questions of why the employer would want to hire you.

Provide Contact Information That is Current

The information which you provide about your reference should be current and up-to-date. The current nature of this information should include everything from the job description to the contact information entailing the e-mail address as well as the phone numbers.

Print your CV on decent paper. Don't go overboard with watermarked or decorated paper, but don't print it on scrap paper with failed print-outs on the reverse. This document represents you.

Keep it simple. Employers don't want to see colourful titles, text or images, the information should be presented as clearly as possible with headers to distinguish the different sections. Think of it as a business document. You don't want your clients to think you spend all day making colourful titles or adding clip art. Your focus should be on the content itself.

Proof read your CV yourself. Computer spellcheckers are not as good as a brain and a dictionary. Particularly if the job you are applying for requires communication skills, you should ensure your CV is grammatically as good as it can be, as this is the first piece of work your potential employers will be judging you on.

Contact details

There is a certain amount of information which CVs should contain :

- Name
- Address
- Phone number & email address

Think twice before including any sort of networking website URL (such as your Facebook or Bebo profile), as you should be fully prepared for employers to look at all the information provided on your page when assessing whether you are the right person for the job. Even if you are careful about what you put on your page, what if a friend posts a message about a crack smoking weekend or a fight you were involved in?

Personal profile

It is a good idea to have some sort of personal profile at the top of your CV. Don't go into too much depth or explanation but you should summarise your skillset and experience, maybe even with an idea of what you want to do next (make sure it is in line with the job description you are applying for).

Skills, Employment & Education

There's no mathematical equation to writing the perfect CV. Many people will offer you set ways of doing things but your CV should be uniquely tailored both to you and the job you are applying for. Things which you might include on a CV for certain job applications would be a waste of space on another. The best idea is to read the job description and custom-build your CV to match the specification.

You should include a list of skills you possess, but whether this should be a list of skills with descriptions or a list of jobs or qualifications with a skills breakdown is your choice. Many people format their CVs with Education and Employment sections with descriptions of the different roles, duties, skills and responsibilities held.

Sometimes to list your employment and education is missing out a lot of your more important accomplishments. Let's say you organised a cake sale for charity, or a school newsletter - Education or Employment? It doesn't fit into either category neatly but clearly displays you are a motivated and organised person - Sometimes exactly the qualities employers are seeking. Consider an 'Accomplishments' or 'Achievements' section for any activities you have taken part in which show you in a good light. Remember to relate everything to individual skills; teamwork, organisation, responsibility etc.

Other CVs will have a more general list of skills (Communication, IT, Organisation, Teamwork, Customer service...) with reference to certain jobs, education or experiences contained elsewhere on the CV.

Even if you decide to have a less formal skills list, you should still list all your academic attainment and at least your last 2 years of employment with dates so potential employers can see how you have spent your time. Often graduates who do not find jobs immediately after education can have trouble finding a job because employers can see by their CV that they haven't worked since they graduated. If you have gaps of months or years on your CV be prepared to be asked about them. You can talk about spending time with family, volunteering for philanthropic causes or helping someone start their own business. Employers expect applicants to be slightly creative with the truth on CVs, but be prepared to be quizzed on your volunteer work or business start-up.

Interests & Hobbies

Many people put a 'Hobbies' or 'Interests' section toward the end of their CV. This is not the opportunity to tell your employer how much you like to pick your nose or watch television. Employers will either be looking for interests relevant to the job (for example being interested by the media for a PR job) or interests which show you to be a rounded, popular person (meaning you will probably fit in well to the working environment).

References

References are important, but are often excluded from a CV to save space. If you are going to miss out references to make room for your skills, employment and education it is good idea to just write "References available upon request". Employers will want a reference who has known you in a professional or academic context, preferably someone in a position of power and/or responsibility.