constructive criticism or self serving ego drive?

[9Westy9]

Here's How to Condescend to 900 Job Applicants With a 3,000-Word Rejection Letter

The article includes an e-mail that was sent to hundreds of would be employee's who applied for a writing job. The e-mail essentially states 42 do's and do-nots when applying for a job. The points ranged from quite polite criticism to potentially harsh criticism (examples of both below)

• Don't start every sentence in your application with 'I'.
A few of you were guilty of this one. Switch up your words.

• Do capitalize and use punctuation.
a job email int a txt mssg 2 ur bff

So was this e-mail a step too far or perfectly fine as constructive criticism? Also would you prefer a long e-mail, like the above, or no reply at all from a potential employer?

 

[YmirGF]

Hahahaha. I love it.

Personally speaking, I think anyone who has had to wade through dozens/hundreds of resumes will feel the pain of the writer. His points are extremely valid and very helpful.
The great pity here is that he felt a need to enlighten so many due to their inherent inability to communicate or to follow instructions.

 

[9Westy9]

I agree. Personally I think the guy who wrote the e-mail is a genius . A bit harsh in places but he makes good points. I'd certainly prefer that e-mail than a generic "you haven't got the job" one.

 

[YmirGF]

I hear ya. What struck my funny bone was that this was directed at people who were seeking a writing. It reminded me of one round of resumes I was handed to go through for my boss, when we were seeking a new computer tech. My first run through removed anyone who was obviously English "challenged". My criteria was, I didn't care how competent a tech you might be, if I could not understand what you were saying. Likewise, if I couldn't understand you, there was the distinct possibility that you would not understand me OR our corporate/institutional clients.

The second run through the dwindling pile removed anyone who explained some weakness. It was rather amazing to read, in people's own words, the very reasons they should not be hired.

The biggest clue for folks is that I managed to narrow down the pile from about 100 applications to a slim folder of about 10 or 12 in less than an hour - so, make your info relevant and don't make the reader have to get out their Intergalactic Translator to figure out what you are saying. Oh, and don't talk about you dog or cat....

 

[Quintessence]

Decent guidelines, I guess, but not all of them will apply for all jobs or employers. People who hire look for different things; what is one person's rule will not be another's. There are some good things to avoid regardless of who is reading your stuff (like don't talk yourself down) but other than that, a lot of it is up to the tastes of who is doing the hiring. I certainly wouldn't balk at someone using the word "passionate" in their cover letter like this guy does.

 

[Mathematician]

Conform; originality must be destroyed. Didn't you learn anything in school?

 

[YmirGF]

Conform; originality must be destroyed. Didn't you learn anything in school?

Originality is more like the icing on a nice cake. Save it for after the meal. In ages past, when outlining my strengths, I would always add something to the effect of, "Extremely creative problem solver" and leave it at that. That line never failed to get an employer's attention and they always asked for examples.