#smarterthanaveragebear – CDTalent Enterprises

Two recent technical writing recruiters, who supposedly know how certain skills may fit with work orders, told me Monster and Careerbuilder were places they found most of their placements and possibilities. I’ve never liked those chronologically-oriented sites, and there have been plenty of possibilities on LinkedIn and FlexJobs, including remote options.

Two basic points: Know which sites work best for your skill set and goals, and my expectation is that perceived “talent gaps” could be mitigated if recruiters AND people with skills try moving the job needle differently. I’m a Boomer with a “Smarter than the average Bear writer” attitude, and I’m looking.

No Goldilocks recruiters?

Of the tech callers, one was totally in left field, because he was trying to chat about an Careerbuilder resume from 2015 . Trying to steer him to my current information, like LinkedIn, seemed futile. Thinking I could turn that option into even a 3-month contract wasn’t reality.

Trying to explain a 2015 post-Recession in retail resume, which represented nothing I was trying to accomplish in 2020 – just, no.

Talking with Recruiter #2, the ‘take over’ local (Charlotte) person I’d scheduled a call with, left me far less confident about success. Compared to the CBD company I connected with through LinkedIn right after New Years in 2019, was he describing a totally different job from what I’d responded to?

A month later he proved right on about a situation that sounded far above my comfort level regarding *real* technical expertise. While a third recruiter had sounded better, he was ultimately wrong about the role.

On the bottom line, there’s a definite difference in needing-to-be-done-a-certain-way, design for multiple layers, starting from scratch technical writing vs. something closer to compilation and interpretation of content with “editorial and technical values.” I’m generally the later.

KEYWORDS – BIG DIFFERENCE

It’s worth noting that early searching for ‘Writer’ roles on LinkedIn often produced more Underwriter and Service writer possibilities than creative positions. Putting ‘content creation’ and ‘writing’ vs. writer in the keyword box, that went from barely a handful to over 100, and often included marketing and editorial manager roles.

Knowing more than one way to look for things is a legitimate piece of any search.

One recruiter indicated a training period, so that contract people were all trained in Open Text. Picking up skills on gigs is always career enhancing expertise for content people. I haven’t been intimidated about using systems listed in job descriptions, and knowing about up front training, that’s nothing but good business.

Recruiting #3 – Online with Clevertech

I’ve made the analogy before, of how better info makes better matches, be it potential clients or dating. https://cdtalententerprises.com/2019/08/05/content-creation-client-needs-same-as-dating-info-to-righter-decisions/ and nothing has changed my opinion on that.

Having previously declared The Super High end of good information was represented by 2 1/2 pages of printed who, what, why, how? relative to one company’s Content Marketing position, backing off of that doesn’t make it less desirable. A statement of corporate positioning, responsibilities, the necessary skill set, personal qualities, and some bullet points regarding the compensation situation that would be worth knowing, that’s beyond solid stuff to learn, but there’s a new sheriff on my RFP (request for proposal) sending front.

Content creation types understand that every CV or cover letter sent involves a judgment of our writing skills.

Almost without question – whether pursuing dates or a potential client – you’d invest more effort in something A-B-C, 1-2-3 clear about extra details to start. From the content creator side, responding to that well-defined description with an equally well-defined reason to investigate further is fundamentally right.

When you’re close to a like mind with what Clevertech CEO Kuty Shalev is dishing, going through some hoops in their information gathering process proves something for both parties. I took a couple hours to answer an 11 question panel that addressed several operational tasks, 300 character responses as I recall.

I ran across their ‘You’re not a Robot’ video on YouTube post-application, and I appreciated the searching questions. I want to put my Boomer journalistic skills to work for this operation, and coding isn’t even on my list of qualities. But, as an element of unique, I got to put my best shots FIRST THING.

What a difference – PRIMO space for ‘Extra’ Good Stuff

Have you wondered if your LinkedIn profile, and how real estate skills regarding database and research translated into project skills, actually got read?

