There’s a section in The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Al and Laura Reis’s 2002 branding bible, about the importance of “owning” the word or phrase you want customers to associate with your business. They point out how Volvo has sought to own the word “safe,” and FedEx the word “overnight.”

Yet for all their branding acumen, Volvo, FedEx, and the vast majority of employers all describe their work cultures the same way: They’re “fast-paced environments,” of course.

It’s the emptiest and most overused phrase in recruiting–and a lazy way of describing how your operations and culture combine to create a work experience. No job applicant who reads that expression on a job listing gives it a moment’s thought. If “fast-paced environment” appears anywhere in your job descriptions or on the careers section of your website, you need to think a lot harder about what you want to say to future employees. Here’s why – and what to put in its place.

Please click here to read the complete article from Associations Now.