Author Topic: Peel the onion  (Read 754 times)

MillCreek

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Peel the onion
« on: June 18, 2021, 04:18:48 PM »
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-is-the-countrys-worst-offender-when-it-comes-to-using-too-much-jargon/

I have been a hiring manager for many many years, but I have not the faintest what 'peel the onion' or 'thought shower' mean.  I certainly have never put it into a job description or used it in an interview.
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MillCreek
Snohomish County, WA  USA


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just Warren

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2021, 05:04:04 PM »
You're no hoopy frood.
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Bogie

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2021, 06:08:16 PM »
Heh... I was once at a an after-work pub meeting with a group of MBAs who were working for a high-dollar consulting company. And they were inventing buzzwords... I think I have been meeting injected with a situation modifier that was born at that thought process conference a time or two...
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Hawkmoon

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2021, 06:34:45 PM »
"What goes around, comes around," or "There is nothing new under the sun."

https://www.amazon.com/Strictly-Speaking-America-Death-English/dp/1412813271

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1215408.Strictly_Speaking

As much as I enjoyed Strictly Speaking (and its offspring, A Civil Tongue), being in the job market and reading job postings created by people who apparently have university degrees in "Human Resources" leads me to the conclusion that the HR people are light years ahead of the politicians in terms of meaningless drivel posing as sophisticated language.

Here's an example (mind you, I'm looking for a job as an architect, so I don't know why indeed.com sent this to me):

Quote
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Improve the client experience by creating clear, concise and accurate technical documentation and client instructions.

Partner with product, design, client services, sales and other teams to research and write technical, marketing, client support, education or business support documents and serve as an editorial resource for the firm.

Conduct content audits and perform gap analyses.

Create and maintain editorial calendars, style guides, taxonomies, metadata frameworks and content migration plan as needed.

Define our voice and tone as part of the larger product design and marketing system while building and maintaining a content style guide and teaching others how to apply it.

Skills and Traits

Madcap Certified and/or intermediate to advanced user of MadCap Flare / Central.

Experience with simplifying, organizing and structuring product documentation.

A minimum of 5 years of work experience, with at least 3 years of content marketing or product documentation experience, and 3 years' experience in financial services, information services or software industry.

Exceptional written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills and an ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams.

Highly motivated self-starter with an ability to understand the "big picture" while producing and delivering tangible results.

An exacting eye for detail.

Experience defining and implementing voice and tone guidelines, style guides and writing processes that improve content quality and improve client experience.

Understanding of technology, financial services and markets, with a curiosity and desire to learn more about IBKR's technology, business, markets, products, and clients.

Ability to multi-task and simultaneously manage multiple high priority projects.

This job is "Technical Writer." Now we know what K-Frame does for a living.

Here's another one. This one is for a Strategic Proposal Writer, for CVS (the pharmacy chain):

Quote
The Strategic Proposal Writer is responsible for developing customer-focused, strategically positioned proposal responses. They work on moderately complex proposals and broker/consultant surveys/RFIs for our corporate constituents (brokers/consultants, prospects and customers).

The candidate will write and edit in accordance with company brand standards, plain language and internal RFP style guide standards as well as apply research and data gathering skills.

The successful candidate will have the ability to be creative, apply personal initiative and must be well organized and able to manage multiple projects and changing priorities.

An ability to interpret and understand the needs of the customer and work with other team members to create a compelling, well-articulated value proposition that aligns the products and programs we offer with the customer’s strategy is essential to success. Candidates use the proposal database and established department workflows to respond to questionnaires or ad hoc proposal requests.

We are looking for self-motivated team players who enjoy working in a dynamic and fast paced environment. The position requires an individual who can communicate very effectively verbally and in writing with all audiences, resolve problems, prioritize, multi-task, and build and maintain strong relationships with our field organization and subject matter experts throughout the company.

The ability to apply the principles of grammar, mechanics, and spelling in written work is critical.

