How NOT to pitch yourself
Beware of the Internet Nerd
We have been conducting interviews for graphic designers this past week and using Craigslist as our main source for applicants. I just wanted to write a quick post that illustrates how not to apply for a job. Of course most of the emails were poor (on Craigslist you usually get about 10% great responses, 20% decent, and 70% awful) but this particular one was kind of funny. The person simply wrote the following:
“[First Name Last Name] is a Programmer, Designer, Developer, Google Analytics / Website Optimizer, Video Director, Filmer, Video Editor, Photoshop, Documentum, Ruby, mySQL, PHP, AJAX, SSO, SAML, osCommerce, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, WordPress, Flex, Flash, Moodle, Sakai, Project Manager Advisor, Tech, Coder, Lead Generator, Team Manager, Staff Coordinator, Mobile, Apps, Marketing, Podcaster, Fluent Spanish, Fluent French, HTML, Javascript, CSS, Databases, MySQL, WebEx, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Bing, D2L, eCommerce, Analytics, eMailers, PR Campaigns, Advertising, Metrics, Trade Events, Channel Sales, Blogs, MS Office, Sharepoint, PC, Mac, Dreamweaver, Frontpage, Brand Engineer, Web Architect, LCMS, Java, ASP, CMS LAMP Open Source, IE8, Firefox, Safari, Adobe CS4, Contractor Consultant, Telecommuter, 24/7/365 Support, Skype”
First of all, I didn’t know a person could be a Joomla, Drupal, or a Bing (I really did laugh outloud reading this). Second, and more importantly, nobody wants to hire someone that says they do all of these things. Any good employer wants someone who works hard to be good at a few things. In other words, we are looking for a specialist. I doubt this person can do all of these things adequately. If they could, they would be super human and probably would not need Craiglist to find work.
Lesson of the day: Focus on getting really good at a few things. Don’t pretend to be ‘that internet guru’ that knows how to magically manage every buzz word you have ever heard of.
Have you met any ‘Internet Gurus?’ How do they make you feel? What’s your method for pitching yourself to employers?
I have met a few people who claim to be “gurus.” And when I hear all that jargon and all those buzzwords, I take them less seriously. Just like with all things in life, it’s more important to prove (show) your abilities and let people see how great you are for themselves. No one believes you when you tell them; they have to see it.
Sara I completely agree. The word guru makes me cringe and then laugh.
Once someone has a proven portfolio of results to back themselves up, others may or may not refer to them as experts (or gurus). But until then, come onnnnnnn. These words have far less impact than they once did because of this massive amount of self-proclamation.
Thanks for the comment!