With college graduation recently behind us, we’ve been getting our share of cover letters and resumes from new grads looking for a job. And yes, once again I am unfortunately reminded that universities are granting diplomas to young men and women who can barely string a sentence together. What’s truly amazing is that most of these students have degrees in communications, marketing (and sometimes journalism). I think that too many of our high schools and universities have done these young people a grave disservice by not teaching them how to write. And by not being honest with them about how important writing skills are to a career in communications.
One of the questions that I always ask an interview candidate (young and old alike) is how they rate their writing skills. Then I ask them if they like to write. You would be amazed at how many people looking for a job at a communications agency are nonchalant about telling me that their writing skills are weak, and oh yeah, by the way, I don’t really enjoy it much either.
If you can’t write well, you can’t work at Talk. Period. No exceptions. We give prospective employees an on-site, timed writing test, spelling test and grammar test. Lots of candidates fail. But we give these tests to identify candidates who will succeed at Talk. A poor writer doesn’t belong in marketing communications. There is no amount of smart graphics or Internet wizardry that is going to hide poor writing. Everyone, from graphic designer to office manager, should be adept at drafting a cogent, well organized memo, budget and business proposal. And the account managers and copywriters should be writing prose that makes people laugh, cry or sing on a regular basis.
Agencies often differ by specialty: website design, graphic design, advertising or PR. But regardless of their focus, all agencies write marketing messages for their clients. Great writing (and by extension, great messaging) is the foundation of a successful marketing campaign. And it’s the foundation on which Talk is built.