Note how "The ability to apply the principles of grammar, mechanics, and spelling in written work" is the last thing mentioned.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2021, 06:51:08 PM by Hawkmoon »
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100% Politically Incorrect by Design

zxcvbob

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2021, 06:47:02 PM »
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-is-the-countrys-worst-offender-when-it-comes-to-using-too-much-jargon/

I have been a hiring manager for many many years, but I have not the faintest what 'peel the onion' or 'thought shower' mean.  I certainly have never put it into a job description or used it in an interview.

You probably don't want to know.  (nasty euphemisms)   =D

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Fly320s

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2021, 08:03:58 PM »
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-is-the-countrys-worst-offender-when-it-comes-to-using-too-much-jargon/

I have been a hiring manager for many many years, but I have not the faintest what 'peel the onion' or 'thought shower' mean.  I certainly have never put it into a job description or used it in an interview.

I don't know what peel the onion means, but thought shower just means the weird things we think about while in the shower.  Could be good ideas, could be weird what-ifs.
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Bogie

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2021, 08:14:51 PM »
So, St. Louis has a chain of free clinics that has been around for a pretty long time. Back about 30 years ago, they hired a heavy duty social worker to write a grant proposal.
 
One of their goals was "the elimination of mortality within our service region."
 
Well, I flagged that sucker in the editing process. And was told "We have to include that, because someone else will. People are just going to have to go somewhere else to die."
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MechAg94

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2021, 08:23:18 PM »
I thought peel the onion had more to do with investigating a conspiracy, peeling back the layers to uncover the facts.  Or something like that.

If there is another use, I don't think I want to know.
“It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”  ― Calvin Coolidge

zxcvbob

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2021, 11:04:57 PM »
I thought peel the onion had more to do with investigating a conspiracy, peeling back the layers to uncover the facts.  Or something like that.

If there is another use, I don't think I want to know.

Yes.  (investigating something complex; doesn't have to be a conspiracy although it can be)  I was making a joke about euphemisms. ;)
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230RN

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2021, 05:08:15 AM »

Do they really want some outsider to apply?  Both examples strike me as "We're hiring from within, but are required to publish a help wanted ad to satisfy some damfool regulation, so go away and don't bother us."

I guess if you wanted to throw them a curve, you could reply by using utilizing* every buzzthought back at them in your resume: 

➤ Well versed in peeling the onion to hyper-enhance the derivation of the customer's perspective.

➤ Keenly adept at drying myself off after the thought shower in creative meetings.

➤ Stratospheric ability with in-person skills to mogrify customer's reluctance to agree to standard legal prolix.

➤ ....

"Buzzthought." I just invented that. I hope someone else invented it first so I don't get blamed.

I'm not signing this one so nobody will know who posted it.

* "Using" is two syllables. "Utilizing" is four syllables.  This is twice as good.

« Last Edit: June 19, 2021, 05:50:22 AM by 230RN »

Hawkmoon

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2021, 12:44:55 PM »

* "Using" is two syllables. "Utilizing" is four syllables.  This is twice as good.

But "maximizing the implementation of" is eleven syllables.

However, "leveraging the deployment of" sounds even more buzzwordy. even though it's only nine syllables.
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HankB

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2021, 05:09:58 PM »
I don't know what peel the onion means, but thought shower just means the weird things we think about while in the shower.  Could be good ideas, could be weird what-ifs.
And . . .  golden thought shower?
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MechAg94

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2021, 11:36:36 PM »
The Mark 14 Torpedo - Failure is Like Onions
https://youtu.be/eQ5Ru7Zu_1I

This title is a similar use of "Onions" in a phrase. 
“It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”  ― Calvin Coolidge

230RN

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2021, 08:26:32 AM »
Hawkmoon noted:

"However, 'leveraging the deployment of' sounds even more buzzwordy. even though it's only nine syllables."

See, now, there's the semantic impact stuff I've been bitching about for so many years.  "Leveraging" has a strong impact from the financial world, and "deployment" has a strong impact from the military (and has been used a lot lately.)  That's why it sounds even more "buzzwordy" (meaning stronger) than the longer eleven-syllable choice.

It kinda makes one wonder where the "buzz" part of buzzword came from.  "Buzzed" colloquially means energized in a sense, so...


RoadKingLarry

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Re: Peel the onion
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2021, 09:25:01 AM »
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams