Comments on: How To Be Cliche

By: Maggie

Maggie — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 04:17:49 +0000

There is a thin red line between being too cliche; “Implement turnkey marketing campaigns that produce excellent ROI” blah blah blah is certainly one that makes most hiring managers patiently tap their pens as they wait for you to say something REALLY interesting. However, what one poster referred to above “I …. uhhh …. well, I uhhhh…. I write for a website and …. uuhh, online stuff”. No, not so much. I wouldn’t hire either one of those two candidates; one too slick and “lingo” addicted and the other clearly not overly passionate about her job.

Agree with the other folks here about the story based. My approach? “Hey, this is my demographic, my market and my peer group. I know what he/she wants and they don’t want this … fluff. The beauty of that is that I also know what she does not want. That knowledge will save this company money because we will not spend it where it is not wanted. Instead, we will give the customer what he/she wants, in the tone they want it in and in the channel they expect to see it. Then we shall sit back and share a coffee, as we watch the figures on the scree trend up and up and up. We will smile. ” …. blah blah blah … sOMETHING to shake the recruiter or hiring manager up from the dreary hum drum of hearing every single candidate sounding alike.

If you could only answer one question that would set you apart, answer “What is it about your product/brand/service I absolutely love and why” (if you can’t find that answer, go interview elsewhere; you’re dead there anyway) and let that show. It’s the best start you can get! Plus, it will relax you.

By: Lead Optimize.com » Blog Archive » Site Branding: There’s a Website Among Us

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:15:53 +0000

[...] Branding your website is not a one-time up-front task. Use email campaigns and newsletters, mailing lists, postcards, word of mouth, t-shirts, decals, a blog, and give-aways. Your website should be effectively pushed at all times by every method you can imagine. Get creative. Put your domain name in places you have never seen anyone write something (ok, don’t get carried away). [...]

By: Pete Aldin

Pete Aldin — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:43:17 +0000

This is one of those posts that’s outside the square. I love it. I especially love your concept of being story-based. To stop jobseekers i train from being cliche I recommend that they stop writing adjectives when it comes to personal qualities and start writing verbs. Their cover letter then doesn’t read “I am hardworking and keen.”; rather it may read “I loved my last position because it kept me busy, kept me thinking on my feet and left me feeling like I’d accomplished something at the end of the day. I’m hoping I can find that kind of work with you.”

Ok, it might still smack of spin, but it’s better than “I can do anything” or “I’m a hardworker”

By: Jason Alba

Jason Alba — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:28:52 +0000

Good point David. I don’t have a problem with them DOING it, it’s great. Everyone should be able to have a better opportunity, I agree. By no means was this a bash on China or any political statement.

When I read this it sounded like typical mumbo-jumbo empty words. Like all of the places that say “we’re like silicon valley but somewhere else” … there’s silicon alley, silicon forest, silicon triange…. all this means is that there are a bunch of tech companies, right? Why be a “me too” … an over used…. cliche?

Anyway, I hope that my example of China’s president’s words doesn’t muddy up my point of being cliche. Best wishes to their endeavors and hopefully their people can enjoy a richer lifestyle and freedoms that other countries enjoy.

By: David / Headwaters Bamboo

David / Headwaters Bamboo — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:19:27 +0000

When you think that China has been the world’s factory and the leadership wants it’s people to progress beyond being factory workers, then I think setting goals to be an innovation economy are not cliche. I think that every government that cares a lick about its people would want this kind of goal.

I’d not want my children to grow up without the opportunity to be better/do more than me…

By: Daniel Sweet

Daniel Sweet — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:30:44 +0000

Make the hurting stop! No more resume blather!

The biggest cliche among technical candidate is, “Yeah – I could learn that. I can do anything.”

Virtually all of the technical candidates, when they come up against a skills area that they don’t have, let fly with that one.

Please stop. As recruiters, we only have so much self control.

Dan

By: Laura Moncur

Laura Moncur — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:44:02 +0000

I don’t have an elevator speech. I know I should have one, but mine sounds like,

“Um, I’m a writer… on the Internet… with a buncha websites and stuff.”

I guess I need to work on that. What we do here isn’t as easy to describe as “I fix cars.” Most people don’t even understand the Internet enough to comprehend what I do. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t even bother. Sometimes I just feel like saying,

“I do porn.”

It would be easier, if only people would believe it when they saw me…