Fredericton — Are you a content strategist, content creator, content writer, content aggregator, content co-ordinator, content marketer, content management specialist or digital content implementation adviser? If you’re between the ages of 18 and 35, Statistics Atlantic says you have a very good chance of falling under at least one of these purposely imprecise job categories.
“It seems if you’re not a ‘content’ this-or-that these days, then you’re a ‘storyteller.’ If you’re not a storyteller either, then you’re probably unemployed. Though you could be a combination of these, or all three,” said James Cochrane, 31, content manager for Stats Atlantic. “Personally, the content I create tells the numerical story of all Atlantic Canadian phenomena. Can it be counted? If so, I can produce quality content that tells its story.”
Cochrane said the content of a report he commissioned showed that New Brunswick employers are finding new and increasingly annoying ways to fit the word “content” into each and every job title, in an effort to sound hipster and techie. “Baristas are now ‘cup content curators’; construction workers are now ‘asphalt content managers and roadsign storytellers’; call-centre workers are being called ‘content complaint directors.’ It’s really exploding right now.”
Becky Hamilton, 24, works at Smoke’s Poutinerie in downtown Fredericton. “I saw the job ad on Indeed.ca, and it said ‘Looking for an enthusiastic cheese curd content creator for a cool new startup,'” she explained. “I was like, ‘What the heck does that mean?’ Anyway, I applied and only found out what it was when I went to the interview.
“The work is OK, but for god’s sake, just call it what it is! I’m putting cheese and gravy on soggy fries — apparently I’m also a ‘fast food content storyteller’ or something.”
Cochrane said that no matter the type of content, there are various levels to achieve within these ill-defined jobs held by scores of young New Brunswickers.
“There’s content guru, content rockstar, content ninja, content wizard, content evangelist, and if you’re really good at content, you can even attain the level of content master! The more content the better, but it should always be high-quality, relevant content that contributes to the narrative of storytelling.
“In short, the key to good content is really knowing your audience or customer or client, and just delivering the best storytelling practices and the most tech-forward and innovative solutions suited to their individual content needs.”