Designing Your Business Communication - PaperDirect Blog

December 12, 2011

Custom Business Logo Ideas

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: logo — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

When building and developing your new company, you will hear a lot of fellow business folk talk about the importance of a great business logo. Your logo is the symbol that represents your company, and while it’s not easy to come up with a great logo, it’s certainly not impossible. Some of the most well-known logos of all time include the McDonald’s Golden Arches, the Nike Swoosh, the apple for Apple, the four circles for Audi, the Puma cat, and the Coco Chanel intertwined C’s. While your business logo may not become world famous, it can certainly bring you new customers and great profits!

When meeting with logo designers, you will often hear the words “custom logo designs,” but what does this really mean? Custom business logo ideas are original, one-of-a-kind and will not be found on any product other than your own. By developing a creative and unique custom logo design, you will begin building your brand by standing out from the rest. Your custom business logo design is the basis of your brand, and it’s impossible to build a brand without a custom logo design. Could you imagine having a logo created and then seeing it, or something very similar to it, on another company’s business card or storefront? While it is your job to build your brand, it’s the logo designer’s job to build you a custom business logo that no one else has. You can find many custom logo design companies online today by searching “custom business logo design.”

Read these 5 tips for creating a great logo on the PaperDirect blog today!

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November 14, 2011

Company Business Cards That Get Attention

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: business cards — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Your company business cards say a lot about you. In one quick flash, people are handed a small card with information about your business, and they sometimes make a decision right then and there whether or not they will patronize your business in the future.

You’ve heard the saying, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” Keep that in mind as you think about a design, logo and slogan for your company business cards. But also keep in mind that in this day and age of everything electronic and innovative, it’s important to stand out from the pack. In order to do that, you may have to consider doing something outrageous like coming up with one-of-a-kind company business cards like the ones from this Odd Stuff Magazine .com

If you are looking for something more traditional, PaperDirect is your online source for professional company business cards. Here are some suggestions for making your company business cards memorable:

Eye-catching design (be sure the colors on your business card match your company’s colors)
Choose easy-to-read font (size and style)
Include all standard contact information: company name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, website URL, your name and title
Include the logo, picture or graphic image that you use consistently for all company materials
Always keep information on your business card up to date
Be succinct
Utilize the back of the business card with a discount, testimonial or coupon

To maximize the potential benefit of handing out your company business cards, carry them with you at all times, and if you give one out, ask for one in return. You can also post them on bulletin boards in grocery stores, restaurants, and anywhere that allows companies to post business cards.

PaperDirect is your online source for everything you need to make your business a huge success. From letterhead and envelopes to advertising materials like flyers and brochures, PaperDirect has it all.

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November 8, 2011

Business Stationery Ideas to Maximize its Value

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: stationery — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Your business stationery says a lot about you and your business, so it’s important to have attractive, professional business stationery to represent or communicate the image or message of your company. Here are some business stationery ideas to keep in mind as you plan out the type of business stationery you would like to use for all your company’s communication:

First and foremost, business stationery must have all necessary information and graphics organized neatly and professionally. By including the following components, you will have professional business stationery that will accurately convey who you are and what your business is about.

