Saturday, March 21, 2020
For Word Count, Make Words Count
For Word Count, Make Words Count For Word Count, Make Words Count For Word Count, Make Words Count By Mark Nichol One of life’s great ironies for writers is that they spend their high school and college years padding essays and papers because an instructor requires a minimum word count. In the struggle to reach a 500-word or 1,000-word or 5,000-word lower limit, hurried, harried students facing a looming deadline will burden their assignments with prolix prose. Sometimes a teacher or professor will penalize the writer for indulging in this verbose verbiage, but more often the student will get away with it, or will at worst receive a merely acceptable grade, and this bad habit will be positively reinforced. Then, students foolish enough to decide to become journalists or practice some other form of professional writing may oh, the irony discover that they must develop a diametrically opposite skill: Many newspaper and magazine writers are assigned to turn articles in that adhere to a maximum word count. At first, achieving this goal may seem out of reach, but then they conduct research and interviews and the words start to pile up. Often, before they know it, they’re facing down a 4,000-word draft of a 2,500-word article. At this point, the solution is not simply to slash nominalizations and pursue other strategies to make writing more concise, but to hack away at entire sentences, paragraphs, and sections, paring the piece down to its essentials. Then, when you’re within 100 words or so of your word count, you can further reduce on a phrasal level. But you’re not done yet. After you turn the piece in, your editor may ask you to provide more details or provide another point of view, and more cutting may be in order to accommodate the addition. Later, you may be told that the layout of your article is losing a page, or that the photographer assigned to shoot some pictures to go with it has so many good shots that the designer wants to add another image to the opening spread. Cut, cut, cut. Abridging an article is usually painful for the artist who has assembled it, so count on a family member or a friend to provide some dispassionate direction. Writers often feel that such condensing ruins a piece, but the truth is that readers are unlikely to feel that anything is missing. If it’s any consolation, if you retain republication rights, you might be able to sell a more extension version to another publication, or you can post the entire article to your own Web site. (You might even request that the editor run the full article, rather than the version published in the print publication, on the publication’s site.) You can always ask your editor to make more room for your story, but the decision is up to them (or may be out of their hands even though they would prefer to do so), and it’s unwise to push your argument farther than one polite request. A writer who turns in lean copy and will graciously render it even leaner on request is a writer who receives additional assignments or gets calls or emails about subsequent pitches returned. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs Past20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word FormsJanuary 1 Doesn't Need an "st"
Thursday, March 5, 2020
How to write a delivery driver resume (with examples) -The JobNetwork
How to write a delivery driver resume (with examples) -The JobNetwork It may not be the open road of long-haul trucking, but driving a truck on a delivery route is a job with a lot of upside if you have the driving skills and a mind for logistics. It’s a detail-oriented job that can help you develop customer service and logistics skills that will serve you well, whether you want to stay a driver or move on to other jobs or fields. Let’s look at three different types of drivers (food delivery, package delivery, and delivery driver seeking to shift into a managerial role) and what their resumes look like.First up is Kevin, who’s a food service delivery driver.Download this resume in ms wordKevin Burgess888 Carson CourtEvanston, IL 12121(111) 222-3333KevinQBurgess@emaildomain.comSafe, licensed driver  · Excellent Customer ServiceSUMMARYExperienced driver with excellent customer service skills and stellar on-time delivery record. Strong focus on brand and customer development through high-quality food delivery.KEY SKILLSMeeting and e xceeding on-time metricsClean driving record with a focus on safe travelFriendly and courteous demeanorWorking as part of a teamWORK EXPERIENCEFood Delivery Driver                               2015 – presentPizza World                                                                                      Evanston, ILDeliver customer orders quickly and efficiently, while maintaining high company and food quality standards.Have achieved a 100% success rate under Pizza World’s â€Å"40 minutes or it’s free†delivery policyConsistently receive excellent customer feedbackAwarded â€Å" Driver of the Month†7 times since 2015Process payment (cash and credit) quickly and accurately.Delivery Driver                                    2013 – presentThe Daily Bugle                                                                               Chicago, ILDeliver newspapers on a daily route to commercial and retail customers.Consistent and accurate delivery to newspaper customers before business hoursTroubleshoot when there are delivery issues such as blocked entrances, traffic issuesCUSTOMER TESTIMONIALSâ€Å"With fast delivery and a friendly smile, Kevin is one of the main reasons I keep Pizza World at the top of my takeout rotation.†- FoodShoutz user PizzaDude918â€Å"Could not ask for better delivery than I receive from Pizza World. My food is fresh, hot, and fast every single time!†- FoodShoutz user amyBEDUCATION LICENSINGIllinois State Driver’s License2012 – presentEmmanuel High SchoolHigh School DiplomaAs he works on his resume, Kevin knows that his biggest asset is his great customer service record, so he makes sure to play that up at every point in the resume. He only has a couple of years’ experience, so he starts by featuring his skills, setting the narrative with a headline, summary, and bullets. For his work experience, he focuses on his efficiency and skills, using the bullets to play up the skills he highlighted at the top. Kevin also customizes his resume further by adding direct customer feedback. This is not a necessary part of a resume, but if you have specific praise you can share, especially when you work i n a public-facing job, adding a blurb or two can really help emphasize your professional skills.Next up is Andie, a slightly different kind of delivery driver- packages and freight instead of food.Download this resume in ms wordAndie Bennett444-111-2222  · 249 Bensonhurst Ave  · Tarrytown, NY 00000ABDriver@emaildomain.comCDL-Certified Driver with an Impeccable Record of On-Time DeliveryCORE COMPETENCIESMeeting on-time metrics and delivering goods efficiently and free of damageTroubleshooting road and mechanical issuesProviding prompt and courteous serviceTracking and managing shipments with a high degree of accuracyLICENSINGClass B CDL – State of New York2001 – present (renewed every 4 years)EXPERIENCEDiamond Solutions, Inc.                                                