Technically Speaking
by Sylvia Henderson

(For publication in WashingtonJobs.com magazine)

Scenario B:  You recently spent four hours at a job fair where you, in the midst of streams of other potential candidates, left resumes and talked for a few minutes with representatives from companies looking for technology workers.  You explained your impressive credentials but while you were talking the company representatives politely took your resume and distractedly glanced from side-to-side and looked out beyond you. As soon as you walked away you registered on their "forget that one" radar and have received no follow-up interviews.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Think again. The Internet is no longer a new entity and technical jargon is far from a new issue in the technology - or any business.  Unfortunately, those who have grown up with technology have to communicate with Human Resources people and managers who knew life prior to the Internet's popularity or who are not so familiar with technology.  This does not always equate to an age difference.  These people have a focus other than technology as their concerns are on business operations, marketing, and personnel issues.

As an example, in an interview you are asked to explain the project to which you last contributed at your former dot.com company. The following is part of your description and is typical of what I hear at trade shows and at networking events.  For obvious reasons actual names and locations are omitted.

Huh? Exactly what encompasses the next-generation other than Star Trek? What products are within the suite?  Can you substantiate the claim that the company is the largest provider? Does your audience truly understand what enterprise business performance software represents? What market is the mid-market? Your project probably automates a client's operations by putting its processes online but will it really automate ALL processes? How does doing so focus the entire enterprise on its customer?  The last sentence is vague ... what make-or-break demands of these e-people (whoever they are) will be able to be attacked?

Avoid unsubstantiated claims - the declarations that you are the largest, the number one, the primary, the best.  Unless you can show specific data that backs your claims, don't make the claims. Such claims are what I call marketing hoo-rah and turn me off rather than make me more interested in what you have to say.

• Forget the "e", "x", and "i" prefixes. They are over used at this point in time.  When you start talking about eEmployees in addition to all the other "e's", something is seriously out of place.

“work for eCompany2.com which is an F2B allowing the provision and utilization of integrated industrial software suites that drive strategic, planning, and operational decision-making based on real-time plant floor information”.

Additional suggestions on how to make your interview or networking discussions more clear include:

• Get rid of the 2Bs.  Either say the complete words or find others that mean the same thing.
• Practice what you intend to say to a prospective employer with people you know do not know your topic.  When their questioning stares and cloudy eyes become clear and comprehending you've got your message clean.
• It takes time, effort, and practice to eliminate technical and industry jargon. The effort is worth it if your audience determines your career, your finances, and your future.

  About the Author
  

Sylvia@SpringboardTraining.com
www.SpringboardTraining.com
(301) 260-1538
P.O. Box 588 – Olney, MD 20830-0588