Jargon is on the loose, wreaking havoc with people's job searches. It may be killing yours.



For some reason, many people who are looking for work lapse into job-hunting jargon. They often use words they never use in normal conversation. Instead of "using" their skills, they "utilize" them. Plus, they get "proven track records" and "strong work ethics." They become "multi-taskers," "team players," and "problem solvers."

Now, Don't get me wrong. I'm not disrespecting anybody's contributions; just the way they talk about them. It doesn't work. The words are cliché, worn out, used up, and ineffective. Stop doing this to yourself!

Though this is pretty basic job search advice, the basics are critical. A lot of people Don't have the basics down.

My least favorite cliché is "problem solver." What does a problem solver do? It may seem obvious to you at first, but think about it. doesn't everybody solve problems? Baseball players, electrical engineers, corporate trainers, accountants, and farmers all solve problems. My dog solves problems. So please Don't speak about your skills in a way that makes you indistinguishable from my dog-or the other people who have very different skills and experience. That's not a very powerful position to be in.

Do some introspection to identify the kinds of problems you solve and develop. Developed language that is precise for what you do.

let's take an example. People often think they are being precise when they say something like this: "I'm a good communicator." But think again. There are lots of good communicators in the world. Adolf Hitler was a great communicator (though a rather lousy human being). He held audiences spellbound during marathon speeches. Steven Spielberg is also a great communicator. Audiences flock to watch his movies and he's won Academy Awards. Your friend's therapist is a great communicator who helps people overcome crippling depression.

 ♦  Think about what it means for YOU to be a great communicator. Some examples are:
 ♦ Clearly explain complex material
 ♦ Inspire people to achieve their best
 ♦ Empower people to overcome obstacles and radically improve the quality of their lives
 ♦ Tell stories that hold people spellbound

Make sure you use language that clearly explains your contributions. I recently worked with a gentleman who is a project manager for a major corporation. He was committing the very common mistake-thinking that everyone else understands what he did when he talks about his accomplishments. He didn't tell about the size of the projects, the difficulties he overcame, and was often unclear about expressing the difference his work made.

You can't expect employers to be impressed, if you Don't tell them clearly why they should be impressed.

The foundation of marketing is to understand the product (that's you when you're job hunting), what it's good for, and why somebody might want to buy it.

This is the place to begin your job search activities. If you're not clearly conveying your value in plain English terms, chances are that you are going to be passed over again and again and again. It isn't necessary to suffer this much.