After completing Unit One of English 301 I feel more confident writing professional documents like application letters, emails, and memos.
Although I have written many cover letters while applying for jobs in the past it was really great to have a refresher on the process and expectations. Completing this assignment I felt like I had a better grasp on how to address the recipient of my letter. I have also always struggled when selecting which terms to apply in the first line when I’m unfamiliar with the recipient. It was equally helpful to read the letters of my peers and compare how we describe our accomplishments.
Having never been on the other side of an application process it was very interesting to be reading my peers application letters and then emailing them an invitation. I have never had a course that organized teams this way. Even though all of my peers letters were impressive this assignment gave me new insight into how employers read application letters and will hopefully help me to set myself apart in the future. While editing my letter I will be looking for areas where I can use more confidence to talk about my accomplishments which I otherwise tend to undersell.
Finally, writing definitions was a very interesting assignment. I felt that this is where I really practice writing for a different audience as this unit has really emphasized how professionalism in writing can appear many different ways. Most importantly it has reminded me that writing professionally is not just about using fancy words and language but really about clear and concise communication. Using my peer’s revisions I was able to consider different perspectives and audiences. Reading the definitions my writing team created was equally insightful; even if I was already familiar with the word it was valuable to see how to communicate that to others who may be unfamiliar. I have included below both the revisions I have made following my peers recommendations and a link to the comments my teammate has made on my work.
Moving forward from Unit One I feel much more confident in considering various audiences for my writing and that I can still create professional documents without being overly embellished.
My definition revisions: SydneyDunn_DefinitionsRevision
My peer’s comments: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2020sa/2020/06/10/peer-review-of-definitions-by-sydney-dunn/