Category: Business Writing

Super Star Resume is an Executive Writing Services company with offices all over the world. Its reputation has grown as a result of many satisfied clients landing jobs at Amazon, Google, Marriott, Bank of America, Oracle, Disney, and other companies. It also serves a diverse clientele, including graduates, entrepreneurs, IT, HR, education, marketing professionals, and more.

They are committed to exceeding their clients’ expectations by providing unlimited rewrites and ensuring 100% customer satisfaction. It has a dedicated team of HR experts, resume writers, and customer service professionals, and it is headed by CEO Steven Mostyn.

Steven and his team have earned a reputation as expert resume writers and world leaders in job-hunting strategies over the last 20 years.

More about Steven

Steven has an MBA in Human Resource Management from Centenary University. He is a LinkedIn Recruiter Recognized Expert and the author of three Amazon best-sellers on job search and recruitment tactics. Steven also owns a recruiting firm called Alpha IT Recruitment.

Process

Among the best features of Super Star Resume is that it is dedicated to meeting the needs of each client. It also has a highly personalized approach to customer service offering a free 1-on-1 in-take consultation.

Clients can choose to do an intake call or send their documentation directly including resume, a hyperlink to their LinkedIn, cover letter, or notes for an executive bio. In addition, they need to fill out a client assessment form. Clients are free to make any additional calls for no extra charge. Super Star Resume works with clients until they are satisfied with their work.

This enables it to truly understand the needs of its clients while tailoring and customizing resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and Executive Bios. They offer unlimited rewrites with each order and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Ratings

Over the years, the majority of reviews on sites and platforms have consistently ranked Super Star Resume as one of the best in its industry. Clients often comment on Super Star Resume’s rapid turnaround times, high quality of work, as well as personal and attentive customer service.

Super Star Resume offers superb value. There are no limitations on emails or intake calls. They offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee and all pricing is relatively affordable in comparison to its competitors. The turnaround time is also very quick. All this results in exceptional customer satisfaction.

Turnaround Time

The turnaround time ranges between 24 and 75 hours, depending on whether the client orders a single or combination package.

Pricing

Prices range from $5 for a quick resume review to $750 dollars for a full combination package. All orders (other than the quick resume review) include:

A 1-1 exploratory intake call with a leading resume writing expert
Keyword Optimized Resume, LinkedIn, or both
A Cover Letter, Thank You Letter, or Executive Bio, or all three
All documents are edited by an experienced professional editor
Unlimited Rewrites on all documents

Executive Resume

Secured Payment
$799.99
1-on-1 Intake session with leading resume expert to customize your resume
Keyword optimized resumes designed to get interest from hiring managers and recruiters
All resumes are edited by a professional editor
Unlimited rewrites allowed, ensuring 100% customer satisfaction

Executive Resume + Cover Letter

Secured Payment
$899.99
Everything that is included in the “Executive Resume package”
Custom cover letter to help you get noticed by hiring managers and recruiters.
Engaging Cover letters that will get you the right attention
Unlimited rewrites allowed, ensuring 100% customer satisfaction

The Writing Guru

4.0

★★★★★

Wendi Weiner, a professional writer with a background as a university professor and lawyer, founded The Writing Guru in 2010. Wendi has been recognized as a top executive resume writer and has been featured in publications such as HuffPost, Forbes, and Thrive Global.

The Writing Guru specializes in the creation of resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters for senior attorneys, seasoned executives, and C-suite and board members. Wendi oversees each project from start to finish and does not delegate work to other writers.

Process

Wendi reviews clients’ existing resume, a personalized questionnaire, and provides a one-hour meeting. She carefully crafts a resume which is tailored to clients goals and experience.

Wendi also creates a detailed cover letter that highlights their experience and achievements. She keeps each client updated throughout the process, and if necessary will request additional information over email or follow up calls.

Rating

The Writing Guru has received a 90/100 rating from https://www.findmyprofession.com. Besides that, The Writing Guru has attained 5/5 ratings from customers on Yelp. We have chosen the Writing Guru as our number two pick because of the attention given to clients and quality of work. However, turnaround time can be quite slow.

