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Writing Matters: Writing Well May Be the Key to Getting a Job or a Promotion

April 8, 2005

Job descriptions often call for excellent written communication skills, but how important are these skills, really?

For the last several decades, the vast majority of surveyed executives have cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity. Effective writing skills can be the ticket to success and advancement in the workplace, and for a logical reason; in a labor force full of mediocre writers, someone who writes well is bound to stand out and succeed.

A recent report titled Writing: A Ticket to Work...Or a Ticket Out: A Survey of Business Leaders (PDF format), surveyed 120 major American corporations across a range of sectors that employ nearly 8 million people about the demand for writing skills in the workplace and their importance in hiring and promotion decisions. Some of its key findings are:

Most professional jobs require writing

"My view is that good writing is a sign of good thinking. Writing that is persuasive, logical, and orderly is impressive. Writing that's not careful can be a signal of unclear thinking."

Writing is an almost universally required professional skill, particularly in service industries such as finance, insurance, and real estate -- growing employment sectors that are likely to generate many new jobs in the coming decade. Corporations in these areas reported that 80% or more of salaried employees have some responsibility for writing.

According to one human resource director, "All employees must have writing ability. ...All instructions are written out. Manufacturing documentation, operating procedures, reporting problems, lab safety, waste-disposal operations-all have to be crystal clear. As a government contractor, everything must be documented."

More than half of all responding companies reported that they "frequently" or "almost always" produce technical reports (59%), formal reports (62%), and memos and correspondence (70%). Email and PowerPoint presentations are pervasive. "Because of email, more employees have to write more often. Also, a lot more has to be documented."

Writing skills count in hiring and promotion decisions

"More than half of all responding companies take writing skills into account when making promotion decisions for salaried employees. You can't move up without writing skills."

Writing is increasingly a "gatekeeper" or "threshold skill" for both employment and promotion, particularly for salaried employees. "In most cases, writing ability could be your ticket in...or it could be your ticket out," said one respondent.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of responding companies reported they would hold poorly written application materials against a job candidate, either "frequently" or "almost always." Employers assume that applicants who are careless with job applications are unlikely to be careful with important corporate documents. "We'd frequently hold that against the applicant since it reflects on care and attention to detail."

In companies where writing is considered part of the job, 54% of responding companies require a writing sample and 71% form impressions of applicants' writing abilities based on letters submitted with application materials.

What can you do?

If you're among the many who struggle to write effectively, don't give up in hopes that once you've secured employment you'll never have to struggle with writing again. Instead, head to the Student Learning Center's Academic Writing Resources.

If you're applying for a job and would like some feedback on your written materials (cover letter, resume, etc.), make an appointment to meet with a career counselor who will review your materials with you and offer suggestions.

Portions of this article were excerpted from the survey report produced by the National Commision on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges.