Job-related writing serves six key functions: providing practical information, stating facts, using visuals for clarity, giving accurate measurements, defining responsibilities, and persuading readers with recommendations. It emphasizes concrete language and specific details while focusing on actionable content. Effective communication avoids assumptions and supports claims with evidence to enhance understanding and efficiency.

1. CHARACTERISTICS
OF JOB RELATED
WRITING
A BRIEF OVERVIEW

2. 6 BASIC FUNCTIONS
• Provide practical information
• Give facts rather than impressions
• Supply visuals to clarify and condense information
• Give accurate measurements
• State responsibilities precisely
• Persuade and offer recommendations
Comes after answering who, why, what, how.

3. PROVIDING PRACTICAL
INFORMATION
• “Here’s what you need to know.”
• Gives only the need-to-know information. Leave everything
else out.
• Action oriented
• Instruct your reader to do something
• Knowledge oriented
• Explain what your reader needs to understand

4. GIVING FACTS,
NOT IMPRESSIONS
• What can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, or smelled
• Uses concrete language and specific details
• Emphasis on facts rather than writer’s feelings or guesses

5. VISUALS
• On the job writing makes frequent use of visuals
• Helps readers better understand a concept
• Makes detailed relationships clear to the reader
We will talk about visuals later in the semester!

6. GIVE ACCURATE
MEASUREMENTS
• Numbers are clear and convincing
• Most supervisors want to see progress in numbers THEN have
an explanation given
• Be sensitive to the unit of measurements used by clients or
partners
• Most countries use the Metric Scale of measurements
• Use numerals
• ‘1’ instead of ‘one’

7. STATE RESPONSIBILITIES
• Make it absolutely clear what you expect of the audience
• Don’t assume the reader knows how to do something
• Misunderstandings waste time and cost money!

8. PERSUASION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Persuading Readers
• Promote company image
• Convince readers about something
• Support your claims with evidence
• Offering Recommendations
• Make sure to offer plausible recommendations.
• If you do not have a recommendation, you can leave this part
out.