Emails, job applications, cover letters, interviews.
We live in a 140-character world. All of us are challenged by information overload and the space and pace of communication.
Headlines and opening lines will make or break us.
If you’re looking for a job, your job is to capture attention. You must get people to open your emails, and read beyond the subject line. Get people interested in learning more about you.
You want to stand out. To be interesting and engaging. To capture attention and sustain it.
To be invited in for interviews. To be remembered – for the right things, the areas where you stand out, the ways that you are special, effective, and engaging.
If you’re not getting called in for interviews, you may need headline thinking. And, if you’re not getting hired, you may want to sharpen your interview stories by adding headlines.
What it means for you: figure out what’s most important and say the most important things first. (Don’t bury the lede or bury your ideas in details!)
Know what you want to emphasize. Make it sharp, clear, simple and compelling.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Most of us think too much and know too much about all we have to offer. It takes critical, strategic thinking to get to the essence/the key information/the most powerful statements.
My best advice is to get clearer and clearer about what you want someone to remember about you and what makes you a good fit for a particular job or industry. Next, think about what makes you interesting or memorable: a place you have worked, a campaign or project you were involved in, your years of experience, a significant accomplishment, your methodology, etc.
Before you write a headline, brainstorm! Getting to headline is often like sculpting. Start with all your options and then play with language working to find the essence, image or the hook for your headline.
Here are some brainstorm tips:
- Try out strong words. Use interesting language.
- Dare to be provocative.
- Try out comparisons and contrasts.
- Play with metaphors.
- Use words that connect to people personally- values, humor.
- Use words that convey images.
- Use words that rhyme. Alliteration.
- A teaser or a hook.
- Starting with a punchline.
Think about what captures your attention. Friendly tone. A sense of urgency. A clear request. A familiar name. Something dramatic, boastful, impressive, funny.
Remember what does NOT capture attention: words that are vague, too many ideas in one sentence, too many details, no idea why you are writing or what you want. Simply put: no focus! Secondarily, nothing interesting or compelling.
The headliners are the people who get hired. Make sure you stand out!