Connor, Ulla, 1948-Davis, Ken, 1945-Rycker, Teun de2011-08-302011-08-301995Connor, Ulla, Davis, Kenneth W., and Teun De Rycker. "Correctness and Clarity in Applying for Overseas Jobs: A Cross Cultural Analysis of U.S. and Flemish Applications". Text 15, no. 4 (1995): 457 - 476.Connor, Ulla, Davis, Kenneth W., and Teun De Rycker. "Correctness and Clarity in Applying for Overseas Jobs: A Cross Cultural Analysis of U.S. and Flemish Applications". August 30, 2011. Available from IUPUI ScholarWorks. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/2657.0165-4888https://hdl.handle.net/1805/2657This item submitted to IUPUI ScholarWorks as part of the OASIS Project. Article reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Permission granted through posted policies on copyright owner’s website or through direct contact with copyright owner.This study examined cross-cultural similarities and differences between US and Flemish letters of job application as a promotional business-writing genre. Altogether 74 letters were collected and analyzed for 'correctness' and 'clarity', two linguistic properties that strongly correlate with communicative success in getting invited for a job interview. The results show that a typical US applicant writes more than the Flemish applicant and makes fewer mistakes. Differences were also found in the degree of clarity, i.e., content and length of information. The typical US applicant provided more supporting arguments for the application, discussed benefits for the employer and the applicant, but was not as direct in asking for an interview. The results correspond with previous contrastive rhetoric research showing cultural differences in writing for specific purposes (Bhatia, 1993; Jenkins and Hinds, 1987; Maier, 1992).en-USClarityCorrectnessJob ApplicationLinguisticWritingBusiness writingEmployment interviewing -- Cross-cultural studiesArticle