Your business stationery must include all of your contact information. Keep in mind that with everything electronic these days, it’s no longer sufficient to have your company name, mailing address, phone number and fax number. You must also include your email address(es), website URL, Facebook account, Twitter account, and any other social media you may use to market your business. This may seem like a lot of information to include on your stationery, but you want potential customers and clients to be able to reach you, and providing all of your contact information will also allow prospects to learn about you by reading your website, Facebook page, etc.
Your company logo, which is the image that identifies your company, should be prominently displayed on each piece of business stationery you order (envelopes, seals, letterhead, etc.). Most business owners put the company logo at the very top of the business letterhead, but you can put it wherever you like.
Another business stationery idea that will ensure your stationery looks professional and neat is to have a coordinated color scheme for all pieces of stationery. Your letterhead and envelopes must match. You really don’t want to be “artsy” when it comes to business stationery and go with wild colors that really don’t go together. Keep it simple, elegant and professional. If you are in an artistic field, then, of course, vibrant colors and interesting designs would make perfect sense.
Choose a legible font when designing your business stationery. Again, you don’t want to to fancy with your font if your company is more professional and less “fun.” You want to choose a font style and size that is easy to read. Most business stationery uses Time New Roman, Ariel, Georgia, Calibri or Verdana. You would want to avoid Gothic-like fonts, calligraphy-like fonts, and “fun” fonts like Comic Sans (unless, of course, those particular fonts match your what your company sells or serves).
The last decision you’ll have to make after choosing contact information, logo, font choices and color scheme, is the type of paper you want to use for your business stationery. You must choose a sturdy paper, known as “professional stock paper” because flimsy, less expensive paper will look cheap and the ink may bleed. It’s best not to cut corners when it comes to business stationery design for a new business.

PaperDirect has a full line of business stationery, so visit the PaperDirect for more business stationery ideas to get you up and running in no time at all.

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November 7, 2011

How to Write a Great Business Letter

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Though we live in a world in which most correspondence is accomplished electronically, the old-fashioned business letter on paper is not entirely obsolete. Writing a great business letter is a skill that all business owners must have, and if you require your employees to write business letters, you must provide them with the education on how to write a great business letter, too.

Younger employees, especially, are very dependent upon writing/corresponding using only electronic media, but there may come a time when they will be called upon to write a business letter the old-fashioned way–in paragraph format to be printed out and mailed (or sent electronically). Here are some tips to write a great business letter:

Keep it short by avoiding useless words and unnecessary information.
Avoid cliches and other trite sayings.
Use familiar language.
Use short sentences and paragraphs.
Write in conversational style, if appropriate (if it’s more formal, then use more formal language).
Get to the point quickly (in the first paragraph).
Stay on topic.
Be sincere, friendly and professional.

When writing a great business letter, it’s important to use only active verbs, not passive. Here is an example of a passive verb phrase. Note how long-winded and formal it sounds:

The documentation of the purchase will be provided by our marketing staff two weeks from today. (passive voice)
Our marketing staff will provide documentation of the purchase two weeks from today. (active voice)

Active voice is more informal and more akin to how we speak to other people in everyday conversation.

There are basically two formats used when writing a great business letter: block and modified block style.

To learn more about business letter writing and other aspects of being part of a successful business, please read other PaperDirect blogs on the subject of branding your business. And don’t forget to look at PaperDirect’s full line of business stationery, brochures, and business cards.

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October 17, 2011

Fall Newsletters

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Keep your employees and your customers informed with Fall Newsletters. Fall Newsletters are perfect for sales updates, recognizing employee anniversaries, safety issues, new product information and other important company happenings.

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September 12, 2011

Make a Good First Impression with Eye Catching Business Cards

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: business cards — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Make a great first impression with fabulous business cards. Make sure your clients remember you and your business with eye-catching colors, a great logo, and a brilliant tag line. PaperDirect makes this easy with a wide variety of business cards, your sure to find the perfect design for your business.

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August 22, 2011

The Key to Success is a Great Tagline

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: tagline — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Just do it. Don’t leave home without it. Reach out and touch someone. The quicker-picker-upper. The king of beers. Have it your way. Do the Dew.

What are these? Great taglines. Great taglines are the crucial ingredient in the recipe for success. Taglines are memorable, they catch our attention, and they succinctly explain the product or service at hand and how it benefits consumers. A great tagline is a must for a business to thrive.

Great taglines typically capture three elements:

Your mission
Your promise
Your brand

Coming up with a great tagline can be quite challenging, and it’s sometimes the number one obstacle new companies face as they try to open their doors. Many companies focus too much on what the product or service is and not enough on what it offers.

