Saturday, June 18, 2011

How Your Writing Can Help you Land a Job

Three weeks ago I had a job interview.
My writing played a key role in getting me the job. The two interviewers told me that creativity was paramount for this position. Who would have thought that my published stories would get me the job? The interviewers told me they were impressed with my writing accomplishments which also demonstrated passion and determination (Let me add that this job is not in the writing field).

Fellow writers, don’t underestimate the power of your writing or your creativity. You can add this valuable skill to your *curriculum vita.

Let’s not forget that typos are detrimental to your résumé, especially when you’re applying to a position in the writing industry. A dear friend and fellow writer pointed out that the term curriculum vitae is plural. She said that a lot of people often misuse this Latin-based word. Vita in both Italian and Latin mean 'life', so it is only logical to keep your CV alive by avoiding typos. Isn’t it wonderful? We always learn something new, and learning is power.

Have you ever used your writing as means to getting a job?

* According to Dictionary.com, the definition for curriculum vita (singular), vitae (plural) is a brief biographical résumé of one's career and training, as prepared by a person applying for a job.

15 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the job!
    I haven't yet used my writing to get a job.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations with landing this job! Yay!! And it's a great organisation that recognises creativity! I wish you all the best!

    I must admit to never using the full term of CV unless I have to and now I know I've been using the plural rather than the singular! Yay!! LOL! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Al,
    Thank you! BTW, long time no see. Thank you for dropping by.

    Hi Jennifer,
    Thanks! You're funny :)) but like you, I was using the plural form as well, yikes! maybe that's why I didn't get the jobs I applied to before. :( BUT now we know!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Writing has always been part of my job in some way. Fiction is my passion, though :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucky you, Carol. A lot of us use some kind of writing at work, but it's not "fiction" writing, unfortunately. I wish writing was my full-time job. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on the new job, Claudia! I would love a "writing" job. If we didn't live in such a rural area I would be pursuing something in the publishing industry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Sharon,
    Thank you so much! You can still get a writing job from home as a freelancer ;)
    Cheers!
    P.S. Glad to hear you're having a nice vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had to use writing (before I even started writing) to get my job as a tutor. They wanted me to come up with 3 weeks worth of activities to help 7th graders succeed in language arts. Ugh.

    So glad you got that job!!! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Alleged,
    Yep! Teachers use writing a lot. I know. I do that with my students. Thank you for your wishes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had a similar experience when I was interviewed last year. They were impressed that I wrote a book and now I publish the newsletter for my department.

    Enjoy your new job!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Laura,
    Lucky you! I like hearing encouraging stories like yours. It definitely gives me hope. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Many congratulations ref job. Mind, writing is double-edged. I read somewhere that many writers are boring but know interesting people. I think I come alive on the page, but in real life I live in a coffin :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you, Mike! Writers are as lively as the stories they write ;) C'mon, Mike, give yourself some credit. I bet you're fun, friendly, and fierce in person :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats on the new job. Great article too, offering encouragement for other writers.

    "...don’t underestimate the power of your writing or your creativity." Exactly. So many writers do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks, Chris! glad you liked the post ;)

    ReplyDelete