Annotations
1. Damon, William, Anne Colby, Kendall Bronk, and Thomas Ehrlich. Passion and Mastery in Balance: Toward Good Work in the Professions. Daedalus, 2005.
This article attempts to define professionalism and writing for the professions through the presence or lack of passion an individual may have for his or her job. Here, professionalism is viewed as the opposite of amateurism. Consequently, the writer draws the conclusion that the professional must lack a certain amount of passion in order to be successful in the workplace. In this article, passion can be seen as a barrier toward working and writing objectively.
2. "Writing a Basic Business Letter." OWL at Purdue. Purdue University.
The article focuses mostly on the physical appearance and structure of the letter. The beginning of the page lists each part of the letter, and shows where each part must go. It lays out the basics of what a business must include from a structural standpoint, but says little about content. After that the article moves to format and outlines how a letter may physically appear, but again, says little about content. Lastly, font is discussed, and the specifics of what a professional letter should look like. Here, professional writing seems to be more about the appearance of the work, and the specifics of what is included than content. In this article, professional writing is less about what is being said, and more about how it is said.
3. Brandt, Deborah. "Writing for a Living." Trans. ArrayLiteracy and Learning. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2009.
This article mostly discussed the realities of professional writing, and what is gained or lost for the author. Here, professional writing is resented as a more distanced medium he article covered collaboration and the loss of an “author” in workplace writing. In this instance, the voice of the company is placed above that of any one writer.
4. Eudaly, Jeremy. "Conducting Job Searches." 5 Sept. 2013. Lecture.
The key focus of the Career Services presentation was to discuss finding career paths, not just jobs. Although most of Career Services’ work deals with the immediacy of finding a job, the presentation emphasized that this was just one step in an overall journey. Each presenter spoke about his or her journey to their current job and reflected on why they made each decision along the way. Additionally, the class was told to reflect on their own talents, shortcomings, likes and dislikes before selecting a career path. Professional writing, as defined by this lecture, includes a number of job search materials, all tailored to fit both the individual it is presenting, and the audience to which the materials are being sent.
5. Gerson, Sharon J.; Gerson, Steven M., . "The Importance of Memos, Letters and Email." Trans. Array Strategies for Business and Technical Writing. . SeventhLa Salle University, 2011.
This article mostly focused professional writing in the realm of letters, and their logisitics. There were a number of tables and charts to check what type of communication should be used, and pages more about how to use it. Each form of communication is formulaic and has certain expectations associated with it. Additionally, a large focus is on the audience and its needs, and less on the writer. For instance, the article tells to consider what the reader will think or see when writing a line. Here, the structure is based on what is easiest to read for the audience. The tone is to be tailored to the audience as well, in order for them to be the most receptive of the intended message. Consequently, writing for the professions can be defined as audience focused and concise.
6. Yate, Matthew. "Resume Formats." Trans. Array Strategies for Business and Technical Writing. . SeventhLa Salle University, 2011.:
Again, this article mostly focuses on the physical layout and appearance of the résumé. Professional writing is once again transformed into a mostly logistical task of figuring out what layout and tone should be taken up to best appeal to the audience. However, in this article, content is touched upon more heavily, as it also emphasizes the importance of deciding what to include and not include in a résumé. Here, structure helps to emphasize content, not overshadow it, as tips on how to best highlight good attributes and talents are given. In this instance, professional writing appears to be about how to best present the selected content so as to fully express the writers’ intentions.
7. Collett, Kris. 24 Sept. 2013. Lecture.:
Kris Collett’s presentation started out as a look into the inner workings of a newsletter. Based on her experience, a successful newsletter takes into account the audience it is writing for heavily. For instance, when reviewing a letter she was sending out to her subscribers, she noted that much of the text had to run less smoothly than her normal writing style would allow. In this way, Kris defined writing for the professions as an audience focused affair. This also applied to the newsletter, which had short, well formatted articles so as to grab and hold onto the reader’s attention. Additionally, she discussed her current movement toward a new job, and stated that she was dissatisfied with her current career path. To her, happiness in the work place was of utmost importance.