Here are some tips on how to create a great tagline:

Understand your true mission and be clear. Oftentimes, business owners put too much effort into being clever rather than clear. Decide what you are offering and stick with it.
Understand the benefits of your product or service to the consumer and focus on them. By adding benefits to a tagline, you’re telling the consumer what is in it for him and what he can get from your company. Instead of focusing on how great your product or service is, focus on how it will benefit the consumer. Benefits equal better business.
Add branding to your tagline and differentiate yourself from the competition. Show your business’ personality and give people a sample of what your business is all about.

Paper Direct has a large selection of business cards and business products.

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August 15, 2011

10 Helpful Business Card Tips

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: business cards — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Your business card is a marketing tool that must say lot in a limited space. The right business card can be the key to a thriving business. Here are 10 helpful business card tips for the large and small business owner:

Communicate more than just your contact information with a creative, catchy tag line.
Order a large number of cards as this will reduce the cost of making the business cards.
Avoid the use of clip art for your business logo; have a logo professionally designed that is unique to your company. You can have a logo designed for as little $30.
Be sure to include your company’s URL on your business card. The absence of a web address may cause you to lose credibility.
Keep all of your information current. There is nothing worse than calling a business and getting a “disconnected number” message.
Keep the language and font on the card simple. Make sure your main message does not get lost. Make the card easy to read.
Limit your business card to the standard size of 3.5″ X 2″. Anything different will not fit into standard business card holders.
Be sure your business card reflects your image. A funeral home business card should not be flashy and colorful. Keep somber tones for more somber companies and save the artsy images for the flashier companies.
Be sure the company name is the bit of information that stands out the most on the business card.
Keep your business cards with you at all time: car, home, office, and wallet or purse.

Keep these helpful business card tips in mind as you market your new company. Paper Direct has a full line of business cards from which to choose.

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July 25, 2011

Stand Out With These Unique Resume Ideas

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: resume, resume help — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

In today’s tough job market, it takes a little creativity to stand out from all the rest of the applicants for a particular job. While a professional-looking, neat, succinct resume will certainly get the job done (no pun intended), it may not really stand out from a stack of 200 or 300 other resumes.

One thing to keep in mind as you ponder creative resume ideas is that more is not always better. A resume that is too “busy” or has too many graphics may actually hurt your chances of being considered for the position. You can be creative without being excessive. Here are some unique resume ideas that my put yours on the top of the stack:

3-D resume
Flyer resume
Fabric resume
Fold-up resume
Infographic resume (indicate job history with colored pie chart or show education with a color-coded timeline)
Magazine cover resume (set up your resume to resemble the cover of a magazine)
Newspaper classified ad resume (design your resume to look like the classified ads section of a newspaper)

To make your resume unique, you can design it based on the job for which you’re applying. An example of this would be for an illustrator to build a resume that resembles a common type of illustration (a comic book, perhaps). Teachers could put their information into the shape of an apple or make their resume look like a chalkboard. As long as the resume is original and not cutesy or immature, the prospective employer will probably be impressed with your initiative and creativity. A poet or some other type of writer might consider putting his/her resume information into verse format or have the resume paper resemble a scroll. Applying for a bartender position? Put your information in the shape of a martini glass. That will surely get the employer’s attention! When it comes to unique resume ideas, the possibilities are endless.

If you’d rather stick with a more traditional resume format, please view these resume samples, but if you’re looking for something more creative, you may want to try some of the ideas mentioned above (or maybe you have some unique resume ideas up your sleeve!).

Regardless of the type of resume you create, it’s important to use good quality resume paper and to include a business card if you have one. With so many people looking for work, you really must have e a unique resume to get noticed.

