Can anyone give examples of some really good business communications?
I have an interview at the end of next week with a hiring manager preceded by a panel interview with four of her lieutenents. I've been asked to bring examples of written business communications.
The internal recruiter said she expects something financial in nature as well as a presentation. An RFP would also be on target.
Can any of you suggest a form of business communication other than a presentation or an RFP you received during an interview that just blew you away because it was unexpected?
Thank you,
Michael
Michael, Be careful. I
Michael,
Be careful. I was in an interview and someone pulled out some documents of his current company. Let me say we did not hire him.
-Edwin
Ditto!
Yes, definitely beware of presenting material that may be confidential or sensitive in nature, especially from a current employer where it's fairly obvious that the materials & issues presented are still relatively current.
That said, you could print out fresh copies and redact some of the crucial information (product names, individual names, etc.) or, if you still have the soft copies, you could substitute names - change Sally to Joe, change Coke to Pepsi, etc.
I used to have a "professional portfolio" of sorts which included samples of things like payroll inserts, company-wide memos announcing benefit changes, the quarterly newsletter I created, the performance review forms I created, procedure documents/manual/instructions and so forth. I'm sure you'll find similar things in your recent history - even if it's a simple "Hey, boss - I disagree with the current proposal because XYZ and I propose ABC instead." Have you written any performance reviews for DRs? (Obviously you want to redact identifying details or retype excerpts with false names!) Have you written a letter/email to an external client or vendor?
If I were the recruiter, I would be looking for the simple, mundane things along with the job-specific things to make sure you won't embarass yourself or the company. (I can't tell you the number of times a day I cringe reading emails from my coworkers - things that were actually sent to clients. It's horrifying!)
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Match the Material to Your Accomplishments
MMann
Focus on showing material that you created in the past, that is more than 3 years old. For example, when I was being recruited for a marketing position, and I was informed that I would have to make presentations, I brought copies of my presentations. That said, it was material that was not related to my core assignments. My presentations were related to my Toastmasters speeches and some training I created for career development, such as improving Listening Skills. It showed my capabilities without compromising company information.
JHB
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Thank you, and...
Thank you for the insight. Considering the position will require special government clearance I should pay particular attention to the advice about cleansing appropriately.
How about format? From your posts I get the impression that printed is expected, and not electronic. Have you used or seen any professional folder or anything else to hold the documents?
Thanks again,
--Michael
In the long run...
This won't help for next week...BUT - this is why it's great to get published!
Not as hard as it sounds: professional magazines are looking for contributions all the time. Dig in and look around: you'll find plenty of periodicals devoted to your industry and your profession. Example: I'm in sales, and I've had a few things picked up by Selling Power magazine.
Start with the goal of cranking out 5 -10 paragraphs on a subject you really know well. Edit it and submit it. Do this a enough times and you'll get picked up. And you'll have a killer addition to your portfolio.
PS - ...and submissions to somebody's blog DON'T count ;-)