8. Cigelske, Tim. 17 Sept. 2013. Lecture.:
Tim came to speak about his work with social media writing, however what stood out the most was his emphasis on how to market yourself as an idea, not a product. He highlighted his accomplishments by noting what the goal of each project was, and why it mattered, not merely by stating what he did. For instance, when starting his “Beer-Runner” blog, he knew there was a specific audience that was not being spoken to, and he wanted to create a space where people who share these unique loves can bond. For Tim, passion sparks professionalism, and attempting to create a professional image separate from personal self will come off as dishonest or unappealing.
9. Eichner, Lydia. 1 Oct. 2013. Lecture.:
Lydia Eichner’s speech was mostly about collaborative writing and the steps that can be taken to find a job after college. For Lydia, writing in the workplace is mainly a collaborative effort, where everything down to comma placement must be determined by the group, not the individual. When discussing her current job, she referenced a large document where all Facebook posts are written, reviewed and approved months before they are posted. This presentation showed the amount of preparation and collaboration that goes into professional writing, even with something as small as a Facebook post. Another notable thing I noticed in Lydia’s presentation was her emphasis on networking. For her, networking linked her to individuals who either helped her find job opportunities, or taught her important lessons about her field.
10. Uline, . "Writing Style." Message to Kathleen Murphy. 4 Oct. 2013. E-mail.:
The writing sample given to me by one company I applied to said volumes about writing for the professions, at least for this particular company. The sample explained that all writing for the company is to be clear and concise. Additionally, it gave an example of the type of writing expected by taking a paragraph and condensing it into a short outline. Here, merely the most important facts were presented for easy skimming. Everything else was omitted. This opened my eyes to a new type of writing in this field: one that is entirely focused on communication, not on persuasion.
11. "Trends in Recruiting Summary." Career Services Newsletter. (2013)
The job outlook for report focused on statistics and explained what was expected of students when they entered the workforce. It explained that employers were worried that students had to high of expectations with regard to what type of work they would be doing, and how much they would be paid for it. Consequently, very they were cautious about hiring recently graduated students. It also explained that companies were looking more at talent and reliability, and less at a students achievements. This surprised me, and helped me to understand the unusual emphasis on communications based students, and less on those with technical skills. Although this document did not expressly define writing for the professions, it did markedly note the importance of communication, and therefore writing, in the workforce.
12. "Resume and Cover Letter Writing." Marquette University.
This webpage mostly focused on the overall look and feel of a resume. Very little focused on content. For example, an entire link was simply dedicated to how to write a degree. Again, the focus on the layout of a resume and not what it contains surprised me, but it is understandable. Resumes are meant to be skimmed, and the overall presentation of what is said matters just as much as what is actually in it. Consequently, most guides focus on what to put where, but do not go over what to include in general. This can be positive, as it provides a place for students to easily begin to evaluate their resumes. However, this can be negative as it leaves the hardest part of resume critiquing to the writer. Like the presentation by career services, this webpage presents writing for the professions as a means of best presenting the author to whichever audience he or she is addressing.
13. Cigelske, Tim. "Bears Unite Beer and Running." Draft Magazine. N.p., 23 Jun 2013.
The overall tone of the BeerRunner entry was more informal than I expected. Although it was a blog entry, it was for a company, and consequently I was a little surprised to see so much emphasis placed on himself and his experiences. He makes conclusions based on personal observations, not data, and includes anecdotes about his life. This change from most of our business writing appears to come from the change in audience and intent, and not from the professionalism of the individual or the company.
14. Rethinking Schools Insider , Fall 2011.
The rethinking schools newsletter is much shorter than the magazine itself. It is also formatted to highlight important points and to maximize skim ability. I am not surprised by this, and I think our newsletter would benefit from a similar layout, or at least by taking not of the importance of font, margins and headings. The newsletter appears to be solid and effective, not only because of its content, but also because of how it is laid out. This newsletter reflected Collett's comments about writing for the professions being an audience-focused medium.
15. Eudaly, Jeremy. Personal Interview. 6 Oct. 2013.
I met with career services to discuss my search for an internship for next semester. This meeting was very productive, and we discussed how to look for a job when you are not sure what you are looking for. It was suggested that I look into specific companies, and not necessarily career paths, because that may help guide me in a direction. This method also helps me to find jobs that fulfill my requirements, such as location and work environment, even when I have not completely decided what career path I would like to take. In this meeting, I, once again, saw the importance of clear communication about the author to the audience in writing for the professions.