Turnaround Time

Projects are typically 15 to 20 hours in length and include more than three hours of coaching and counseling. The Writing Guru provides different tiered packages tailored to the type of client served. Because Wendi gives careful attention to her clients. This means that the turnaround time for a resume and cover letter package is between 14 to 21 days.

Pricing

The Resume Writing Guru offers two main packages described below:

C-Suite, General Counsel, BOD, International Execs

Standard Resume Package

$2,695

Executive resume which is inclusive of includes two rounds of revision
Unlimited email support is provided after the project is approved
A Master cover letter
Pre- and post-strategy calls

Premium Branding

$3,595

All Standard Resume Package features, a
Full LinkedIn profile optimization and a strategy call

Premium Branding Plus Bio

$4,995

All Premium Resume Package features,
C-Suite/Board Bio

Ultimate Branding

$8,495

All Premium Branding Package features includes:

Thank you letter,
Networking e-note letters,
One-page networking resume
Interview coaching call

Senior Executives, Executive Managers, Business Leaders

Standard Resume

$2,395

Executive resume
Two rounds of revisions
Unlimited email support (after the project is approved)
A master cover letter,
Pre- and post-strategy calls

Premium Branding

$3,095

All Standard Resume Package includes:

Full LinkedIn profile optimization
Strategy call

Premium Branding Plus Bio

$4,195

All Premium Resume Package includes:

C-Suite/Board Bio

Ultimate VIP Branding

$7,895

All Premium Branding Package includes

Thank you letter,
Networking e-note letters
One-page networking resume
Interview training call

Career Steering

4.0

★★★★★

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas founded Career Steering in the early 2000s as a certified resume writer and career coach with a background as a senior level executive.

For the past ten years, the company has provided premium resume writing services to C-suite executives, general managers, and board-level leaders. It not only provides personalized, one-on-one resume consulting and writing, in addition to career branding services.

Process

Rosa creates all of her own resumes. One of her certified executive writing assistants handles the research, editing, and provisional preparation.

Rating

According to https://www.findmyprofession.com’s Career Steering Review, which took into account price and customer satisfaction, Career Steering received a 75/100 rating. Additionally, Google users have given Career Steering 4.8/5 ratings, which means It’s far better than average. We chose Career Steering because of its dedication to client experience.

Turnaround Time

The turnaround time for a finished resume is four plus weeks with back-and-forth consultation as necessary because clients work directly with Rosa. The introductory Career Steering package comes with a resume, cover letter, and a LinkedIn profile that is search optimized.

Pricing

Career Steering also offers a premium resume writing service for $1,695 that includes a one-hour resume branding and value proposition session, a career assessment personal branding questionnaire, two rounds of edits, and edit phone calls.

180° Career Acceleration Executive Branding

$2,295

Branded executive resume with tailored graphics comes in three formats: Word, PDF, and ASCII, LinkedIn profile and SEO optimization,
Position-customized cover letter comes in2 formats Word and ASCII
Job search handouts

270° Brand Reputation Executive Branding

$2,795

All 180° Career Acceleration Executive Branding Package includes:

Modern-looking bio with tailored graphics.
These come in three formats: Word, PDF, and ASCII

360° Career Steering Executive Branding

$3,995

All 270° Brand Reputation Executive Branding Package includes:

LinkedIn development and SEO optimization
Customized LinkedIn background
Sending out to a wide network of recruiters and venture capital firms
Personal branding networking resume or personal branding video
Thank-you letter
Unlimited email communications

TopResume

4.0

★★★★★

TopResume was founded in 2014 and now employs over 1,200 writers, certified career coaches, recruiters, and seasoned human resource professionals with experience in over 65 industries.

Process

TopResume combines resume writers’ expertise with detailed feedback from resume-scanning technology, which screens applications based on keyword strength. This one-of-a-kind approach meets the satisfaction of hiring managers and ATS machines.

TopResume allows clients to submit a copy of their resume for a free review, which includes feedback on the layout, and how effectively it conveys their skills and expertise.

Rating

When compared to other resume writing services, TopResume’s average rating on Trustpilot is reasonable. Based on 9,951 reviews, they have a rating of 4.4 out of 5. A significant 11% of the reviews, however, are below average. Many reviewers comment on their resume’s poor quality. We chose TopResume as our number four pick because of its wide client base and its quicker than most turn around time.

