Right after I was laid off, I got a LinkedIn message from my ex-manager "Hey, I spoke to someone at [company name] and recommended you for a job. Send your CV to [name + email address]".
Excited and thankful for her support, I immediately did. My email included a reference to our mutual friend and her recommendation of me.
Two days later, I got the following answer:
"Thanks for reaching out. [Referrer's name] did not have enough good things to say about you and your work." 😲😲😲
I read that line again. Did I miss something? Add something? Nope. "... did not have enough good things to say about you..." brutal and straightforward.
I stared at the email for a few minutes, feeling the blood run out of my cheeks. I just lost a job that seemed secure. I felt rejected, and my self-confidence was at a record low. I was bracing myself for more rejections to come because that's what job search is all about: continuous rejection until something sticks.
After I got over the initial shock and managed to fight off the onslaught of anxiety that inevitably comes with being laid off, I forwarded the mail to my referring friend with a question mark.
She wrote back: "I think she means I said loads of good things." and promised to check.
And then she added, "You know the expression, right?"
Ummmm… expression? Maybe - I guess 🤔. I waited with a sense of embarrassment. 😳
"Oh no, she said amazing things about you!" the recruiter clarified later.
Feeling like a complete idiot, I laughed it off.
It is kind of funny in hindsight. On the other hand, this isn't exactly the time and place to use paradoxical expressions.
🧑🎓 And there's a good lesson for content managers here.
The content writer doesn't get the chance to explain what she meant with what she wrote.
Imagine I was a potential client misunderstanding a marketing email because the literal and the intended meaning of an expression have opposite meanings. Or simply because I'm not familiar with some trendy jargon, the writer found cool.
At the least, the content loses value; worst, it scares me - the prospect - away.
Before you publish, remind yourself who your content addresses and what the relationship with the target audience is.
A prospect isn't part of your WhatsApp group of toddler mothers or Slack channel called office anecdotes. They are complete strangers and come to you with specific expectations. The nature of any relationship determines how people expect to be addressed. Think of the scenario when a cop stops you on the highway. You turn defensive before a word is spoken. Job seekers, as another example, are hyper-sensitive to negative language.
What about prospects? They expect to be treated with respect - and they deserve to. Eventually, you'll ask them to part with their hard-earned money to buy your product. No matter, what you try to convince them of, content should never make them feel stupid or ridiculed.
Make sure your writers are sensitive to the audience's needs and expectations. Trendy language and expressions can seem obvious and sound like fun to you and your team. But you're publishing content to get a message across, not for the fun of it. It's your job to ensure the audience understands it.
(BTW, the company ghosted me after an initial interview. I guess sensitivity and respectfulness aren't their strong suit.)