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cases ludicrous — e.g., give the devil his or her due. This problem is often poorly solved by a reckless disregard for grammar: “Every novelist hopes that they will win the Pulitzer Prize.” Some people, otherwise sticklers for proper English, make an exception for this construction, arguing that everybody has a right to their own priorities in solving problems of political correctness. We say that everybody (always singular) has a right to his priorities, or to her priorities, or to his or hers, but no individual of either sex has a right to their priorities. “Every novelist hopes they’ll win” grates on many ears as badly as would “Every novelist hope he’ll win.”

Fortunately there is a simple way to be correct both grammatically and politically. Just put the point into the plural: “All novelists hope they will win the Pulitzer Prize.” Converting a subject from singular to plural works nicely in most instances. Another trick of the trade is to switch from the third person to the second person: instead of “when an employee receives a message addressed to him or her,” write “when you receive a message addressed to you.”

In this book we occasionally use “she” or “her” when we want the reader to understand that we are referring to either a man or a woman, and in other cases in similar constructions with a similar meaning we use the conventional “he” or “him.” We believe that this scattershot method of giving equal representation to women and men is clear to both and offensive to neither.

An assumption, touched on earlier, lies under everything in this chapter. We assume that readers whom you’ve angered or offended are unlikely to respond favorably to your message. Since much business writing, and nearly all important business writing, seeks a favorable response, it follows that you should try not to anger or offend your readers.

Self-interest aside, we return to Kenneth Clark and his belief in courtesy as a mark of civilized behavior. We, too, believe in courtesy, in writing as in life.

11 Writing a Resume — and Getting an Interview

Nothing else you write can make so big a difference in your life as your application for a job.

You should apply in writing. When you telephone for a job, you do it at your convenience. You choose the moment to call, and the chances of your potential employer being free to talk with you — or even interested in doing so — are remote. If you want to be taken seriously, communicate in writing.

What you write is a resume* and an accompanying letter. Some of these will end up in a wastebasket, unread, but a well-written approach usually earns a response. The point is to secure an interview, and that objective should guide your thinking.

The resume is a crucial part of the process. But it won’t get you a job. Companies don’t hire resumes, they hire people — and they make those decisions in an interview. So why is your resume so important? A good resume — one that’s relevant, clear, and concise — is a lot more likely to lead to an interview than a poor one. This is true whether your resume arrives in the mail or over the Internet.

A good resume also helps you prepare for a better interview. Many job applicants walk into an interview without having organized their thoughts about the kind of job they want or why they’re qualified. When people do come to an interview prepared to make a cohesive case for themselves, they stand out sharply. Think of a resume as a script that organizes your thinking, so when you’re asked a question you don’t find yourself stumbling around looking for the right response.

Before you write anything down, think about what you have to offer and how those skills and experiences can be presented in terms of what the job requires. Start by doing some research on the market (and yourself).

What kinds of skills and experiences are required?

What can you say that demonstrates that you have made some effort to learn about the company or organization?

What can you tell them about the contribution you’re qualified to make?

Research can also mean finding a person