Each semester, the Jones White Writing Center offers a Business Writing Credential* which is open to all IUP students. This program offers a free certificate in effective workplace, business, and technical communication and can be added to your résumé.
According to Challenger, Gray, and Christmas (2019)† and the Forbes Human Resources Council (2022)‡, proficiency in written communication is one of the twenty-first-century skills that employers are looking for but those new to the workforce are less prepared for. Earning your Business Writing Credential can develop your written communication skills and make you more marketable in the future.
To earn your Business Writing Credential, you need to:
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Attend at least four of our Business Writing Workshops in fall 2024 or beyond
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Visit with a tutor to work on your résumé, cover letter, or other business writing-oriented document (online or in person, schedule through My IUP > Academic Support > Writing Center: Schedule a writing tutorial)
We offer multiple opportunities to attend the Business Writing Credential workshops each semester. You do not need to complete your credential in one semester, but can take multiple semesters to do so.
For questions about the Business Writing Credential, please write to JT Heslop, business writing coordinator, at fjhcc@iup.edu.
Spring 2025 Business Writing Credential Workshops
All Business Writing Credential workshops will be held in a hybrid format. Students may attend in person at the Writing Center computer lab (210 Stabley Library) or online via Zoom.
Résumé Writing Workshop — February 12, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate – Business Writing Credential Workshop
This workshop introduces students to developing the content and designing an effective résumé. We explore effective résumé samples, how to frame experience to diverse audiences, and the different content that goes in a résumé. Students also can learn new features in MS Word that will make their résumé distinctive. Students can get started on one during this workshop, or polish what they’ve already written.
Cover Letter Workshop — February 19, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate – Business Writing Credential Workshop
This workshop introduces students to writing an effective cover letter. After reviewing models of successful cover letters, we’ll discuss the purpose of the cover letter, how to tailor a cover letter to fit a specific job, and how to highlight relevant experiences. Students will get a chance to draft a cover letter for intended positions.
Writing and Designing Your Poster Presentation — March 19, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
This workshop covers creating professional poster presentations appropriate for conferences, including for the IUP’s Scholars’ Forum. Students attending this workshop will learn how to plan, design, and write their poster presentation in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, business, or professional fields. This workshop covers software options, readability, scannability, and audience awareness to create effective poster presentations.
Writing with Statistics: Data Visualization, Storytelling, and Persuasion — March 26, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential
Twenty-first-century workplace contexts require effective communication skills, and in the digital age, these skills include how to use statistics and numbers to tell stories to potential customers or the public. This workshop explores the importance of data visualization, shares strategies and suggestions for how to effectively and ethically present statistical data in both written and visual formats, and how to use these effectively for informative and persuasive purposes.
Words that Work: Strategic Language for Professional Communication — April 9, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential
A workshop based on the book Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear by Frank Luntz. This workshop explores the principles of Words that Work, including simplicity, brevity, credibility, novelty, and speaking in an aspirational tone, and gives students a chance to practice each of the principles. The workshop concludes by exploring how the strategic choice of words can be an asset in professional communication.
Word Beyond the Basics — April 16, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential
Most people use only a fraction of the many useful features in MS Word. This workshop focuses on features that are easily overlooked or hard to find, such as renumbering pages, hanging indents, modifying internal margins, and inserting a table, chart, or table of contents. This workshop is particularly useful for graduate students who are preparing to format their thesis or dissertation.
Clarity and Conciseness in Business and Professional Writing — April 23, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential
This workshop explores the critical importance of clarity and conciseness in a variety of writing contexts (including in academic and professional settings). Specifically, the workshop introduces students to the paramedic method, a method that can be used at the sentence and paragraph level to make writing more direct, active, and precise. We’ll also explore purpose and audience-driven strategies for clarity and conciseness that can be used to reduce wordiness and provide clarity.
*A credential is a non-credit-bearing cocurricular training at IUP.
†Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc (2019). “Challenger 2019 Hiring Survey: Employers Report Skills Shortages; HR in Demand”
‡Forbes Human Resources Council. “Are Employers Heading for a Talent Shortage Perfect Storm?” May 17, 2022.