Reference no: EM133360455
Assignment:
Read Sharpening Your Career Skills: Proofread Like a Pro to Create Perfect Documents? and respond to the Career Applications questions at the end. (CAREER APPLICATIONS)
Before you click on "Send" or tote that stack of reports off to the shipping department, make sure your document represents the best possible work you can do. Your colleagues will usually overlook errors in everyday emails, but higher-profile mistakes in messages to outside audiences can damage your company and hinder your career.
Use these techniques from professional proofreaders to help ensure high-quality output:
? Make multiple passes. Go through the document several times, focusing on a different aspect each time. The first pass may be to look for omissions and errors in con- tent; the second pass may be to check for typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors; and a final pass could be for layout, spacing, alignment, colors, page numbers, margins, and other design features.
? Use perceptual tricks. You've probably experienced the frustration of reading over something a dozen times and still missing an obvious error that was staring you right in the face. This happens because your brain has developed a wonderful skill of subconsciously supplying missing pieces and correcting mistakes when it "knows" what is supposed to be on the page. To keep your brain from tricking you, you need to trick it by changing the way you process the visual information. Try (1) reading each page backward, from the bottom to the top; (2) placing your finger under each word and reading it silently; (3) making a slit in a sheet of paper that reveals only one line of typee at a time; (4) reading the document aloud and pronouncing each word carefully; and (5) temporarily reformatting the document so that it looks fresh to your eyes.
? Double-check high-priority items. Double-check the spelling of names and the accuracy of dates, addresses, and any number that could cause grief if incorrect (such as telling a potential employer that you'd be happy to work for $5,000 a year when you meant to say $50,000).
? Give yourself some distance. If possible, don't proof- read immediately after finishing a document; let your brain wander off to new topics and then come back fresh later on.
? Be vigilant. Avoid reading large amounts of material in one sitting and try not to proofread when you're tired.
? Stay focused. Concentrate on what you're doing. Try to block out distractions and focus as completely as possible on your proofreading task.
? Review complex electronic documents on paper. Some people have trouble proofreading webpages, online reports, and other electronic documents on-screen. If you have trouble, try to print the materials so you can review them on paper.
? Take your time. Quick proofreading is not careful proofreading.
CAREER APPLICATIONS
1. Why is it so valuable to have other people proofread your documents?
2. Proofread and correct the following sentence:
Application of thse methods in stores in San Deigo and Cinncinati have resultted in a 30 drop in roberies an a 50 precent decling in violnce there, acording ot thedevelpers if the securty sytem, Hanover brothrs, Inc.