Interpret hidden phrases

Not only are reference letters peppered with hidden messages, also job ads can turn out to be deceptive. We have learned how to check the fine details of language usage in working certificates and written referrals and thus track down the secret messages. Interestingly enough, such ruses can also be found in job ads. This is why job seekers should thoroughly check on wording.

Job ads are the calling card of an employer. Ideally, they reflect what speaks for the job and the company and provide insights into the future professional tasks. Although it is up to each employer to decide how to formulate its job advertisement, a few essential pieces of information are always included. In general, the structure of a job advertisement is based on the following rule of thumb: Who we are... Who we are looking for... What we offer... How to apply... The very fact that the company has gone to so much trouble to formulate all this information in a comprehensible way reveals a lot about the corporate culture. So all these indications give you an overall impression that you should allow to have an effect on you.

So what does this mean for us in the recruitment agency? After all, it is one of our services to write attractive advertising texts. In the further training courses that I have attended for this purpose, one or the other illustrious formulation was of course also taken into account. We are warned! Nevertheless, we are not immune to the occasional use of one or two phrases.

This case shows that it is possible to be thoroughly misunderstood: Recently, we presented a position as a project manager to an interested candidate with - "lateral managerial responsibility"...

I do not want to withhold the recipient's answer from you:

He wrote in his e-mail to us: "To be honest, I first had to check the Duden dictionary to see what lateral means (Duden: sideways, concerning the side, starting from the side). To be frank: I have had my own experience with recruitment consultants over the last few years - the term 'lateral management position' rounds off this experience. I do not intend to deteriorate professionally and the job offered is, soberly speaking, a career-related step backwards".

Baff! That was good. We had to laugh out loud. The candidate found the term "lateral management position" so strangely chosen that he thought we were pulling his leg. It was clear to him: These cunning recruiting agencies want to talk him into something, even devalue him.

Not at all! He had merely stumbled upon - I admit - a weak formulation. The job, however, would have brought a professional improvement for the candidate and would have been accompanied by a significant increase in salary. Conclusion? We are working even more carefully on our job ads. However, with the best will in the world, the real scope of a job cannot always be expressed in a few lines.

If in doubt, it is therefore worth asking and talking to each other. It is better to look twice than to drop a potential position too soon. I have a similar opinion about job references and the people behind them.