Excellent writing skills help you stand out from the crowd.
Employers and clients demand strong communication skills. In a 2006 survey conducted for the Association of American Colleges and Universities,
- 73% of executives said colleges and universities should place more emphasis on effective oral and written communication skills.
- 70% called for more training in the ability to locate, organize, and evaluate information from multiple sources.
Effective writing skills offer an opportunity to differentiate yourself from other employees.
Good writing is a wonderful way to differentiate yourself inside a company,’ Sam Hill says. ‘Back when I was competing with all those other aggressive young associates at Booz Allen, all of us in the same charcoal-gray Jos. A. Bank suits and faux Hermes ties, I used the ability to express myself clearly to get myself noticed. I used to work for hours at home secretly writing and rewriting reports until they were logical and stylistic masterpieces. The next afternoon, I’d drop them on my partner’s desk casually and do my best to create the implication that I”d just dashed them off – and hopefully create the impression in his mind that I was effortlessly brilliant. It must have worked: I made partner.’ The write stuff works.
How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Today’s Global Economy?
The Association of American Universities and Colleges 2006