The word ‘corporate’ has become almost synonymous with a high flown style in the usage of language as a via-media of communication devoid of any meaning. A simple conversation between two employees in an organization will sound so artificial that you wouldn’t talk like that in a million years in the real life. Well, we’ve so finely distinguished the ‘personal’ and the ‘professional’ that we no longer remain ourselves, but give up to the seeming-to-be professional expectations that seem to demand us to roam around putting a mask of ‘corporate-ness’, and well this hasn’t proved to be(neither is going to be) of much benefit, believe me.
So all the people there who want to get hired, these inflated, high sounding words aren’t going to take you anywhere or get you hired. What employers are looking for these days is genuineness. The entire hiring process is about the employee trying to prove himself fit and worthy for the job which is being offered by the organization. And it definitely doesn’t want a bunch of two-faced individuals who resort to flattery using corporate fluff to make a simple point.
Employers appreciate your confidence to speak out the truth and not to hide it beneath a pile of baseless corporate jargon which is going to die out after a while. People, especially the young job-seekers have an impression that such words will improve their chances of getting the position offered. So, the myth buster, this is a big lie.
Such terminologies are found in abundance in resumes and cover letters. But the real issue is you can’t begin a job with fluff. Especially, if you’re a first timer, you definitely can’t. You run the risk of getting it wrong and making a sorry figure of yourself because of these vain efforts. Remember, your hirer is an experienced person in this field and he knows how to identify what’s genuine and what’s not. Also, there’s another big problem. If your hirer is unable to understand all the pretentious vocabulary that you’re using to convey your point (if at all you have one), then it is simply not conveyed and he’ll reject you without even going deep to understand you and trying parameters of testing you for the position being offered.
Thus beefing up your resume with corporate-sounding-fluff can be a dangerous thing. If you have more white spaces to fill up your resume or any part of your hiring process like interview/cover letter etc., then, sorry fluff isn’t the filler you’re looking for!
This post has been contributed by Gayas Eapen.