Turnaround Time

The company’s writing team collaborates with each client to produce the first draft of a resume in about a week. Clients have another seven days to provide feedback and up to two rounds of revisions. This means that the process takes between one and two weeks to complete.

One of the TopResume team members then makes personalized recommendations for improvement. The company will rewrite a client’s resume if it is not rewritten within 60 days. Compared to other executive writing services, the process is relatively quick, lasting between one and two weeks.

Professional Growth

$149

Professionally written resume

Career Evolution

$219

Professionally written resume,
Tailored cover letter
Sixty-day interview guarantee

Executive Priority

$349

All Career Evolution Package features a LinkedIn optimization

Briefcase Coach

4.0

★★★★★

January 18, 2022July 16, 2022

Sarah Johnson is the CEO of Briefcase Coach and a former corporate recruiter and development professional. She assists executives in achieving their career objectives through creating professional resumes and offering career coaching.

It also serves graduates and non-executives. However, Briefcase Coach‘s main expertise is in current recruitment process trends and ATS software, with a focus on executives. It assists them with career branding, networking, interviewing training, and resume writing.

Process

Sarah will conduct a 60-90 minute intake and strategy call to start off the process. The goal of this session is to assist her in understanding each client’s strengths, objectives, and accomplishments. Sarah then spends 12 to 20 hours per resume creating a customized resume from scratch.

Rating

Briefcase Coach received an 85/100 rating. It also has attained a 4.9/5 rating on Google customer reviews. This is considered above average for the industry. Although this looks quite impressive, because of Briefcase Coaches narrow focus, we have selected them as our number five pick.

Turnaround Time

From consultation to the final draft, it can take up to seven business days. She also helps executives with cover letters and helps them to improve their networking, LinkedIn, personal outreach, and job search and interview skills.

Compact Briefcase

$1,500+

60-90 minute consultation,
Customized resume,
Tailored cover letter

Portfolio Briefcase

$2,000+

Two 30-minute job search coaching calls,
One-hour interview coaching call,
Executive bio,
Email and text assistance

Attache

$2,799+

LinkedIn profile branding,
One-hour mock interview (recorded),
Thirty minutes of LinkedIn skills consulting,
Email and text support

The Bottom Line

With so many executive writing services to choose from, you may find yourself scratching your head. Many businesses provide similar services. After all, their primary goal is to increase their client’s chances of success in the job market.

Executive resume writing services have never been more in demand. The world is still recovering from being rocked by COVID and economic events that have resulted in higher unemployment.

Our top five firms are those who we believe provide the best value, quality, and customer service. We chose Super Star Resume because of its commitment to achieving customer satisfaction, value for money, and personal attention to their clients’ needs. They also have a more diverse set of clients than many of their competitors.

Writing Process: Planning, Organizing, Writing and Reviewing

Hand planning a business using a notepad

Writing Process: Planning, Organizing, Writing and Reviewing

Suggested Pre-Reading

Building Blocks of Writing: Vocabulary, Spelling and Grammar

Also consider

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Business Writing

In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Business Writing. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.

Library’s Communications Blog

Planning and Organizing Your Writing

When people struggle to write, it is often because they did not start by planning and organizing their writing. For example, you need to consider:

Who is your audience?
What are your goals with that audience, that is, what key points do you want to convey to them?
What kind of writing style best appeals to them?
So how should you design your writing?

Consider this table:

(Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant)

Type of correspondence

Letters (external)

Decision

Good news
Bad news

Persuasion

Networking
Sales
Requests

Memos, reports (internal)

Research reports
Status reports
Meeting reports
Trip reports
Progress reports
Procedure
Newsletters
Request for action

E-mail

Fax

Transparencies

Audience

Direction

Up–management
Down–associates
Across–peers
Out–customers

Reader analysis

Decision maker
Customer/client
Regulator
Expert/ non-expert
Technician
Operator
Manager

Task, relationship, and image

Purpose

Tone

Turn on/off
Connotation/ denotation

Style

Formal
Informal
Conversational
Personal
Impersonal

Correctness

Grammar
Spelling
Proofreading

Strength

Concision
Active Voice

Relationship issues

You” focus
Positive
Empathic
Inclusive
Problem solving
Collaborative

Organized for the reader

Indirect

Direct

Methods of development

Order of importance
By time
By space, etc.