How about blogs that linked job titles regarding career variety, like my “Smarter than the average Bear writer” line? Getting to lay out MY best links, is more than a little gratifying, a major difference maker. https://cdtalententerprises.com/2021/01/18/smarter-than-average-bear-content-writing-boomer-replants-thought-leadership-flag-2021/ I sing their praises, I’d gladly do two a week like that, and its a multi-part process from here, but I got confirmation my info is in their vault, and that’s part of ‘in it to win it,’ right?

The point is finding a totally online company, with a total reversal of standard recruiter ‘interview’ and 8-second rule scanning. Mr. Shalev isn’t rubbing it in anyone’s face that they’ve tricked people into responding in his videos, he does believe they’re above average on unique, especially being totally remote since 2000. Dammit, THESE guys will read what I send!

I still can’t code, but I believe in this process. If it’s a must have, I’ll learn it. Me, 2/20/21

One question involved a social media campaign – Was it successful, how could you tell? My year as VP Community Development of the (Albany, NY) Junior Chamber was a taproot of professional skills development through my thirties. How I recruited members to honcho career-enhancing extra projects instead of just raising $$$ by doing ‘thons, I got it in there.

How could I tell? Because the ‘Chairman’s Planning Guides’ (CPGs) were part of the documentation process for gaining three State-level awards. You rarely get asked about things people don’t know are possibilities, and all I had to do was paste good links? DONE!

COMMUNICATION is always the deal, and showing volunteers how this project had succeeded before, touching them with good follow-up was part of understanding how things worked. Having some fun while improving your resume and-or recognition factor is chicken soup for the soul. Try mentioning being a flying witch for a legendary Haunted House – people will know you’re a good kind of different by Tuesday.

When the bell is rung

Many freelancers and creatives like to think its just a matter of getting in front of a decision maker to ‘get in’ someplace. Perhaps we lack an attribute or two software-wise, or depth of expertise required, but if there’s not an organic height requirement, face-to-face will win the day.

Uhh-huh.

That would be amazingly naive of the one picture dating profile to think, and just as unproductive for a content writing candidate. Don’t ignore the relative clues in a well-written description of how to impress any ‘date’ appropriately.

Immediate, verifiable info regarding candidate

Verifiable intell regarding an All That candidate doesn’t always happen, but a pre-pandemic date was interesting, attractive, way better than just fit, a look-you-in-the-eye type with a compelling story about spirituality (including tarot, the hook in my books) that kept conversation flowing. OMG! she also wanted to go ‘dutch’ from the get-go.

Here’s hoping Clevertech looks at me the same way.

All positive responses constitute a successful ‘first date’ for content writing (with exceptional verbal dexterity) people like me.

Never let it be thought you only did the least that could be done. Quality communications don’t need to be all-revealing bikini shots of one’s career, just promote the belief that we as responders might be that terrific person you’ll want to discuss a future relationship with.

There were three important factors for my joy in participating in a Communities in Schools program Saturday morning, one of which has something to do with the view from Grandfather Mountain.

That I’m contacted for this is optimal “Social Capital” (time, effort, “being”), and to utilize my professional skills for a specific four-hour gig, working with already accepted HS students to write better essays as part of scholarship money applications, is right at the top of Satisfying.

I’m not a parent, but seeing my suggestions immediately and directly acted on, is affirming. That those changes *will* make a difference, that floats my boat.

The short time commitment shows both the respect CIS has for professional availability, and is a testament to how focused on the difference they recognize this time – essentially 1.5 hours online – can make.

The two dozen or so students who attended the Access Granted Workshop at Philllip O. Berry – Academy of Technology, also learned about online sites that described available scholarships for another important aspect, “Where?” such money might be.

Essays often ask for response to ‘catastrophic’

The standard 500 word essays scholarship applicants are asked for usually focus on something catastrophic that happened in their lives, and what they did about it. The standard throughout most of my writing career has been “a good hook” in that first paragraph, and that’s more important in essays than the click value that emphasizes titles and subheads for readability now.

