Profs, recruiters not LOL at casual communication trend
College students, take note: Professors are not amused by the emoticons, text-message language and other forms of casual communication in your coursework and e-mails to them. (OMG! R U serious? I can’t believe college students actually do this.) A recent article from the San Jose Mercury News highlights the growing use of these abbreviations in student writing and instructors’ frustrations with the decline of formal, appropriate language.
The story reports that a 2008 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that two-thirds of middle- and high-school students had accidentally used instant-messaging-style words in their work, while a quarter admitted using emoticons in assignments.
While the inadvertent “ur” for “your” in a term paper or a smiley-face emoticon in an e-mail to a professor might not earn you a failing grade in a class, falling into the habit of using these forms of communication in school can have repercussions after college. With the civilian job market still tight, job seekers need to take greater pains than ever before to be formal, polished and professional in all forms of communication with would-be employers. This article from CareerBuilder.com emphasizes the potential consequences of lax written communication.
Think you’re immune from such a practice? If you text or e-mail a great deal, “tech speak” may slip into your resume, cover letter or follow-up thank-you note without you realizing it, so proofread carefully.