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July 11, 2011

Need Inspiration? Try These 10 Creative Business Card Design Tips

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: business cards — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Here are some business card design tips that will help you create an attractive, appealing business card that lets others know who you are and what your business is all about:

Use vibrant colors to pique interest or emphasize something but no more than 3-4 different colors
Use colors from your logo or other marketing materials
Only include a photo if it’s a very good one of you and appropriate
Avoid the use of clip art on your business card—use images that are unique to you and your business
Keep the colors, style and language consistent with your website and other marketing materials
Text should be aligned left; centered text is sometimes difficult to read and put text on front of card only
Avoid unusual, difficult-to-read fonts, font that is too small, or more than one or two fonts and avoid light-colored font
Keep the information clean and simple. Avoid visual overload such as maps, multiple locations, appointment information, etc. Folded business cards are an excellent choice when you have a great deal of information to convey.
Make sure your business card design matches the overall theme of your business.
Don’t deviate from the standard size and shape of business cards (3.5 x 2”) so it fits into most wallets, business card holders and business card scanners

If you follow these simple business card design tips, you may notice more

customers and clients coming through your doors.Paper Direct has a full line of business cards and business card holders. Please shop online today at www.paperdirect.com to find all your paper office needs.

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May 9, 2011

Pick the Perfect Font for Any Occasion

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: branding strategy, custom stationery, fonts — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Every day we look at fonts of all types whether we realize it or not. A font is defined as “a complete assortment of type of one style and size”. In other words, a font is the letters you see that make up the words you read. Whether you’re reading a newspaper or book, looking at emails or even the crawl running along the bottom of the screen on ESPN, you’re looking at a font. Choosing the right font for every occasion is important.

Not only does a font deliver information in words, but it also delivers a “feeling” with its style. There are literally tens of thousands of fonts available and choosing the “right” one can be a real challenge. Depending on the purpose of the document or paper, there are a few font styles that work quite well for a variety of uses.

If you want an easy-to-read document, then you’re looking for what’s called a “Sans Serif” font. That means there are no little “tails” off of any of the letters. While they usually aren’t very fancy, they are easy to read and less expensive to print. Samples of this type of font are Calibri, Arial and Berlin Sans. Any font that has “Sans Serif” in its title will be of this style.

For a somewhat more business-like flair, you’ll want to use a font with serifs. These fonts are a tad harder to read, but have a more professional look than the “draft” sans serif styles. Perhaps the best known font of this style is Times New Roman which is the most common closely followed by Courier, unless you’re in banking where Copperplate was also very common.

For formal occasions like weddings and formal party invitations you can expect to see a script or calligraphic style font. These are very flowing, cursive style fonts which add a layer of beauty and grace to the documents. These often get used in logos and letterheads to portray a level of elegance to the business. Fonts like this are MT Script, Monotype Corsiva and Lucinda Calligraphy.

Choosing the right font for the occasion can be just as impactful as the words being used. You don’t want something too formal for casual documents, nor do you want a casual font for a formal or business document. And there are “play” fonts like Comic Sans Serif which you can use to make fun signs and even symbolic fonts like Widgets that you can use for math symbols and even shapes. To have a successful document, whether it’s a business letter or a wedding invitation, using the right font for the job will get it done.

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May 2, 2011

Fantastic Newsletter Designs!

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Use newsletters to communicate to your employees about what is happening from safety to birthdays and anniversaries. Newsletter can also be used to communicate to your customer about product and business information.

Swirly Sun Newsletter

Bright Future Newsletter

Friendly Neighborhood Homes Newsletter

Hands Holding Plant Newsletter

Sunflower Garden Newsletter

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April 25, 2011

Handwritten Notes Leave A Strong Impression In Today’s Electronic World

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

With the speed of business in today’s economic world, it seems like every bit of communication going on is either by email, cell phone, Twitter or Facebook. Big business even uses their own in-house instant messaging and collaboration systems to make sure everyone is working off of the newest information possible. This need for speed has relegated the handwritten note to the Post-it note category, and depersonalized virtually everything. But a real live handwritten note can really make a huge impression on whoever receives it.

There are lots of occasions when you want to add that extra level of personal touch to a correspondence. When it comes to reaching out to a potential client, or growing a relationship with an existing one, handwritten correspondence reaches a level that no email or phone call can. By having high quality, personalized stationery to add that special touch, it also means more to the recipient because they know you’ve taken the time and effort to become a bit more personal with your correspondence.

