I sent out a cover letter and resume for a job I was interested in, but I did something in the cover letter that I typically don’t do. I was critical of the company. I pretty much said they should hire me because their website sucked.
OK, I didn’t say sucked, but I did include some choice words about how boring the content and design were, and I also wrote that their social media initiatives were lacking.
Hey, I’m all about honesty, so I figured they needed to hear these things. And speaking about hearing things, I haven’t heard back from that employer. Did I offend? We talk so much about not trashing your former employer in a cover letter or an interview, but what about trashing the people you want to work with?
I emailed one of my favorite career coaches to ask her about my in-your-face tactic.
I wrote:
is it ever ok to dog a company in a cover letter or an interview? basically, saying something like, “you should hire me so i can fix the stupid things you’re doing at your company.” definitely, a bit more diplomatic and nuanced than this.
Kiki Weingarten, cofounder of Atypical Coaching, wrote back:
Tough question but here are a couple of thoughts.
* Hard to get noticed nowadays - might just get you noticed
* must be done the right way so -
* tell them what you like about x in the organization but that -
* your experience, skills, talents, unique ________, _______, would be perfect for _____ by
* give one or two teasers (you don’t want to give your information or idea away for free and without credit - they can take the ideas and run with it and then you’ve got nothing.
* give just enough so they want more but have to come to you for it.
This all makes sense. When I hire a part timer, freelancer, or choose an intern, I like to know they are bringing something to the table that can help make my site, my work, me, better.
What do you think? Is it ever a good idea to dog an employer you want to work for in a cover letter, or an interview? And on the flip side, if an employer isn’t open to hearing some criticism, or new ideas, do you really want to work for them?
February 15th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Eve,
I think direct, striking criticism is rarely, if ever successful. Most people become defensive when someone attacks their work at least initially. Probably best to avoid outright criticism unless the employer asks for a honest opinion, but definitely back it up with accolades about the good and subtle suggestions about the bad.
February 15th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Ahh, I forgot to add any accolades. I always think we spend too much time stroking people and that it’s counterproductive. But, human nature, as you point out Sean, is a dicey thing. And making people defensive is never a good thing.
February 16th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Hi there,
I would be more inclined to recommend getting noticed through past relevant achievements in a cover letter, gathering information about what seems to be stupid/bad about the company during interviews, then being impressive after you are hired by fixing the problems.
A cover letter…an interview…these are times when quick assessments are made and any perceived negativity is a big “do not hire” flag. Honest criticism? Perhaps. But might also make you seem like you aren’t so much fun to play with in the sandbox.
Regards,
Georgia Curtis
Managing Director
Backpocket HR Inc.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:40 am
As humans we are trained to criticize everything. Think of the Bachelor or Bachelorette on TV. There’s a group of beautiful people and the entire audience is trying to find fault in all of them. Because of this, we are also trained to ignore or reject criticism.
People hate getting criticized and will often risk the success of their own company to reject the criticizer. In general, to accept criticism, you must come to a complete stop and start moving in another direction which most of the time is hard work, like finding a boulder rolling down a hill and trying to get it back up to the top.
A better way to go about it is to find what you love and appreciate about the company. If you point out a unique angle or item that is often unnoticed, it could be your ticket in. Jay O’Callahan is a great story teller and teacher who uses appreciations as a way of improving his student’s stories without demoralizing consequences. You can read more on Jay in the link below.
http://the99percent.com/articles/5518/Jay-OCallahan-Appreciations
February 21st, 2011 at 8:39 am
Honest, but probably impractical. Good, bad,or indifferent job hunting can be a show, a presentation. Thanks for saying what many are thinking.