No matter the career you pursue, good reading comprehension and strong writing skills matter! Here are a few situations when strong writing and reading skills come in handy in the workplace.

On your resume and cover letter

Having a clearly written, concise, and professional resume and cover letter matters when applying to any job. You’ll stand out to employers because you put thought and care into these application materials, especially if you take the time to make they have language tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. Need some help creating your first resume? Get started by using our free Resume Builder tool! Click the image below to begin.

Communicating with customers, patients, or outside partners

You may need to be in regular contact with people outside of your company, so good reading and writing skills are important! Sending emails with typos or grammar mistakes can poorly affect first impressions with customers, patients, or partners. You are representing your company here, so the ability to clearly read questions, concerns, or requests and answer them in a professional and understandable manner is key. 

Communicating with managers and coworkers

Good reading and writing skills are crucial when sending emails, writing reports, and giving presentations within your company. Showing management that you have the skills necessary to succeed in your job can go a long way!

How to improve your reading and writing skills

It can take some time and practice to sharpen these skills. Here are some of our recommendations for getting started on improving your reading and writing skills:

Writing

• Freerice.com by the United Nations World Food Program quizzes you on your vocabulary. For every question you answer correctly, you donate 10 grains of rice to people in need. The more you play (and practice your vocabulary), the more you donate!
• Download Grammarly for free onto your computer. It’ll catch your typos or awkward sentences and recommend changes to make to them. 
• Eliminate distractions. Having the TV on or listening to music while trying to write can throw you off and make it difficult to concentrate.
• Read more! The more you read, the more you'll expand your vocabulary and learn different styles of writing. We recommend starting with whatever subject interests you the most.

Reading

• Read books below your reading level. Start by reading books written for younger audiences, like middle schoolers. This will give you confidence to work your way up to reading more challenging books over time.
• Read in small chunks. Forcing yourself to read will likely result in you skimming the pages rather than actually focusing on what you’re reading. You’re more likely to remember what you read when you stop once you no longer feel engaged and take a break.
• Repeat what you read out loud. This is a great way to make sure you’re understanding what you’re reading. Take a moment to repeat or summarize what you just read out loud. If something seems off, you can always go back and re-read!
• Eliminate distractions. Having the TV on or listening to music while trying to read can throw you off and make it difficult to concentrate.
• Write more! It’s a cycle: the more you read, the better you can write. The more you write, the easier it is to read.

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