shOrt forms in business cOmmunications

Below are some frequently used short forms in business communication like e-mails, faxes and letters:



a.k.a. - also known as



On Monday morning, Kay El, a.k.a. The Boss, walked in happily and greeted her assistant, Pee Jay.



approx. - approximately



Checking her e-mail, Pee Jay read, "Today is the boss's birthday. Can everyone please slip off quietly to the cafeteria in approx. 15 minutes?"



ASAP - as soon as possible



Pee Jay opened up her daily planner and scribbled ASAP next to some of the urgent items on her to-do list.



Attn. - for the attention of



Leafing through the stack of mail to be sent out, Pee Jay asked her boss, "To whom should I address the cheque for the annual report?"



Her boss replied, "Just write 'Attn: Ms. Christine Jalleh'. She'll know what to do with it."



Bcc. - blind carbon copy or blind copy to. In this case, the carbon copy is sent to an e-mail recipient whose e-mail address is not visible to the cc or other bcc recipients.



"By the way, I think it's better if you bcc me in your e-mail to Brown. We wouldn't want him thinking that I'm supervising you for this project."



Cc. - carbon copy, or copy to



"But I would like to be cc-ed on the e-mail to Mr Green as I have not yet introduced the both of you to each other."



c/o - in care of, used when sending a document to A who will receive it on B's behalf because B is away from the office.



"Boss, I think Christine is back in China this week. Would it be all right if I sent the cheque in care of her assistant? I'll still write her name on top with c/o Ah Sis Tern below."



COD - cash on delivery, where a person makes payment for an item purchase after it has been delivered.



"I'm also sending out the cheque for the set of Business English reference books we bought COD on eBay."



e.g. - exempli gratia (for example)



Pee Jay replied to the e-mail, "Hi everyone. Please remember that the boss doesn't like surprises, e.g. everyone shouting 'Surprise!' in the cafeteria."



et al. - et alii (and others). Usually used to list co-authors after the lead author in a bibliography, this form is now popularly used to address the other people other than the recipient in e-mails.



She received a new e-mail, which read, "Dear Pee Jay et al., I was reminded that the boss does NOT like surprises ..."



etc. - et cetera (and so on OR and so forth)



This means that we will not be able to collectively surprise her by springing out of the cafeteria doors as we had planned, etc.



exc. - except



"Can everyone, exc. Pee Jay, be at the cafeteria in 5 minutes? We need to figure out a surprise without the surprise element. Thanks!"



FYI - for your information



Her boss's voice brought the young assistant back to the present, "Pee Jay, I'm forwarding you all these e-mails FYI, okay?"



FYA - for your action



"Note that some of these e-mails are FYA ..."



i.e. - id est (that is)



After acknowledging her supervisor, Pee Jay decided to help her colleagues out and typed, "She's in a good mood today, i.e. we won a new account and completed a major project."



K - thousand, e.g. 450K = 450,000



"Just to give you an idea of her mood, it's a 450K retainer for the first quarter ..."



PA - personal assistant



The immediate reply to Pee Jay's e-mail read, "Thanks for the info, Pee Jay - you're the best PA!"



p.a. - per annum (per year)



Pee Jay smiled and responded, "Haha, there is a reason why I'm paid RM65K p.a."



p.p. - per pro (used when signing a document on someone's behalf)



Looking back at her paperwork, Pee Jay signed some invoices on her boss's behalf, inserting p.p. just before her signature.



Pto. - please turn over, used at the end of a page to indicate that there is a continuity to the text.



"By the way, please remember to type Pto. on the first page of the proposal you're sending. The last time we sent it to him, he forgot to read the subsequent pages," chimed in Kay El.



viz. - videlicet, namely



She got up and left a note on Pee Jay's work station before leaving. Scribbled on it was, "Can I pass you my slice of birthday cake after I cut it? I really don't need a lot of carbo, viz. refined flour, at my age." The note ended with a wink.

Difference among CV Resume and BioData

People use the words RESUME, C.V., and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the
document highlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate
submits when applying for a job. On the surface level, all the three
mean the same. However, there are intricate differences.

RESUME

Resume Is a French word meaning "summary", and true to the word
meaning, signifies a summary of one's employment, education, and other
skills, used in applying for a new position. A resume seldom exceeds one
side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. They do not list out all
the education and qualifications, but only highlight specific skills
customized to target the job profile in question.
A resume is usually broken into bullets and written in the third person
to appear objective and formal. A good resume starts with a brief
Summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength or Industry
Expertise in keywords, followed by Professional Experience in reverse
chronological order. Focus is on the most recent experiences, and prior
experiences summarized. The content aims at providing the reader a
balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. After
Work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and
Education

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE

C.V Is a Latin word meaning "course of life". Curriculum
Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular course of study
pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than a resume,
usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. A
C.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional
affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order.
A C.V. displays general talent rather than specific skills for any
specific positions.

BIO-DATA

Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data, is the old-fashioned
terminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data is on personal
particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality,
residence, martial status, and the like. Next comes a chronological
listing of education and experience. The things normally found in a
resume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last, and
are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in
specified formats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying for middle and senior level
positions, where experience and specific skills rather than education is
important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred option for fresh
graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying for
academic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while
applying to government jobs, or when applying for research grants and
other situations where one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumes present a summary of highlights and allow the prospective
employer to scan through the document visually or electronically, to see
if your skills match their available positions. A good resume can do
that very effectively, while a C.V. cannot. A bio-data could still
perform this role, especially if the format happens to be the one
recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religion and others, and hobbies
are never mentioned in a resume. Many people include such particulars in
the C.V. However, this is neither required nor considered in the US
market. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal
particulars.