Route Delivery Driver           August 2011 – presentTransport shipments and goods within a set route, with a demonstrated ability to navigate heavy urban traffic.Maintain truck, keeping them safe and in compliance with mechanical and safety best practices.Review invoices with customers, and obtain shipper and receiver signatures.Keep detailed delivery and receiving records.Expert use of FocusShip inventory and tracking software.Better Boxes ShippingRoute Delivery DriverMay 2004 – August 2011Loaded and executed delivery of customer shipments in a timely and efficient manner.Monitored all outgoing shipments for completeness and accuracyMaintained mileage log and conducted pre- and post-trip vehicle inspections.Escalated damage reports, shipping discrepancies, and customer issues to sales representatives.At Your Door Delivery Inc.Route Delivery DriverFebruary 2000 – April 2004Dated, stocked, and rotated product upon delivery.Handled customer invoicing.Verified accuracy of purchases orders.Maintained driver log according to state and federal regulationSKILLSCustomer serviceMechanical maintenanceAccurate logging and reportingSafe driving in a variety of weather and traffic conditionsExcellent time managementWorking with digital shipping management systemsTroubleshooting delivery issuesDelivery DispatcherMarch 1998 – February 2000Provided phone support for customers.Directed delivery drivers and coordinated shipments.Acted as a liaison between driver team and customer support team.EDUCATIONTractor Trailer Training UniversityCDL Certification, Class BForrester Community CollegeAssociate’s Degree, Business StudiesFramingham High SchoolHigh School DiplomaAndie has several things going for her resume: she has a specific license that is important in her field and a long and solid history of driving. She uses a â€Å"core competencies†summary at the beginning to set the narrative for the rest of her resume. These aren’t word-for-word the b ullets that will appear later on, but rather a highlight reel of the points she wants to emphasize. She also makes sure that her CDL is featured prominently as well, as it shows that she is qualified and experienced with handling large trucks. Her experience may not be entirely limited to her driving and shipping career, but here she chooses to focus on those jobs because they’re relevant to the job she’s seeking next. High school waitressing jobs or a way-back office internship have little bearing on the professional she is now or the job she wants to seek, so editing your resume to include the most relevant points of your job is important.Next is Franco, who has been a delivery driver, but wants to move up to a management/overseeing role.Dbownload this resume in ms wordFranco Rogers Jr.56 Main StreetSioux Falls, SD 21212(555) 000-1111FRogers@emaildomain.comLinkedIn: FQRogersJrSeasoned driver and logistics expert seeking to leverage teambuilding and management skills into a supervisory role. More than 20 years of on-the-road experience as a driver, managing shipments and deliveries of varying sizes in different conditions, and mentoring junior drivers.SKILLS SUMMARYCoordinating and executing large-scale deliveriesPlanning routes and logisticsTeambuilding among peers and new employeesSolving day-to-day issues in delivery, driving, and execution of logisticsEnsuring accuracy and quality of incoming and outgoing shipmentsEXPERIENCELead Route Delivery Driver                                                  June 2010 – presentLightning ShippingLoad and deliver large daily shipments to commercial and residential customers in the metropolitan Sioux Falls area.Serve as mentor for trainee drivers and new employees, including proposing and implementing a â€Å"ride-along†program that has beco me standard company policy for new and prospective hires.Process shipments via digital inventory management tools, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.Work directly with customers to assess quality issues (damage, completeness of order) and escalate to the appropriate customer service teams as necessary.Route Delivery Driver                                                                       January 2000 – June 2010ShipItFast.comDelivered shipments of varying size for a large ecommerce fulfillment facility, with routes throughout South Dakota.Served as the employee representative on the company advisory board, attending quarterly meetings and participating in periodic feedback sessions.Handled shipments with excellent accuracy and on-time-completion.Cultivated a stro ng customer base by providing top-notch customer service.Delivery Driver                                                                      October 1997 – December 1999Subs ‘R UsDelivered food to customers in a timely manner.Reviewed orders pre-delivery to ensure completeness and quality.Managed routes to maximize delivery efficiency.Provided attentive and courteous customer service.EDUCATIONOmega UniversityManagement Training Course, completed 2017Branford Area High SchoolHigh School DiplomaTECHNICAL SKILLSMicrosoft OfficeOn-board delivery tracking systems (FastShip, Delivery Target)Inventory management software expertiseFranco has more than 20 years of experience on the road, but because he’s angling to turn that experience into a different kind of rol e- a more managerial office job, specifically- he wants his resume to show that he’s ready to take that next step. So instead of diving right in with the experience, he uses a detailed summary statement and bullet points to give an overall pictue of his logistics know-how, making sure to mention leadership qualities like coordinating and managing people. His experience bullets support those narrative points that he wants to hit, without just recycling the bullets. He also makes sure that his Education section includes a management course he took. Not all education bullet points have to be completed degrees- relevant coursework or academic work should be included if it’s relevant to the job you’re seeking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)