Layouts

Headings

Data

Graphs

Illustrations

Writing for Readability

(Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities Consultant)

Make your writing visually appealing, well organized, and simple to take in and remember. Even though you write for a captive reader, do not assume that he or she will be fascinated with what you have to say.

Use headings and subheadings

Help speed recognition of what the page contains. Use headings to communicate a sense of order and conciseness. Make your communication look planned, coherent, and forthright. Order is important. Start with a statement of your purpose for writing. Add the when, who, how, and where details that you have organized into some rational order. Say what you think about the above, and end with a summary. Put endless tables of data in an appendix.

Don’t tax your reader’s power to take in information

Straight text looks formidable. The reader braces himself or herself for an ordeal–for heavy going. Because we humans have relatively limited capacities for information processing, you should present your information in bite-sized chunks, which your reader may then quickly note and take in. Keep paragraphs
short–seven lines of type at the most. The shorter, the more irresistible your paragraphs are.

Put key ideas in indented paragraphs where they will be noticed. Just as you noticed this paragraph.

Look for opportunities to use numbered or bulleted lists. Numbers designate order or hierarchy. If your word-processing program does not create bullets, you can create them by filling in lower-case o’s with a felt pen. Remember to make all the items in your lists grammatically parallel and to add no punctuation
because the list is its own punctuation.

Use white space as a foil

White space is not random nothingness. It is a tool; use it! White space is functional when it works to lift your ideas off the page and into your reader’s mind. Be concerned with the use of margins and the consistency of spacing between lines and paragraphs. A 60-character line or less will help your reader track correctly through your text. And keep white space white (clean). Eliminate visual nuisances such as fancy borders or prominent logos.

Use a style sheet

For consistency, design template files with your preferred page layouts for letters, reports, and memos. Save these settings in separate files and lock them. Some word processors have a styles feature to facilitate paragraph formatting. Style sheets save you time because you make the small but important decisions involved in formatting your written communications just once. Style sheets also help you create a consistent, professional image.

Add visual appeal

Add personality and drama to your correspondence by incorporating hand-written notations, graphic illustrations, and charts. Graphics attract. Use graphics to break up the page and to lead the reader’s eye right to where you want it — perhaps to the second and third pages of a long memo.

Checklists, sidebars, summaries, tables, graphs, hand-written notations, and cartoons will add to the visual appeal of the page. (Exception: Place series of tables and graphs in an appendix.)

Use restraint

Sparingly employ italics, boldface, underlining, upper-case type, asterisks, and changes of font or type size. Too much variety creates an impression of complexity or messiness. Eliminate noise, such as unnecessary periods at the end of items in a list and parentheses after the numbers in a list.

Highlight important text

To draw attention to important material, place a border around a short passage. See your word-processing manual for how to add 5-points of space around the type.

Formatting Your Writing

As mentioned in the previous section, formatting is a powerful way to ensure readability for your readers, especially in today’s rapid pace when many readers prefer to skim rather than to read.

Getting Started With Writing

Often, the hardest part of writing is getting started. Consider this variety of different suggestions.

Set a timer for 510 minutes, and write for the entire time. Aim to write anything that is even slightly related to your topic. It’s OK to set down your thoughts and feelings about approaching this writing task.

Ask a colleague to listen while you talk about your writing project and the ideas you plan to convey to your reader. Then go to your computer and start writing.

Take a handful of 3″ x 5″ index cards and write your ideas on them, one per card. Arrange and rearrange your cards in an order that makes sense. Add ideas as they occur to you. Then tape the cards to a large sheet of paper and fill in the details around each idea. Very often, the ideas on the cards become headings or topic sentences for paragraphs.

Begin to write anywhere in the middle of the piece. Start with the most interesting [to you!] part. Your enthusiasm may carry you into completing your writing project. Write the beginning of the piece last or whenever you are ready to do so.

Put your reader in an empty chair and talk to your reader as if he or she were sitting across the desk from you. What is your reader most interested in learning from what you are writing? After your conversation, start writing.

Listen to baroque music. Mentally explore your topic. Reread your notes. Relax, and let your subconscious take over for a few minutes. Expect an A Ha! Write quickly.

