Fiction vs. Fact

by Paula Santonocito

There's a scene in Lorrie Moore's latest novel, "A Gate at the Stairs," where the lead character and narrator, a 20-year-old college student named Tassie, interviews for a babysitting job. Tassie is offered the job and Moore chronicles her response:

"Really?" I asked, all the while wondering, Where's the new employee's first-day orientation meeting? Where is the "You've Picked a Great Place to Work" PowerPoint presentation? (The italics are Moore's.)

A reader involved with employment issues immediately pauses. What's wrong with this paragraph?

Well, a 20-year-old college student, who grew up on a farm no less, would not be thinking in terms of a "new employee's first-day orientation meeting" or a "Great Place to Work."

Moore, best known for short stories where characters gain insights into themselves and the world at large, certainly misses the mark with this observation.

But the error in assumption raises an important question: How often do employers, recruiters, and others "in the know" assume job candidates and employees are privy to insights and points of reference they can't possibly have?

Assumptions begin with the application process, extend to screening and hiring, then to onboarding, and finally to the job and its expectations.

What's more (pun intended), it's not only entry-level candidates and young employees who lack information about the work world. People changing industries, returning to the workforce, as well as others, may not know what you think they know.

Technology furthers communication, and in this regard it is extremely powerful. However, an important step in the communication process involves considering your audience. With this in mind, it is essential to examine messaging for both content and context.