Although Employer Speak is not an official world language, it can feel as if you might need Google to translate a few sentences for you as you apply for jobs. What do employers want? What do they mean? And where’s a super-secret spy decoder ring when you need it?!
Having come over from ‘the dark side’ (I am a former full-time recruiter), I could probably write a whole Dictionary of Employer Speak, but I thought I’d prioritize with a few phrases often puzzled and panicked about in campus recruitment.
"Please submit a transcript."
Translation: Asking for a transcript with your application can mean that employers are going to limit their applicant pool to students who have the best marks, but that’s only one reason that employers request a transcript, so don’t be discouraged from applying if you’re not a top student. Often, they want photocopies of your transcripts to see what classes you’ve taken (both core and elective), where some of your strengths and weaknesses lie, and to gauge if the particular program at your specific school has given you the basic knowledge they need to easily train you to do the work. But, any time you apply with a transcript, be prepared to talk about why you chose the classes/courses/program you did (if you had options) and gracefully acknowledge and explain your academic strengths and weaknesses. Hint: “I chose that class because it allowed me to be home every day to watch the World Cup” is probably not the first rationale to share.
“What program are you in?”
Translation: This is often the opening question when you meet employers at a career fair or information event and what it really means is, “What skills and knowledge do you have that we need?” Instead of blurting out your program or putting it as the first item on your resume, talk to them about the skills that you have (from whatever part of your experience) that match what they seem to need. Not sure what they need? Start by letting them know that you know something about them (“I see from your website that you are looking for people who have technical skills”), and then ask them what sorts of specific or additional skills they seek in candidates. Then, once you determine whether you are interested in the work and a good match for it, you can give examples from your education and experiences that show that, regardless of your program, you have skills relating to what they are looking for. Cue the Fine Arts student I know who got her first new grad job as an insurance underwriter with the company she dreamed about. Ta da!
“We're not hiring right now."
Translation: You finally worked up the nerve to contact an interesting employer, in writing and then by phone, and you get this disappointing message back. It’s hard to hear those six words without wanting to give up but what the employer really means is just what they said: we’re not hiring right now…as in, today, this minute. Tomorrow, they may come in to work and someone will have called in an illness or maternity leave, or they get the notice they’ve been waiting for telling them that they’re expanding to a new field office, or they land the contract they’ve been bidding on. Suddenly, they need someone or multitudes of someones! Work situations change quickly so try not to interpret “we’re not hiring right now” as “go away and never come back.” Most candidates sidle away, mortified, so the ones who follow up respectfully are the ones employers re-connect with. Consider using the following semi-magic words, “I’d like to keep in touch with you but I don’t want to bother you all the time, so would it be better if I check back in four weeks or six?” This allows them to get rid of you on a busy day but still keep you on the radar for when Mary-Jo comes in next week and announces that she’s accepted a job in Honolulu. Hint: When using these strategies, try to contact the person supervising the work you’d like to do because they’re more desperate and motivated when the crunch is happening than Human Resources might be.
No super-secret spy decoder ring is necessary to understand employer speak because the solution is simple: when you’re unsure, ask for more information… from yourself and from employers. And, remember that you and other applicants tend to have a language of your own too. “I’d rather go to the dentist than get down to applying for this job” might be applicant speak for, “Thanks, but no thanks: this is not the right job for me.” jp
Christine Fader is the author of “Career Cupid: Your Guide to Landing and Loving Your Dream Job”