Rhetorical Analysis of Fast-Growth Businesses’ Job Advertisements: Implications for Job Search

Abstract

This article presents findings from a rhetorical analysis of job advertisements posted by the fastest growing companies in the United States ( Inc. 5000 rankings). The analysis suggests that companies rely on standard rhetorical figures and share similar rhetorical visions of novelty that likely effect their organizational culture, paradoxically make them homogeneous, and potentially oversell positions that require prosaic job duties. Suggestions to authors of job advertisements include writing with fewer clichés and metaphors, since they tend to reify ageist stereotypes. Suggestions for job seekers include doing rhetorical analyses of advertisements and writing résumés so they comply with job advertisements’ creative rhetorical styles.

Gearing up for Gen Z: An Analysis of Employers’ Recruitment Marketing Targeting the New, Generation Z, Workforce

“…This notion of person and the organizational fit is supported by Engstrom, Petre and Petre (2017). Engstrom, Petre and Petre (2017) find that job advertisement also signals to potential candidates what the organization and leaders' value, offering candidates the opportunity to understand the work environment and culture the candidate may be working within -and whether or not they prefer it for themselves.…”

“…The job description is essential as it not only describes the position but is also used to entice potential candidates to a position, and later on, to measure if candidates will fit both the position and the organization (Leon Rohr, 2016). This notion of person and the organizational fit is supported by Engstrom, Petre and Petre (2017). Engstrom, Petre and Petre (2017) find that job advertisement also signals to potential candidates what the organization and leaders' value, offering candidates the opportunity to understand the work environment and culture the candidate may be working within -and whether or not they prefer it for themselves.…”

Perpetuating Perceptions: Understanding the “Chaining” of a Common Training Narrative Beyond the Classroom

“…Historically, SCT has been applied to corporate strategic planning (Cragan & Shields, 1992) because it offers a theory as an applied tool for communication consultants. Engstrom et al (2017) argued that fantasy theme analysis is helpful for jobseekers. Cragan and Shields (1992) argued that SCT is an effective theory to illustrate shared consciousness , why and how the shared consciousness or perceptions begins and continues, and the motives for a symbolic community.…”

Accessibility and Disability: Absent Keywords in Business and Professional Communication

“…For instance, in her excellent study of usability, Jameson (2013) cited research on how disabled citizens used a web-based system, but the rest of the article did not address any disability issues. In their recent article, Engstrom, Petre, and Petre (2017) presented a rhetorical analysis of word choice in job-related advertisements. The authors argued that the repetition of “high energy,” “recent graduate,” “fun,” and “creative” could “reify these as being characteristics solely of younger applicants, which could instill ageism in the hiring process, especially in the fast-growth company space” (p. 358).…”