Go for a walk and consider what you want to say to the reader. Return to your computer, and start writing.

Create a Mind Map. Write your way around it.

Drafting – Guidelines for writing your first draft

Reviewing Your Writing

The following act ivies are often covered in the overall topic of editing.

Proofreading

This means to carefully review your writing to be sure that it conforms to the rules of proper spelling and grammar. Here are some useful articles:

Does It Meet the Goals of Your Writing?

Do you believe that your writing will achieve the goals that you specified when you first planned and organized your writing? One of the best ways to verify that is to have a few members of your intended audience to review the draft of your writing and then ask them to mention the key points that they took from the reading. Ask them how your writing might be modified to make your points even clearer.

Here’s a useful article about reviewing / editing your writing

100 Editing and Proofreading Tips for Writers

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022March 24, 2023

Major Types and Various Styles of Writing

Major Types and Various Styles of Writing

Suggested Pre-Reading

Sections of This Topic Include

Major Types of Writing
Various Styles of Writing

Also consider

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Business Writing

Library’s Communications Blog

Major Types of Writing

Four Main Styles

There are four main styles of writing, including:

Expository – to explain something to your reader
Descriptive – to describe key points or certain images to your reader
Persuasive – to convince or influence your reader
Narrative – to tell a story to your reader

The style that you choose depends what you want to accomplish with your audience. Thus, before writing, it is very important that you carefully plan and organize your writing before you start the writing itself. See Planning and Organizing Your Writing

Here are more descriptions of the major styles of writing.

Other Styles of Writing

Examples of additional styles include formal vs informal, concise vs detailed, commercial vs literary, and factual vs opinioned.

Various Styles of Writing

Academic Writing

Academic writing is usually about research and theories and, thus, is written in a formal structure that is concise, orderly and specific. If it is in regard to research, it can include specific references to other writing, as well as citations to specific pages or quotes in the other writings. Academic writing also conforms to certain style guides, including the American Psychological Association style guide.

Business Writing

Business writing usually includes proposals, memorandums and email, as can also include various sales publications, such as brochures and catalogs.

Creative Writing

Creative writing is intended to express the original thoughts of the writer. Examples are poems, plays, songs and personal essays.

Scientific Writing

Scientific writing is a highly technical form of technical writing that is intended primarily for other scientists. It is very similar to academic writing and those types are sometimes used interchangeably. However, scientific writing is primarily focused on research and experimental terms, such as hypothesis,
methodology, findings, recommendations for further research. There are often numerous references and citations in scientific writing.

Technical Writing

Technical writing is usually in regard to planning, developing, providing, maintaining and fixing technical equipment. Examples include schematics, instruction manuals, help files and procedures.

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022July 16, 2022

Types of Correspondence

Someone sending a business correspondence on a laptop

Types of Correspondence

There is a vast array of types of correspondence. The following are those that are most typical in life and work.

This file is associated with How to Improve Your Writing: Guidelines and Resources.

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022July 16, 2022

The Universe of Writing Concerns

Young professional writing on a note while sitting on a sofa

The Universe of Writing Concerns

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blog which have posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.

January 18, 2022July 17, 2022

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Improving Your Writing: Guidelines and Resources

Improving Your Writing: Guidelines and Resources

Sections of This Topic Include

Building Blocks of Composition

Spelling
Grammar
Vocabulary

Writing Process

Planning
Starting Your Writing
Designing the Page
Writing

Styles and Types of Writing

Styles of Writing
Types of Writing
Types of Correspondence
Special Topics
General Resources

Also consider

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Business Writing

January 18, 2022February 22, 2022

General Resources and Advice

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

How to Write a Memo

Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant

General Guidelines

A memo, or memorandum, is a written correspondence often used in a business setting. In that setting, it is often written on the organization’s letterhead, which is a document that includes the organization’s official logo and color scheme. However, with the dramatic increase in use of email, memos seems increasingly to be written in email. In that situation, care must be taken to control its distribution and maintenance because memos usually have an official status, for example, to be interpreted as an official communication from upper management.

See the following articles for various perspectives on memos.

Sample Memo

Medical

Medical Products, Inc.
Interoffice Memo

To:

From:

Date:

Subject:

Mindy Grapefruit

Joe Endive

January 30, 1996

Request to purchase coffee maker

copies to:

George Grape

Jon Orange

Mike Celery

Jean Radish

Mindy, at our department meeting last week, I agreed to research the purchase of a coffee maker for the department. The research has yielded a clear preference, and I am ready to make the purchase.

Potential uses for the coffee maker include service for
– Group meetings
– Guests
– Coffee lovers

Consumer Reports recommended three specific coffee makers. The models and prices are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Coffee maker options

Type	Size	Manufacturer and model #	Price
Drip	12 cups	Brown K345-6	$39.95
Percolator	12 cups	Toastmaker 89123	$24.00
Instant-reserve	15 cups	Benn H001-A2	$89.50

A survey of the department yielded an overwhelming preference for the instant-reserve type of coffee maker. The people in our department feel that the need for speed and ease of use outweighs the issue of cost.

Please initial the attached requisition for the instant-reserve coffee maker, written to Slade’s Hardware against our budget #50. Coffee can be purchased out of petty cash. I will stop on the way home from work to purchase the coffee maker and a couple of varieties of coffee–including the French roast you like so much.

We will all enjoy a cup or two of coffee at the morning staff meeting.

“Folks count on our quality”

Also consider
Vocabulary, Spelling, and Grammar

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022February 22, 2022

Recommended Books

How to Write Meeting Minutes

A secretary taking the minutes of a business meeting

How to Write Meeting Minutes

Sections of this Topic Include:

What to Document In Your Board Meeting Minutes

Sample Minutes

Additional Perspectives

Also consider

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

What to Document In Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are documented descriptions of the key activities and decisions made during a meeting. Minutes might be considered legal documents by the courts, for example, meetings among members of a Board of Directors. Many people would assert that if it is not in the minutes, it did not happen.

There is a broad range of approaches and formality in writing minutes, depending on the importance of the meeting and its affects on stakeholders. For example, a spontaneous gathering of people intended to discuss and make a decision that would affect only them, might scribble meeting minutes that mentions their name, when they met and what they decided. In contrast, the meeting minutes of a Board of Directors would be much more comprehensive, orderly and specific.

A formal format would typically include the name of the organization, date and time of meeting, who called it to order, who attended (and if there is a quorum, in the case of a Board of Directors), all motions made, any conflicts of interest or abstentions from voting, when the meeting ended and who developed the minutes.

Usually, a designated person drafts the minutes during meetings (for example, a Board Secretary in the case of Boards of Directors), but this can be done by anyone else in the meeting who is willing, as long as other members agree that the person is charged to write the minutes. Soon after the meeting, the drafted minutes should distributed to participants for their review and approval, for example, before the next meeting. The unapproved minutes should be marked “draft,” until approved. In the next meeting, any changes should be amended to the minutes and a new version, still marked “draft,” should be submitted until the Board approves the minutes. Approved minutes should be retained in a manual and shared with all Board members.

The following sample represents the typical format and content of a Board meeting minutes report. This sample should be customized to the particular culture and purpose of the organization

Sample Minutes

Sample of Board Meeting Minutes
Name of Organization
(Board Meeting Minutes: Month Day, Year)
(time and location)

Board Members:
Present: Bhata Bhatacharia, Jon White Bear, Douglas Carver, Elizabeth Drucker, Pat Kyumoto, Jack Porter, Mary Rifkin and Leslie Zevon
Absent: Melissa Johnson
Quorum present? Yes

Others Present:
Exec. Director: Sheila Swanson
Other: Susan Johns, Consulting Accountant

Proceedings:
· Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair, Elizabeth Drucker
· (Last month’s) meeting minutes were amended and approved

· Chief Executive’s Report:
– Recommends that if we not able to find a new facility by the end of this month, the organization should stay where in the current location over the winter. After brief discussion, Board agreed.
– Staff member, Jackson Browne, and Swanson attended the National Practitioner’s Network meeting in Atlanta last month and gave a brief extemporaneous presentation. Both are invited back next year to give a longer presentation about our organization. After brief discussion, Board congratulated Swanson and asked her to pass on their congratulations to Browne as well.
– Drucker asserts that our organization must ensure its name is associated with whatever materials are distributed at that practitioner’s meeting next year. The organization should generate revenues where possible from the materials, too.
– Swanson mentioned that staff member, Sheila Anderson’s husband is ill and in the hospital. MOTION to send a gift to Anderson’s husband, expressing the organization’s sympathy and support; seconded and passed.

