Someday, hopefully, there will be time to look at each commonly-used term - but, for now, here are the acronyms which everyone should know. They're common, but confusing; they're complicated, but confidence-building.
Simply put, they're the acronyms which could make or break your career.
CV
Let’s start with an easy one. All English-speaking professionals know what a “CV” is (and, hopefully, have a CV).
Fewer professionals know that it stands for “curriculum vitae”, a Latin (Roman) phrase which literally means "course of one's life"; or that in the USA, they say “resumé”.
Even fewer professionals know how to make their CV the best possible CV. Do you? A good CV is the Number One reason your career is successful or a failure. Keep checking Business42 for an upcoming CV guide, but in the meantime, this popular guide is helpful.
Let’s start with an easy one. All English-speaking professionals know what a “CV” is (and, hopefully, have a CV).
Fewer professionals know that it stands for “curriculum vitae”, a Latin (Roman) phrase which literally means "course of one's life"; or that in the USA, they say “resumé”.
Even fewer professionals know how to make their CV the best possible CV. Do you? A good CV is the Number One reason your career is successful or a failure. Keep checking Business42 for an upcoming CV guide, but in the meantime, this popular guide is helpful.
BCC: This is an under-used function on emails, and it allows you to send emails to many people without them seeing each other’s email address – useful for marketing/bulk emails. (Usually, you address such emails to yourself and “BCC” all the other people) It stands for “blind carbon copy” and it’s related to the better-known “CC”, or “carbon copy”. This acronym was used during the days of typewriters, when carbon-paper copies of an original document were made and sent to other interested people.
NSFW
This is becoming a popular online acronym and if you see it in work, it’s a red flag – don’t open the link! It means Not Suitable For Work (or Not Safe For Work) and it’s the kind of thing you would not want to be looking at if your team-mates, colleagues or (worst of all) your boss was walking past you while you were sitting at your computer.
This is becoming a popular online acronym and if you see it in work, it’s a red flag – don’t open the link! It means Not Suitable For Work (or Not Safe For Work) and it’s the kind of thing you would not want to be looking at if your team-mates, colleagues or (worst of all) your boss was walking past you while you were sitting at your computer.
FAO
This acronym is usually found in emails/letters and it stands for “For The Attention Of” and then a name – it means the message is for the named person. In other words, if you get it and your name isn’t on it, don’t open it! Forward it onto the correct person.
This acronym is usually found in emails/letters and it stands for “For The Attention Of” and then a name – it means the message is for the named person. In other words, if you get it and your name isn’t on it, don’t open it! Forward it onto the correct person.
SMART
This is an incredibly popular and (arguably) useful activity to help you manage your goals. These goals could be your personal or career goals. They could be the goals of a business, a charity or an event. Whatever they are, using SMART helps you to define them – for yourself and for others (investors, colleagues, etc.).
Your goals should be:
This is an incredibly popular and (arguably) useful activity to help you manage your goals. These goals could be your personal or career goals. They could be the goals of a business, a charity or an event. Whatever they are, using SMART helps you to define them – for yourself and for others (investors, colleagues, etc.).
Your goals should be:
- Specific: what exactly are you trying to achieve? An increase in profits? A new skill?
- Measurable: by putting a number on your goal, you’ll know when you have succeeded. For example, your profit increase may be 25%, your skill may be at a certain level (intermediate, advanced, etc.)
- Achievable: are you physically possible of achieving this? Do you have the time, money and resources to get what you want?
- Realistic: Is it actually possible to do this? It’s fine for you to aim to visit Paris before December, but you probably shouldn’t aim to visit Mars by May. (unless, perhaps, you work in NASA)
- Time-bound: What’s your deadline? When you reach the date you set for yourself, you’ll know how much progress you have made.
A couple of SMART goals, then, could be:
=>“To increase profits by 25% before Christmas.”=> “To become proficient in Microsoft Word by January 2015.”=> “To attract 250 people to a May 25th exhibition of up-and-coming artists.”
(Can you specify the S, M, A, R and T in these goals?)
=>“To increase profits by 25% before Christmas.”=> “To become proficient in Microsoft Word by January 2015.”=> “To attract 250 people to a May 25th exhibition of up-and-coming artists.”
(Can you specify the S, M, A, R and T in these goals?)
SWOT
This is an analysis tool which is very similar to SMART, and it’s particularly popular in marketing. It is used to analyse 2 kinds of environments – internal and external – to find their good points and bad points. The internal/external environment could be (for example) a business / its market, a country / its neighbours, or simply a person / her home.
S and W stand for Strengths and Weaknesses . What are we good at? We should take advantage of these strengths and do them more. What are we not so good at? We should either quit these weaknesses or try to improve on them.
O and T stand for Opportunities and Threats. What, in our world, could make us better or happier? We should take advantage of these opportunities. And what in the world around us could hurt us or make us less effective? We should prepare to defend ourselves against these threats.
Find more information on SWOT here.
O and T stand for Opportunities and Threats. What, in our world, could make us better or happier? We should take advantage of these opportunities. And what in the world around us could hurt us or make us less effective? We should prepare to defend ourselves against these threats.
Find more information on SWOT here.
AIDA
This stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action and is an acronym related to communications. At first, that sounds a little boring, but think about it. When you understand the acronym’s full meaning, you’ll hopefully see that it can be used in most critical situations, from job interviews to advertising campaigns:
This stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action and is an acronym related to communications. At first, that sounds a little boring, but think about it. When you understand the acronym’s full meaning, you’ll hopefully see that it can be used in most critical situations, from job interviews to advertising campaigns:
Grab (the person’s) attention: Do or say something colourful and exciting to make them stop and take notice of you.
Create interest: Give the person a little more information to make them interested in you. Create desire: Show the person how you can bring benefit to them (or their organisation), or how you can solve a problem they have.
Take action: This is the other person’s job – they have to contact you again, buy your product, or continue the relationship. But how do they do this? On a website, in a shop, with a phone number? That part is your job.
If you would like to learn more acronyms which you might find in your job (computers, sales, management, etc.), feel free to email us , or send us a message on our Facebook page!
Create interest: Give the person a little more information to make them interested in you. Create desire: Show the person how you can bring benefit to them (or their organisation), or how you can solve a problem they have.
Take action: This is the other person’s job – they have to contact you again, buy your product, or continue the relationship. But how do they do this? On a website, in a shop, with a phone number? That part is your job.
If you would like to learn more acronyms which you might find in your job (computers, sales, management, etc.), feel free to email us , or send us a message on our Facebook page!