16. Wexler, Sarah. ""Can Old Editors Master New Technology"." Creative Nonfiction. 40:
This piece seemed to focus on not only the need for keeping up to date with the changes in technology as a writer, but the difficulties. As we discussed in class, there appears to be a generational gap when it comes to technology and how readers prefer to operate. In professional writing, one must understand his or her audience in order to most effectively reach them. Though the article spends a good amount of time focusing on the need to learn new technology to reach new readers, I think the opposite is true as well. Young writers need to understand old technology to read older audiences.
17. Godbee, Beth. 5 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
In class Beth ran a reflection whereupon the students reflected on their individual lives, and how speedup effects us on a personal level. Here, the focus was placed on work-life balance, and defined professional writing as something that can both be at odds with our personal lives. However, when balanced, it can be fulfilling and positive.
18. Fredrich, Lori. 7 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
Lori spoke about her work with OnMilwaukee, Marquette education, and her personal blog. To her, it appeared professional writing was a part of her daily life. Lori inserts herself into her writing to varying degrees, and her articles had an impact on her daily life and friendship circles in return. To Lori, writing for the professions is a largely social art in which she interacts with both her audience and her subjects almost every day.
19. Fredrich, Lori. 9 Nov. 2013, Interview:
I spoke with Lori during coffee later in the week after her speech in class. Here, she reviewed my application for Milwaukee magazine and talked more about her work with social media. What I found most interesting about this discussion was her emphasis on the interconnectivity of social media, and how having an active social media account is an asset to a writer while applying for jobs. As a member of a younger generation, it has always seemed like personal social media accounts were strictly for leisure, but now I understand that they can be an extension of your professional writing as well.
20. Brandt, Deborah. ""Who's the President?"Ghostwriting and Shifting Values in Literacy." College English. 69:
This article focused more on the writer than on writing itself, when compared to what we have read in class previously. It explored the problems with separating the writer from the work, and how this can be both enriching and damaging. I liked that the article mentioned that ghostwriting can teach writers about specific topics and how to become flexible as a writer, and did not simply focus on the negatives of anonymity. Though it is certainly a struggle, I think explaining the positives can help the audience to understand why a writer may choose to ghostwrite. According to this article, professional writing is about understanding the purpose of the piece, and collaborating with an individual, corporation or idea in order to “fake” a certain persona.
21. Holstein, Jill. 14 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
Jill came in and talked about her experience with running a co-op farm and the positive aspects it has had on her health and lifestyle. While most of her speech did focus on food, she also mentioned how her skills as a marketer and social media user helped to garner her customers in ways other farmers could not do. Writing, particularly social media writing, for Jill was an extension of her passion. She described her ability to talk best about what she loves as her greatest asset; in this way, professional writing for her focused on passion.
22. 6 Nov. 2013, Meeting:
The design team met to discuss the layout and decide how the website would eventually look. Additionally, we discussed the hurdles of being associated with Marquette and what that would mean with regard to using the Marquette brand. Though we did not do much traditional writing, we did discuss appearance, message and audience while designing a layout. This reflected a number of speeches and articles we had read about professional writing, particularly in the collaborative field.
23. FAME and Undergraduate Profiles GoogleDocument, Last Edited 12 Nov. 2013:
Our group utilized a number of methods to write our article. The undergraduate profile questions were written while we were all in the same room. The FAME profile was originally written by one person and then edited by each of us until we all had equal input on the final product. Though both were significantly different methods of creating an article, they served to ensure that each writer had a say in the articles, and fit into our own schedule and work time. Here, professional writing focused on collaboration and purpose; we each new the goal of the articles and did our best to guide the writing process toward that goal.
24. Andrejasich, Elizabeth. 29 Oct. 2013, Lecture:
Elizabeth came to help us with our professional profiles and newsletter assignment during two classes. While here, she showed us the website she ran for Marquette, and talked about the importance of looking professional while remaining interesting. For her, professional writing was about balance, and being able to visualize what the audience needed.
25. Neubauer, Bethany 21 Nov. 2013, Interview:
I met with Bethany to discuss in-depth job search methods to help me find an internship this summer. Bethany told me that only a quarter of open positions were listed online, and it was important to network in order to find the positions that had not been listed or even made yet. She suggested networking, particularly via LinkedIn and emailing to help connect me to individuals that may know of jobs in the area. In this case, professional writing was about social connections and networking.
