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In a marketplace with no shortage of
qualified applicants and specialists, the
smallest detail can make the difference
between a winner and a runner up.
Most people never know why they were passed over for
a job, but carefully proofreading work applications and
resumes can weed out errors and improve a potential
hire's odds. The decision process may be out of reach
but contestants can focus on things they can control.
Preparing a brief; researching an opportunity; and having
some knowledge of a prospective partner, publisher or
company's history, background and culture will set them
up for success.
Unique, universal, you—the three-u rule
For Hartenberger, writing is a form of heightened
consciousness. "I like to say that I'm not teaching my
students how to write — I'm teaching them how to think;
how to be observant; how to question the systems around
them; how to interpret and build meaning; how to relate
to others; how to understand and differentiate themselves;
how to become agents of change."
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More than 30 years of submitting articles to publishers has
taught me that good content doesn't sell itself. Presentation
matters. Clean graphics, accurate copy and concise query
emails demonstrate that your story addresses a universal
theme in a unique way that could only be told by you.
A unique spin on a universal idea may appeal broadly to
a magazine's readers, but what's to stop an editor from
assigning your story to a staff writer? Show that editor
that you, and only you, have the experience, perspective
and skill to tell the tale. To this day, I use these guiding
principles when querying new clients and publications.
The best part about the three-u rule? It's transferable.
Use it to win an account, answer an ad, apply for a job or
entertain friends and family, because your life experience
cannot be cloned or duplicated. Write a new chapter in
2024 and let the AIs and algorithms take their best shot;
their cheap knockoffs can mimic but never equal your
authentic human voice.
Dale S. Laszig, senior staff writer at The Green Sheet and founder and
CEO at DSL Direct LLC, is a payments industry journalist and content
strategist. Connect via email dale@dsldirectllc.com, LinkedIn www.
linkedin.com/in/dalelaszig/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/DSLdirect.