Whether it’s a handwritten thank you note to the HR manager who interviewed you for a potential job, the salesman who wants to add that personal touch to encourage a call or commitment, all the way through the CEO who sends a personal note of congratulations for a job well done, when it comes to making someone feel like they are personally appreciated, nothing shows that as well as a handwritten note. Anyone who receives a handwritten note expressing appreciation and gratitude for who they are and what they do brings a smile to their face.

Making connections in business is everything. Good products and great service are only one part of a much bigger picture and finding the ways and means to create and strengthen those connections is vital to the strength of a business. Handwritten notes can do that in ways that gifts and phone calls just can’t do because people appreciate the fact that a person takes the time to relate to them as a person. You really can’t do that in an email.

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April 11, 2011

Job Interview Thank You Note – Choosing the Right Response

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: resume, wording — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Read on to learn how to write your best job interview thank you note. In today’s tight job market, we have to do everything we can to ensure we’re noticed. Human resource departments are inundated with applications and resumes every time a job opening is available, so doing things to stand out takes a little extra effort. Not only do you need to use high quality paper for your resume and cover letter, but you have to really hit all the bases just right simply to get a job interview. If you’re lucky enough to get that job interview, one way to continue showing that you’ll be an exceptional employee is to respond with a job interview thank you note.

As with the resume and cover letter, you have to be very careful with your thank you response for job interview. While you do want to express gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the job interview, you don’t want to overdo it. Nor do you want to appear too anxious to get some type of response from the prospective employer. Keeping that careful balance between showing appreciation and wanting to become an employee without being overbearing is necessary.

Using phrases like “I appreciate the opportunity of the job interview” and “looking forward to the challenges and opportunities working for your company presents” are good. These show you do appreciate the time and effort they’ve taken during the job interview and that you’re thinking ahead about the job that’s available. But you don’t want to overdo it.

Avoid going overboard with an excessive show of gratitude. While companies know you need a job, coming across with a sycophantic attitude won’t get you the job. Neither will wording that shows you assume you’ve got the job either. Being aggressive or arrogant won’t win you any Brownie points and may actually cost you the job in the process.

Some interviewees won’t bother to send a job interview thank you note at all. While sending one is definitely appropriate, keep in mind that balance has to be the main priority when writing it. A well worded job interview thank you note can be the key to getting that great job. But a thank you note that goes overboard can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Products shown above

Patterned Thank You Rhubarb Note Card

Simplicity Personalized Note Card

Royal Notecard

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April 4, 2011

How To Properly Resize An Image Or Logo

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: logo — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

In today’s world, graphics are everywhere. From the little image you click on to start your favorite word processor to the massive logo on the side of the blimps that televise the overhead views from sports events, graphics of various sizes are on almost everything in existence. However, having a logo or image resized to fit our needs can be a truly challenging task and if the technique to resize an image is done wrong, the image can look messy.

First, there are several things to take into consideration. The most important factor is are we taking an image from a large size to a smaller size, or are we trying to make a small one larger? Going down in size is relatively easy whereas going up in size can be almost, if not totally, impossible.

The variance is in the fact that digital images are stored as pixels, or Picture Elements. These are little squares of color on our computer screens that represent one speck or spot of color in the picture. The more pixels in the original, the larger the image is, but the quality is usually very good. Conversely, the fewer blocks there are, the grainer or chunkier the picture or logo is. Taking a small logo with very few blocks in it and trying to make those few blocks “cover” a large area usually looks terrible. The only real way to fix that is to recreate the logo. There are many design programs like Adobe Illustrator that are used to create and work with logos like this.

As for larger pictures, even the cheapest of cell phones that have cameras are now 1.3 megapixels while the newer cameras in phones are 3 MP or higher. Many of the newer digital cameras are in the 8 to 12 MP range which makes for some very nice pictures. The only drawback is using those pictures in emails can take forever. Instead of an 8 by 10 paper photograph, most people feel that a 3 by 5 works perfectly well. And by that same token, posting pictures to Facebook or Myspace and in emails, a smaller picture is perfectly acceptable as well.

In order to shrink a picture properly, most people use a third party application like Irfanview or Adobe Photoshop to manipulate them even online sites like Picasa enable you to work on and edit your pictures as you post them. The key is to make sure you maintain the proper aspect ratio. That is the correct length of the picture versus the height. Maintaining that ratio keeps your picture from looking squashed out and flat or pinched up and too tall.

Resizing images doesn’t have to be a frightful task. A few moments and the right software can take a huge, but awesome picture and let you share all that awesomeness with the rest of the world. Just a few mouse clicks and you’ll be done and it’ll be sent and on it’s way.

Images shown above

Simple Gradient Yellow Business Card

Perennial Greens 3-Panel Brochure

Japanese Garden PostCard

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March 21, 2011

4 Tips to Make Your Image More Professional

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: resume — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

When a business is small, being a bit informal and relaxed is totally acceptable. However, when your business grows, or you’ve developed a lead for an important client, up scaling your image is necessary. There are a few professions where having your own “space” is reasonable, as with artists and highly skilled individuals, but most of the time, clients expect to work with a certain level of professionalism. That’s where making your image more professional will profit you greatly. Here are 4 quick tips:

1. While kicking around in a t-shirt and jeans can work with various professions, when it comes to working with the public, there needs to be a level of cleanliness and orderliness to your appearance. While a suit and tie may be needed under certain circumstances, many times a simple button down shirt or polo with khaki’s or even jeans is perfectly reasonable.

2. Change the quality of supplies you use for correspondence. Instead of using plain white paper, use personalized stationery on good quality paper. Using a higher quality paper will add a level of professionalism to any document. Don’t rely entirely on electronic correspondence for everything. Clients and customers appreciate being able to hold something in their hands as well.

3. Send a physical thank you card or letter of appreciation will add a layer of professionalism to your approach. There are lots of great thank you cards available and adding a hand written note inside will ensure your clients know you appreciate their patronage.

4. Don’t do everything on a PDA. Carrying a portfolio or leather covered pad to make notes on will show the customer you’re truly paying attention to their needs

There are lots of little things you can do to sharpen up your image but these four are a quick and dirty list that really has a visual impact on what your customers and clients see. Regardless of how high the quality of your work actually is, appearance is everything.

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March 14, 2011

Help Your Next Business Fundraiser Succeed With Custom Raffle Tickets

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: tickets — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

A lot of businesses either help with fund raising for various charities or are non-profits and use raffles to promote awareness and to raise funds as well. Being able to make your own custom raffle tickets gives the ability to reduce expenses since the job to make the tickets isn’t being sent to a print company and it also enables you to print as many tickets as you want. This means a raffle can have 100 tickets or 10,000 tickets if you like. Not only that, but creating your own tickets mean you control every aspect of the raffle process.

Blank raffle tickets are very inexpensive and you can get a template for your favorite word processor so making the tickets at your business or home is a breeze. Tickets are designed to be torn in half after you fill out the information on it so you have to design your tickets accordingly. The side with the information is fairly straightforward. All you need is a blank for the person’s name, the address (optional) and a phone number to contact them in case they win.

You can use the other side for anything that’s necessary. Not only can you put the charity info on it, sponsor info, a picture of the grand prize, how much the ticket is, but you can put anything else that seems appropriate. Usually you want the ticket to be a part of the sell process, so having color on it to attract attention is a good thing as well. Since the purchaser is going to keep that part, having advertising info for the sponsor and the charity means whoever sees the stub will see the ads which encourages more people to sponsor raffles.

Don’t forget the back of the ticket stub as well. This area often gets overlooked as a way to include sponsor information or more information about the charity or reason for the raffle. Depending on the size of the ticket, a lot of information can be placed on both sides. Don’t forget to put the date of the drawing somewhere so the ticket-holder will know when to expect a call if they win.

Custom raffle tickets are a great way to raise money. Since they can be used to raffle off anything from a gas grill all the way through a car, they’re inexpensive and easy to sell. The ability to create your own custom raffle tickets gives you all kinds of flexibility. They give you the ability to advertise easily with a minimum of cost.

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March 7, 2011

3 Resume Examples

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: resume, resume help — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

To land that next job, you’ll more than likely have to submit a resume. HR departments get flooded with resumes whenever a job opening is posted, so having a resume ready will save you from having to rush around to make one. But, you want to custom tailor each resume you send out, since some experiences will be more important than others to different employers. While the basic structure of a resume is relatively standard, there are different things you can do to stand out. Here are three sample resume examples you can base your own off of:

Regardless of how you do your resume, you want it on good rag bond paper. At the top, you’ll want your name and address in a clean, easy to read font. Centered is usually most effective, but to the left and right can work as well with a divider line. Here’s a couple of resume examples.

John Doe
123 Anystreet
Your Town, Your State 12345
Home: (123) 456-7890 Cell: (123) 456-7890
Email address: johndoe@emailaddress.com

While there are variations on this, different fonts and styles, this is the basic options. As for the main body, you’ll want to highlight the last couple of jobs as well as whatever specific highlights from your career that is pertinent to the new job. Custom tailor the resume to each job you’re applying for to emphasize skills.

For instance, say you’re a graphics designer with a lot of video experience. You’ll list your job experience, but tailor the duties for each job you’re looking at applying for. For a print job, a resume example would be:

“Has experience with Adobe Creative Suite with emphasis on Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.”

Whereas a video based job may read:
“Has experience with Adobe Creative Suite with emphasis on Flash Catalyst, After Effects and Encore”

And for a web designer position the description in this resume example would read:
“Has experience with Adobe Creative Suite with emphasis on Dreamweaver, Flash Builder and Fireworks.”

All three statements are true, yet pointed directly at the job you’re applying for. Other skills are implied, but in the interest of saving valuable real estate on a resume, only the most pertinent details are emphasized.

Lastly, you’ll want to put your education and references on the second page. Limit your resume to 2 pages as the HR people won’t take the time to go through an extensive one. Put your education on top, with emphasis on degrees and activities that pertain specifically to the job. And tailor your references the same way. Those references who will attest to your skill set for the job you’re applying for will be the most effective.

Making a resume specific to the job is going to be the best way to get that next job. A generic resume may be acceptable, but customizing each resume will give you a much better chance of going for the interview and getting that next job.

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February 28, 2011

Letterheads for Medical and Dental Offices

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: letterhead — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Create an image of professionalism for your medical or dental office with these Medical & Dental Letterheads.

Beating Heart Letterhead

Smiling Tooth Letterhead

Health Care Letterhead

RX Letterhead

Test Tubes Letterhead

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February 21, 2011

How to Write a Cover Letter

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

The first impression you get to make when applying for a job is more than likely going to be your cover letter on your resume. While a solid, well executed resume is going to be essential to getting that job, that first impression your cover letter delivers will be key. HR personnel are geared to filter through resumes in any way possible, so making sure you write a cover letter well keeps yours from getting kicked out right off the bat.

To write an effective cover letter is a balance of appreciation, hope and promise. You’ll want to express appreciation for the opportunity to apply for the job. In today’s job market, you want to let people know that you do appreciate opportunities.

Next, you’ll want to express the hope you’ll be interviewed and hired. Not only that, but you want to express the hope that you’ll have a positive impact on the company. Being a team player and up-building the company before you’re even hired is going to leave the reader with a positive impression and impact them with your desire to be a part of the company.

Last, when you write a cover letter you want to express how your skill set would be a benefit to the company. You want to leave them with the impression that your skills are exactly what they’re looking for and then some. This will leave them with the impression you’ve got a lot of promise to help boost the company’s bottom line.

To close, recap with a couple of sentences reinforcing the hope and promise statements, then close with one last statement of appreciation. This leaves the reader with an overall positive impression of you. You’ll have set up your resume and your desire to work for the company. HR personnel are used to seeing a bunch of bland cover letters, so having one positively impact them will be a big help to your job search.

Letterhead paper shown above

Authority Blue Letterhead

President Red Letterhead

Royal Letterhead

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