· Finance Committee report provided by Chair, Elizabeth Drucker:
– Drucker explained that consultant, Susan Johns, reviewed the organization’s bookkeeping procedures and found them to be satisfactory, in preparation for the upcoming yearly financial audit. Funds recommends that our company ensure the auditor provides a management letter along with the audit financial report.

· – Drucker reviewed highlights, trends and issues from the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. Issues include that high accounts receivables require Finance Committee attention to policies and procedures to ensure our organization receives more payments on time. After brief discussion of the issues and suggestions about how to ensure receiving payments on time, MOTION to accept financial statements; seconded and passed.

· Board Development Committee’s report provided by Chair, Douglas Carver:
– Carver reminded the Board of the scheduled retreat coming up in three months, and provided a drafted retreat schedule for board review. MOTION to accept the retreat agenda; seconded and passed.
– Carver presented members with a draft of the reworded By-laws paragraph that would allow members to conduct actions over electronic mail. Carver suggested review and a resolution to change the By-laws accordingly. Kyumoto suggested that Swanson first seek legal counsel to verify if the proposed change is consistent with state statute. Swanson agreed to accept this action and notify members of the outcome in the next Board meeting.

· Other business:
– Porter noted that he was working with staff member, Jacob Smith, to help develop an information management systems plan, and that two weeks ago he (Porter) had mailed members three resumes from consultants to help with the plan. In the mailing, Porter asked members for their opinions to help select a consultant. Porter asked members for their opinions. (NOTE: Zevon noted that she was also a computer consultant and was concerned about conflict of interest in her Board role regarding this selection, and asked to be ABSTAINED from this selection. Members agreed.) The majority of members agreed on Lease-or-Buy Consultants. MOTION to use Lease-or-Buy Consultants; seconded and passed.

– Swanson announced that she had recently hired a new secretary, Karla Writewell.

· Assessment of the Meeting:
– Kyumoto noted that the past three meetings have run over the intended two-hour time slot by half an hour. He asked members to be more mindful and focused during discussions, and suggested that the Board Development Chair take an action to identify solutions to this issue. Chair, Carver, agreed.

· Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
· Minutes submitted by Secretary, Bhata Bhatacharia

Additional Perspectives

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022July 17, 2022

Recommended Books

Business Writing Workshop

Assembled by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD

Writing: General techniques for good writing

Guidelines for writing your first draft
Key words to for transitioning
Overview of types of correspondence, their audiences, what to convey, etc.
How to use a variety of appeals to sell your product or service
Four approaches to a sales letter
How to write a “bad news” letter

Writing: Formatting your writing for ease of readability

Using titles and subtitles for spacing and readability
How to format your text so its more readable
Using headings/sections for various types of reports, e.g., work plan, final report, meeting and trip report
Recommended headings for business reports, e.g., meeting, progress, research and trip report
Using Microsoft Word typographic capabilities

Writing: Models/samples of writing for your reference

Writing: Miscellaneous

Learn More in the Library’s Blog Related to This Topic

January 18, 2022March 21, 2023

For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

How to Improve Your Writing: Guidelines and Resources

Know the rules that helps to improve your writing

How to Improve Your Writing: Guidelines and Resources

Sections of This Topic Include

Building Blocks of Composition

Writing Process

Types and Styles of Writing

Numerous Types of Correspondence

Types of Correspondence

Style Guides, Including Citations

Common Grammar and English Mistakes

Assess Your Writing Skills

Writing Skills

Reference Materials

Acronym and Jargon Finders
Dictionaries
E-Mail Address Books
Encyclopedias
Internet Searches
Glossaries
Language Translators
Libraries
Manual of Styles (APA, Chicago, etc.)
Phone Books
Quotations
Reference “Desks” (sites with multiple types of reference information)
Thesaurus

Also consider

How Well Do You Write Now?

Before you read the above topics about writing, you might get an impression of how well you write now. Take this online test. Just click on “Start Test”.

Writing Test

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Business Writing