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The words you choose to advance your career matter, especially with more candidates relying on artificial intelligence to sharpen their resumes, CVs, cover letters, and responses to interview questions. While large language models such as ChatGPT are great for polishing your communication and recommending stronger verbs and adjectives, the use of AI can dilute your message and drown your candidacy in a sea of abstraction.
To rise to the top of people’s minds and the list of applicants, you must be memorable. When everyone else is flooding search committees and their network with superfluous AI slop that mirrors the entire talent pool, you should be creating distinction by choosing nouns and phrases that people will actually remember.
You don’t need large language. You need concrete language.
What is Concrete Language?
According to behavioral science expert Richard Shotton, author of the marketing books “The Illusion of Choice” and “The Choice Factory,” concrete language is communication that uses specific, vivid, sensory details so people can mentally picture what you’re describing.
Shotton shares replicated research about how concrete phrases like “rusty engine” or “white horse” are recalled 10 times more easily than abstract terms like “common fate” or “impossible amount.”
A classic example that Shotton describes is how Apple effectively marketed its first iPod. While makers of contemporary MP3 players were touting the storage size in megabytes, Apple appealed to consumers by describing the benefits as having “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
Resisting Abstraction in Higher Education
This seems like great advice if you’re trying to sell consumer products, but in higher education, especially those on the job market, abstract language is too often used as a crutch.
The currency is intangible ideas like institutional prestige, academic rigor, and campus culture. Even the “material” things we develop or work on are abstract: curriculum, programs, research, and strategic plans.
It’s no surprise that higher education professionals build their candidacy the same way institutions market themselves, selling vague ideas like excellence, innovation, or leadership. It’s a common language, but that’s the problem–it’s indistinguishable.
Telling stories and using concrete language that people can visualize is an opportunity for job candidates in higher education.
Being Concrete with Your Candidacy
Higher education marketers can describe their “welcoming campus community” in concrete terms by drilling down a few more levels of specificity: “students stop to hold doors, share tables, and greet each other by name.” They can also illustrate a compelling statistic, like their 92% first-to-second-year retention rate by telling a story about a student who nearly flunked out but sought help and eagerly waited by her professor’s door 15 minutes before office hours.
But what about job candidates?
You might have all these exemplary journal publications, teaching experiences, or committee work, but try to tell your story in concrete language or examples:
The day your research question came from something a patient said. Rearranging desks into small groups so students could argue opposite sides of a case instead of listening passively. How you always walked to an off-campus sub shop with colleagues and named the steps of your collaborative reports after the ingredients of your favorite sandwiches.
You might not have the opportunity to use anecdotes outside of conversations. These are best used with captive audiences in interviews or at networking events.
But even on a resume or CV, concrete language makes a big impact. Instead of vague statements like “Organized campus events” or listing a jargon-heavy title like “PJAS District IV Discovery Day Colloquium,” show what you actually did and who benefited. For example:
“Planned and led a three-day STEM outreach program for 500 high school students, sparking a 20% increase in local program applications.” “Redesigned the undergraduate research symposium, increasing poster submissions by 40% and drawing students from five regional schools.” “Created and facilitated weekly collaborative workshops for 30 first-year students, improving course participation and engagement.” “Coordinated a campus sustainability initiative that recycled 2 tons of materials and engaged 200 student volunteers.”
These one-line examples work like mini-stories: they highlight your action, the concrete results, and the people involved. Even without a full narrative, specificity and cause-and-effect make your accomplishments tangible and memorable.
In Conclusion
Advancing your career in higher education doesn’t require sophisticated AI or flashy jargon, it requires clarity, specificity, and memorability. Concrete language allows you to stand out in a crowded field, turning abstract accomplishments into tangible, relatable stories that people can picture and remember.
Don’t just list your research, teaching, service, or leadership. Show it with vivid details and small human moments that people will actually remember.