One simple step to improve almost everyone’s letter writing is to break up huge blocks of print. Yes, reading train-of-thought style for 26 lines will always look daunting, and people who have to do it LOTS of times for their jobs might miss whats in the sauce…

It’s just a good idea to start a new paragraph for visual relief, and its not a bad thing to even add an extra line. Knowing how ‘real world’ applications for company sites can be very unfriendly to submissions that are less than pro forma, be willing to go back through and edit. The extra effort to go back and change 6-comma, run-on sentences into two real ones with periods, plus that comment you thought of after finishing, usually feels like a small reward.

New thought, new paragraph, even if its only a significant one liner.

“I intend to go to Howard or some other HBC (Historically Black Colleges), because several people I respect a lot have talked about what it meant to them.” -Kai.

Confidence in the communicating

Having discussed the last line of the business card I gave several kids, they were amused about “Smarter than the average bear” writer, which is explained at the top of my landing page. While I hold Matt Damon in “The Martian” as a high end example, I state that having done a variety of projects, I’m confident about being better than Yogi, the one-trick bear, who only stole picnic baskets. Its a sense of self 17-18 years olds don’t easily recognize.

The “catastrophic” change for Kai was his mother – who he’d always lived with – taking a job in Maryland when he was twelve, and he stayed in Charlotte with his Dad, who he’d seen frequently, but only stayed with periodically. He said the change in parental styles was a very different world, that it affected him to the point where he got his first ever C’s before he finally figured things out.

So how long did that take? “Like a whole semester!”

I told him about going from Catholic grade school to public school in 8th grade, also getting my first C’s ever. I sloughed off instead of excelling, because I was way ahead at that point. The challenge had been going against the same peer group for better grades – get one wrong on a test, they had a better A.

In Kai’s case, he didn’t recognize the strength of having gotten BACK to all A’s so quickly. I was not the same student in that environment, but in his self-grading, he’d messed up. In describing how he put together a booklet for National Honor Society, he breezed past the fact 1) He did the app early, so it wouldn’t be hanging over him and 2) once he knew what they were looking for and how the process went, he began helping others put their stuff together.

Those he helped referred him to others, sometimes he gets paid for tutoring.

There HAS to be room in any essay for something like that.

Note to others: Just because you’re writing *about* yourself, doesn’t mean you need to include extraneous material that causes readers to think negatively. Keep any story simple, centered.

Something to help everyone

20200225_105325 — *This is the schizzle as an aid to all essay writers.*

A Scoring Rubric for Scholarship Essay Questions was such a good, specific thing to have handed out, I don’t think there can be anything wrong with including it here.

There are four categories, based on point values (10,5,1,0). The “quality” of the content is considered in terms of progressive excellence in structure and story-telling

’10’ is for what would be considered an Exceptional answer, based on five criteria, such as having a strong central focus to the answer, with sentences clear and varied, using appropriate vocabulary, complete sentences, and minimal mechanical errors.

5 point “qualities” would include using appropriate details, with clear and correct sentence structure and revealing some “character,” again with few mechanical errors.

0 Points, not meeting expectations – Not answering the question, little development of the topic (short answers), the POV is confusing instead of recognizing the sense of “audience” they might be writing to, and punctuation, slang, text style, undeniably not proofread.

While consistently making myself available for events like this and some elementary school reading programs, it still feels great to impart long-term expertise so cleanly with a one-one focus.

A personal philosophy is to not try lifting all of society a gazillionth of an inch, but when kids put in extra time to improve their skills – and its the reason I love Hugh O’Brian Youth’s three-day leadership program – I’ll try passing along some best practices.

In Yogi’s words, “Hey hey, Boo-Boo, now you’re smarter than the average writer too!”

Glenn Shorkey – Creative eDitorial Talent Enterprises

http://www.linkedin.com/in/glennshorkey

https://cdtalententerprises.com/about

(704) 502-9947

Tag: #smarterthanaveragebear

Hey hey, Boo-Boo! Check the skills basket, an extra sandwich could make the picnic