Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Sep 2017

Rhetorical Analysis of Fast-Growth Businesses’ Job Advertisements: Implications for Job Search

Craig L. Engstrom ; James T. Petre University of Pennsylvania ; Elizabeth A. Petre Bloomsburg University

Abstract

This article presents findings from a rhetorical analysis of job advertisements posted by the fastest growing companies in the United States ( Inc. 5000 rankings). The analysis suggests that companies rely on standard rhetorical figures and share similar rhetorical visions of novelty that likely effect their organizational culture, paradoxically make them homogeneous, and potentially oversell positions that require prosaic job duties. Suggestions to authors of job advertisements include writing with fewer clichés and metaphors, since they tend to reify ageist stereotypes. Suggestions for job seekers include doing rhetorical analyses of advertisements and writing résumés so they comply with job advertisements’ creative rhetorical styles.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2017-09-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490617723117
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism voice and style
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Pandey (2025)
    Exploring Design Strategies for Student Career Portfolios
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Lawal (2025)
    Metaphor in U.K. Bank Chairman Letter to Shareholders
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  3. Hocutt (2024)
    Composing with generative AI on digital advertising platforms
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  4. Mathis et al. (2023)
    Perpetuating Perceptions: Understanding the “Chaining” of a Common Training Nar…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Knight (2018)
    Accessibility and Disability: Absent Keywords in Business and Professional Comm…
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