The Business Writer: A Job Profile

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''Business writing'' is a broad umbrella, indeed, covering as it does a wide variety of copywriting and journalistic work in several fields, united only by their shared focus on the business world. Such writing jobs may, in fact, be in several different areas.

A business writer may be someone who covers the worlds of business and finance as a journalist. These writing jobs typically come via a news outlet of some sort, be it print (a newspaper business section, magazines such as Crain's and Barrons, or online writing jobs at business-related websites — The Motley Fool, for example). These business writers who have found their niche and secured jobs in writing about the latest developments in the business world both for a business and finance audience and the general public. In these kinds of business writing jobs, the writer will be engaged in both research (e.g., interviewing important persons in the business and finance fields such as CEOs or CFOs, as well as attending press conferences and fielding press releases from these companies) and writing stories for publication.

A business writer may also be someone who is employed in-house at a company and performs duties such as writing annual reports, abstracts, corporate communications, marketing materials, and the like. In effect, these writing jobs are basically in-house copywriting positions, with the focus being on the particular needs of the business which employs the writer.



Other jobs in writing which are applicable to the field of business writing jobs are those of freelance writers who specialize in providing the sorts of materials written in-house by the writers described above. There are many companies which do not have an official on-staff business writer for these kinds of material, so there is a high demand for freelance business writing, especially on the part of smaller businesses. These kinds of business writing jobs can be worked off-site in many cases, even by writers on the other side of the globe from the business for whom they are writing. As with so many other fields, online writing jobs are a growing sector of the writing job market, even for business writers.

The skills required of a business writer are similar to those required of those employed in any kind for writing — from legal writing jobs to technical writing jobs (both of which are seen as subsets of the field of business writing), the writer needs to have a excellent command of the language in which he or she will be writing, an eye for detail, and the ability to communicate sometimes complex concepts in a clear and concise writer.

Business writers will often be expected to be familiar with particular writing styles (for example, Chicago, Strunk & White, AP). These are industry standards which will vary depending on the company whose employ the writer is in. There may also be a house style at the publication or business engaging the services of a business writer; this is an essential part of their training as a writer.

Jobs in writing for the business world draw people from both business and writing backgrounds, especially journalism. These writing jobs are well suited to persons who have a strong background and/or career history in the financial or business world and an aptitude for strong, clear writing, as well as for those who come from a writing background but also possess an interest in or extensive knowledge of the business world or business reporting. There are, of course, also writers who come into business writing unexpectedly and learn on the job. That said, an interest in the field is more or less essential to getting business writing jobs.

With the current upheaval in the financial world, it is an exciting time to be a business writer — though it is perhaps not the sunniest of times for the global economy, there are definitely many interesting stories to tell at the moment. That, after all, is what business writing is all about, especially business writing jobs which are journalistic in nature: taking a subject which is often seen as both dry and complex by the general public and telling stories which grab the attention of the reader and give them a deeper understanding of the issues involved and a grasp of how things work in the business world.

Business writing jobs which are in-house jobs focused on writing the materials which meet the specific needs of the business in question are not as focused on storytelling but still have the goal of communicating to their target audience in a clear and comprehensible manner. Some of these positions give the writer a degree of latitude to be creative in their output as well, particularly when the business writer in question is tasked with writing copy for marketing materials and advertisements.

Business writing jobs are many and varied, so there is bound to be a position out there which will appeal to any writer with a head for business and the writing skills needed to get a message across clearly. In the world of business, having your message understood is essential — the task of the business writer is to get the words of their client or employer across to their audience.
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