This article attempts to define professionalism and writing for the professions through the presence or lack of passion an individual may have for his or her job. Here, professionalism is viewed as the opposite of amateurism. Consequently, the writer draws the conclusion that the professional must lack a certain amount of passion in order to be successful in the workplace. In this article, passion can be seen as a barrier toward working and writing objectively.
2. "Writing a Basic Business Letter." OWL at Purdue. Purdue University.
The article focuses mostly on the physical appearance and structure of the letter. The beginning of the page lists each part of the letter, and shows where each part must go. It lays out the basics of what a business must include from a structural standpoint, but says little about content. After that the article moves to format and outlines how a letter may physically appear, but again, says little about content. Lastly, font is discussed, and the specifics of what a professional letter should look like. Here, professional writing seems to be more about the appearance of the work, and the specifics of what is included than content. In this article, professional writing is less about what is being said, and more about how it is said.
3. Brandt, Deborah. "Writing for a Living." Trans. ArrayLiteracy and Learning. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2009.
This article mostly discussed the realities of professional writing, and what is gained or lost for the author. Here, professional writing is resented as a more distanced medium he article covered collaboration and the loss of an “author” in workplace writing. In this instance, the voice of the company is placed above that of any one writer.
4. Eudaly, Jeremy. "Conducting Job Searches." 5 Sept. 2013. Lecture.
The key focus of the Career Services presentation was to discuss finding career paths, not just jobs. Although most of Career Services’ work deals with the immediacy of finding a job, the presentation emphasized that this was just one step in an overall journey. Each presenter spoke about his or her journey to their current job and reflected on why they made each decision along the way. Additionally, the class was told to reflect on their own talents, shortcomings, likes and dislikes before selecting a career path. Professional writing, as defined by this lecture, includes a number of job search materials, all tailored to fit both the individual it is presenting, and the audience to which the materials are being sent.
5. Gerson, Sharon J.; Gerson, Steven M., . "The Importance of Memos, Letters and Email." Trans. Array Strategies for Business and Technical Writing. . SeventhLa Salle University, 2011.
This article mostly focused professional writing in the realm of letters, and their logisitics. There were a number of tables and charts to check what type of communication should be used, and pages more about how to use it. Each form of communication is formulaic and has certain expectations associated with it. Additionally, a large focus is on the audience and its needs, and less on the writer. For instance, the article tells to consider what the reader will think or see when writing a line. Here, the structure is based on what is easiest to read for the audience. The tone is to be tailored to the audience as well, in order for them to be the most receptive of the intended message. Consequently, writing for the professions can be defined as audience focused and concise.
6. Yate, Matthew. "Resume Formats." Trans. Array Strategies for Business and Technical Writing. . SeventhLa Salle University, 2011.:
Again, this article mostly focuses on the physical layout and appearance of the résumé. Professional writing is once again transformed into a mostly logistical task of figuring out what layout and tone should be taken up to best appeal to the audience. However, in this article, content is touched upon more heavily, as it also emphasizes the importance of deciding what to include and not include in a résumé. Here, structure helps to emphasize content, not overshadow it, as tips on how to best highlight good attributes and talents are given. In this instance, professional writing appears to be about how to best present the selected content so as to fully express the writers’ intentions.
7. Collett, Kris. 24 Sept. 2013. Lecture.:
Kris Collett’s presentation started out as a look into the inner workings of a newsletter. Based on her experience, a successful newsletter takes into account the audience it is writing for heavily. For instance, when reviewing a letter she was sending out to her subscribers, she noted that much of the text had to run less smoothly than her normal writing style would allow. In this way, Kris defined writing for the professions as an audience focused affair. This also applied to the newsletter, which had short, well formatted articles so as to grab and hold onto the reader’s attention. Additionally, she discussed her current movement toward a new job, and stated that she was dissatisfied with her current career path. To her, happiness in the work place was of utmost importance.
8. Cigelske, Tim. 17 Sept. 2013. Lecture.:
Tim came to speak about his work with social media writing, however what stood out the most was his emphasis on how to market yourself as an idea, not a product. He highlighted his accomplishments by noting what the goal of each project was, and why it mattered, not merely by stating what he did. For instance, when starting his “Beer-Runner” blog, he knew there was a specific audience that was not being spoken to, and he wanted to create a space where people who share these unique loves can bond. For Tim, passion sparks professionalism, and attempting to create a professional image separate from personal self will come off as dishonest or unappealing.
