Good communication skills play a huge role in the recruitment process and job applicants who have weak skills are decidedly at a disadvantage. But what exactly are communication skills and how can you perfect yours well enough to get you your dream job?

Nasha Fitter, a teacher, entrepreneur and expert on communications and soft-skilled training, recently launched You're Hired! a book that helps job seekers improve their English communication and job placement skills.

• Buy the book!

Rediff.com will present a series of excerpts from the book in the coming weeks, and also feature chats with Nasha discussing the topics and intricacies of the job application process.

Here we present the first part of the series, Section I: Practical English Grammar:  

To get a good job in today's competitive work environment, you have to be an effective communicator. Effective communication has many aspects, but the foundation is English grammar. Bad grammar is one of the main reasons why HR managers reject candidates looking for jobs. An HR manager at a leading BPO said in an interview, 'Ninety per cent of people who apply for positions where they need to interact with people, either over the phone or in person, are turned away due to poor communication skills -- mostly grammar related.' If you don't speak and write well, you will not come across as professional in today's global corporate world, no matter how qualified you are.

Yet, despite knowing the importance of good grammar, many people find the subject just too boring and tedious. Don't worry, there is a solution! In an easy, practical and logical way, I will help you go from making the types of mistakes found in Email 1, to speaking and writing with the fluency found in Email 3.

Excerpted from You're Hired! (Rs 199) by Nasha Fitter with the permission of publishers Penguin Books.

In this continuing series, we will be featuring excerpts from You're Hired! covering topics such as pronunciation, speech, accent, email, interpersonal communication and professional etiquette. The author, Nasha Fitter, will also address reader queries every Friday at 12 noon. You can read more about Nasha, her book and advice on her blog: http://nashafitter.rediffiland.com. So if you need help with your job search and career, watch this space!

This is an email that an HR manager in Mumbai received from a prospective candidate. It is full of errors, and the candidate was not asked to come for the interview because his email was so badly written. Take a look at the email below [on the following slide]. The mistakes have been corrected and are in bold.

• Buy the book!

In our continuing series, we will featuring excerpts from You're Hired covering topics such as pronunciation, speech, accent, email, interpersonal communication and professional etiquette. The author, Nasha Fitter, will also address reader queries every Friday at 12 noon. You can read more about Nasha, her book and advice on her blog: http://nashafitter.rediffiland.com. So if you need help with your job search and career, watch this space!

This email no longer contains grammatical errors, but it still doesn't sound professional. Take a look [at the next slide] at how we can transform this email to be even better.

• Buy the book!

In our continuing series, we will featuring excerpts from You're Hired covering topics such as pronunciation, speech, accent, email, interpersonal communication and professional etiquette. The author, Nasha Fitter, will also address reader queries every Friday at 12 noon. You can read more about Nasha, her book and advice on her blog: http://nashafitter.rediffiland.com. So if you need help with your job search and career, watch this space!

This is a professional, effective email. This section will teach you how to write and speak in this manner. This section does not focus on complicated grammar terms. Instead, common grammatical errors made by Indian speakers have been targeted. All the examples in this section have been taken from actual emails, letters and CVs.

• Buy the book!

In our continuing series, we will featuring excerpts from You're Hired covering topics such as pronunciation, speech, accent, email, interpersonal communication and professional etiquette. You can read more at Nasha's blog: The author, Nasha Fitter, will also address reader queries every Friday at 12 noon. You can read more about Nasha, her book and advice on her blog: http://nashafitter.rediffiland.com. So if you need help with your job search and career, watch this space!