"Avast ye, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, I'm a better man than all of ye milksops put together so ye should hire meself on t' double!" - Graybeard the Job Seeking Pirate.

How many times have you posted (or found) a job where t' description demanded that t' ideal candidate have strong communication skills? Whether Online or in print, if you were t' sail through recent job postin's you'll find t' request in bold or bulleted format. It would seem in today's hunt for great jobs or candidates that good communication skills be no longer simply a skill set that recent grads or veteran specialists will possess.

It would seem t' this RecruiterGuy that thar be more tools and applications released today that promote t' demise o' conversation skills than work toward improvin' this dyin' skill set. Is it lack o' interest in a more technically savvy and rapidly movin' workforce? Is thar a reason that some recruiters be choosin' t' overlook grammatical atrocities on resumes and heavy 'mispeakin'' durin' interviews? (a bucko o' mine recently shared how a hirin' manager selected a particular job seeker that incorrectly used several words durin' both interviews - and not consistently - but was a 4yr college graduate... for a customer facin' high level sales job.)

I be supposin' t' real issue revolves around a few easy questions.

1. Do we's really not care about communication since we've various fancyfied ways to be talkin'?
2. Or is it that thar just isn't anythin' better t' pick from when we be finding bad talkin' ?
   

In me office (in a box somewhere, I'm in mid-relocation) I have a resume that was sent t' me sometime last year that reads as though it be a 2 page Instant Message. There be many vowels removed and more acronyms than I ever saw used durin' me tour in t' Arme. I've never been aye if it was sent in seriousness or in jest - and in a conversation with it's creator I was still unable t' draw a positive conclusion as they were a bit evasive and almost offended when I asked (which leads me t' believe it was a sincere attempt at a resume.) It remains however, a favorite o' mine and thus it's framin'.
Another favorite t' recall be t' gentleman who was so confident in his verbal interview skills that he thought it appropriate t' push his chair onto it's aft two legs so that he could rock aft and forth durin' our interview. This - combined with his posture that was so relaxed I was forced t' check out just how comfortable t' chair was after t' interview - told me that he'd not a clue about non-verbal communication. I still have that chair and no matter how hard I try I just can't get half as comfortable as he appeared t' be.

Of course, t' lack o' communication isn't just on t' job seeker's end. In a recent article on RecruiterGuy.net, clarity o' job requirements or expectations was addressed. In a world where we find communication smartlyer I'm port t' wonder why it's art isn't more refined.

So in t' spirit o' National Talk Like A Pirate Day I be presnent t' you a challenge - work on your communication skills and in gettin' your thoughts and intent across clearly as opposed t' quickly. After all, in t' larger scheme o' thin's it really doesn't matter how great an idea or product you have if you simply can't communicate it's greatness t' your audience.

originally posted here...