9. Eichner, Lydia. 1 Oct. 2013. Lecture.:
Lydia Eichner’s speech was mostly about collaborative writing and the steps that can be taken to find a job after college. For Lydia, writing in the workplace is mainly a collaborative effort, where everything down to comma placement must be determined by the group, not the individual. When discussing her current job, she referenced a large document where all Facebook posts are written, reviewed and approved months before they are posted. This presentation showed the amount of preparation and collaboration that goes into professional writing, even with something as small as a Facebook post. Another notable thing I noticed in Lydia’s presentation was her emphasis on networking. For her, networking linked her to individuals who either helped her find job opportunities, or taught her important lessons about her field.
10. Uline, . "Writing Style." Message to Kathleen Murphy. 4 Oct. 2013. E-mail.:
The writing sample given to me by one company I applied to said volumes about writing for the professions, at least for this particular company. The sample explained that all writing for the company is to be clear and concise. Additionally, it gave an example of the type of writing expected by taking a paragraph and condensing it into a short outline. Here, merely the most important facts were presented for easy skimming. Everything else was omitted. This opened my eyes to a new type of writing in this field: one that is entirely focused on communication, not on persuasion.
11. "Trends in Recruiting Summary." Career Services Newsletter. (2013)
The job outlook for report focused on statistics and explained what was expected of students when they entered the workforce. It explained that employers were worried that students had to high of expectations with regard to what type of work they would be doing, and how much they would be paid for it. Consequently, very they were cautious about hiring recently graduated students. It also explained that companies were looking more at talent and reliability, and less at a students achievements. This surprised me, and helped me to understand the unusual emphasis on communications based students, and less on those with technical skills. Although this document did not expressly define writing for the professions, it did markedly note the importance of communication, and therefore writing, in the workforce.
12. "Resume and Cover Letter Writing." Marquette University.
This webpage mostly focused on the overall look and feel of a resume. Very little focused on content. For example, an entire link was simply dedicated to how to write a degree. Again, the focus on the layout of a resume and not what it contains surprised me, but it is understandable. Resumes are meant to be skimmed, and the overall presentation of what is said matters just as much as what is actually in it. Consequently, most guides focus on what to put where, but do not go over what to include in general. This can be positive, as it provides a place for students to easily begin to evaluate their resumes. However, this can be negative as it leaves the hardest part of resume critiquing to the writer. Like the presentation by career services, this webpage presents writing for the professions as a means of best presenting the author to whichever audience he or she is addressing.
13. Cigelske, Tim. "Bears Unite Beer and Running." Draft Magazine. N.p., 23 Jun 2013.
The overall tone of the BeerRunner entry was more informal than I expected. Although it was a blog entry, it was for a company, and consequently I was a little surprised to see so much emphasis placed on himself and his experiences. He makes conclusions based on personal observations, not data, and includes anecdotes about his life. This change from most of our business writing appears to come from the change in audience and intent, and not from the professionalism of the individual or the company.
14. Rethinking Schools Insider , Fall 2011.
The rethinking schools newsletter is much shorter than the magazine itself. It is also formatted to highlight important points and to maximize skim ability. I am not surprised by this, and I think our newsletter would benefit from a similar layout, or at least by taking not of the importance of font, margins and headings. The newsletter appears to be solid and effective, not only because of its content, but also because of how it is laid out. This newsletter reflected Collett's comments about writing for the professions being an audience-focused medium.
15. Eudaly, Jeremy. Personal Interview. 6 Oct. 2013.
I met with career services to discuss my search for an internship for next semester. This meeting was very productive, and we discussed how to look for a job when you are not sure what you are looking for. It was suggested that I look into specific companies, and not necessarily career paths, because that may help guide me in a direction. This method also helps me to find jobs that fulfill my requirements, such as location and work environment, even when I have not completely decided what career path I would like to take. In this meeting, I, once again, saw the importance of clear communication about the author to the audience in writing for the professions.
