By Juan Tornoe
A few days ago I was approached by my good friends at [UNDISCLOSED NAME], an amazing Communications firm in Austin, TX who are looking for a “well seasoned, well rounded” Account Director and asked if I had any acquaintances who might fit the mold. Given my close relationship with their principal and the fact they gave me complete freedom on how to reach out to “my network” with an offer for the position they are trying to fill, I cranked up the following message based on their description of the person they are looking to hire, and sent it to facebook’s Hispanic Trending Group members:
Kick-ass Austin communications firm is looking for a super hero.
Are you:
•Vastly experienced in project management and have the scars to prove it?
•A great writer, as in reports, proposals, press releases, the works; we mean, can you do them in your sleep?
•Often accused of having OCD?
•Able to effectively switch from right brain to left brain and back again in the blink of an eye?
•A “veteran” of the PR, advertising, or marketing industries?
•A freakin’ awesome presenter?
•In your zone while babysitting (managing accounts, that is)?
•Enthused by generating results to your clients and believe you should get compensated for it?
•At least beyond, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell,” when it comes to speaking Spanish?
•Able to legally work in the U.S. (the lawyers made us ask this)?
If you have at least 7 years of working experienced and are ready for a wild ride, we mean a new challenge, shoot Juan your resume.
On top of the good response we’ve received as far as applicants goes, their feedback on the actual job description was quite telling to say the least.
Here are just a few quotes from the replies:
“You make me want to apply!”
“Me encanto la manera en que presentaron los requerimientos de la posición. Definitivamente se siente la energía de una excelente casa creativa!”
“The job you posted sounds very interesting…”
“I am interested in submitting my name to work for the communications firm who is looking for a ‘super hero’.”
“I believe I’ve sent you my CV before but was intrigued my your posting.”
“I am all these and so much more…”
“Yes - to all of that.”
“ La verdad me reí mucho con tu anuncio -- porque me identifiqué a mil..!”
“Interesting and amusing specifications!”
These people are looking for a job – or open to the possibility of a new one – and have read dozens, if not hundreds, of job descriptions that for the most part sound monotonously similar. Why don’t crash the status-quo and talk to them in a more colloquial, down to earth, real and to a certain extent, somewhat absurd manner? It might not apply for all situations, but it certainly resonated with the target audience – and we have the resumes to prove it! I mean, how many cover letters out there declare, and I paraphrase, “I’m interested in the super hero job.”
I knew exactly who I was looking for and I knew were I’d find him/her. That was the easy part; now I needed to capture their attention in the over communicated world we live in and have them conscientiously choose to open & read my message. That’s where the power of word comes into play… Yes, I am biased about it, but I believe I would be more willing to apply to the job described above than to the following cookie-cutter job description:
[Big Wig Agency] is looking for an Account Director to join our New York office. If you have the skills to make a significant contribution to our integrated direct marketing success, we'd like to hear from you!
Responsibilities:
The candidate will be responsible for account development, managing profitability, and providing clients with the most up-to-date direct solutions. The ideal candidate will be able to lead integrated marketing teams to accomplish set goals, as well as guide clients' direct response campaigns and marketing businesses. So on and so forth, yada yada yada…
Which was more engaging for you?
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