16. Wexler, Sarah. ""Can Old Editors Master New Technology"." Creative Nonfiction. 40:
This piece seemed to focus on not only the need for keeping up to date with the changes in technology as a writer, but the difficulties. As we discussed in class, there appears to be a generational gap when it comes to technology and how readers prefer to operate. In professional writing, one must understand his or her audience in order to most effectively reach them. Though the article spends a good amount of time focusing on the need to learn new technology to reach new readers, I think the opposite is true as well. Young writers need to understand old technology to read older audiences.
17. Godbee, Beth. 5 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
In class Beth ran a reflection whereupon the students reflected on their individual lives, and how speedup effects us on a personal level. Here, the focus was placed on work-life balance, and defined professional writing as something that can both be at odds with our personal lives. However, when balanced, it can be fulfilling and positive.
18. Fredrich, Lori. 7 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
Lori spoke about her work with OnMilwaukee, Marquette education, and her personal blog. To her, it appeared professional writing was a part of her daily life. Lori inserts herself into her writing to varying degrees, and her articles had an impact on her daily life and friendship circles in return. To Lori, writing for the professions is a largely social art in which she interacts with both her audience and her subjects almost every day.
19. Fredrich, Lori. 9 Nov. 2013, Interview:
I spoke with Lori during coffee later in the week after her speech in class. Here, she reviewed my application for Milwaukee magazine and talked more about her work with social media. What I found most interesting about this discussion was her emphasis on the interconnectivity of social media, and how having an active social media account is an asset to a writer while applying for jobs. As a member of a younger generation, it has always seemed like personal social media accounts were strictly for leisure, but now I understand that they can be an extension of your professional writing as well.
20. Brandt, Deborah. ""Who's the President?"Ghostwriting and Shifting Values in Literacy." College English. 69:
This article focused more on the writer than on writing itself, when compared to what we have read in class previously. It explored the problems with separating the writer from the work, and how this can be both enriching and damaging. I liked that the article mentioned that ghostwriting can teach writers about specific topics and how to become flexible as a writer, and did not simply focus on the negatives of anonymity. Though it is certainly a struggle, I think explaining the positives can help the audience to understand why a writer may choose to ghostwrite. According to this article, professional writing is about understanding the purpose of the piece, and collaborating with an individual, corporation or idea in order to “fake” a certain persona.
21. Holstein, Jill. 14 Nov. 2013, Lecture:
Jill came in and talked about her experience with running a co-op farm and the positive aspects it has had on her health and lifestyle. While most of her speech did focus on food, she also mentioned how her skills as a marketer and social media user helped to garner her customers in ways other farmers could not do. Writing, particularly social media writing, for Jill was an extension of her passion. She described her ability to talk best about what she loves as her greatest asset; in this way, professional writing for her focused on passion.
22. 6 Nov. 2013, Meeting:
The design team met to discuss the layout and decide how the website would eventually look. Additionally, we discussed the hurdles of being associated with Marquette and what that would mean with regard to using the Marquette brand. Though we did not do much traditional writing, we did discuss appearance, message and audience while designing a layout. This reflected a number of speeches and articles we had read about professional writing, particularly in the collaborative field.
23. FAME and Undergraduate Profiles GoogleDocument, Last Edited 12 Nov. 2013:
Our group utilized a number of methods to write our article. The undergraduate profile questions were written while we were all in the same room. The FAME profile was originally written by one person and then edited by each of us until we all had equal input on the final product. Though both were significantly different methods of creating an article, they served to ensure that each writer had a say in the articles, and fit into our own schedule and work time. Here, professional writing focused on collaboration and purpose; we each new the goal of the articles and did our best to guide the writing process toward that goal.
24. Andrejasich, Elizabeth. 29 Oct. 2013, Lecture:
Elizabeth came to help us with our professional profiles and newsletter assignment during two classes. While here, she showed us the website she ran for Marquette, and talked about the importance of looking professional while remaining interesting. For her, professional writing was about balance, and being able to visualize what the audience needed.
25. Neubauer, Bethany 21 Nov. 2013, Interview:
I met with Bethany to discuss in-depth job search methods to help me find an internship this summer. Bethany told me that only a quarter of open positions were listed online, and it was important to network in order to find the positions that had not been listed or even made yet. She suggested networking, particularly via LinkedIn and emailing to help connect me to individuals that may know of jobs in the area. In this case, professional writing was about social connections and networking.