5 Reasons to Hire an English Major
If you need someone to write content for your website, it stands to reason that you want to hire a professional who’s pretty great at what they do, right?
When you need a mechanic, you want to hire someone who went to school to study mechanics and is devoted to, and passionate about, their craft. The same goes for any other service that you seek out.
So, what does this have to do with English majors? Keep reading to learn five reasons why English majors are a huge asset for your content strategy.
1. They’re natural-born word-nerds
MBAs, Marketing majors, communications professionals, and journalists alike are all trained to know how to draft press releases, blog posts, articles, white papers and more.
But that’s the technical stuff.
That’s just learning how to format the thing correctly.
English majors spend their entire degree devoted to reading, and reading, and reading and then reading some more. They eat, drink, and breathe words.
And when it comes to creating great content, it’s not just about memorizing templates and formatting guidelines. It’s about a life-long devotion and passion for the written word.
2. They understand poetry
I know what you’re thinking.
Poetry? Who cares?
But stay with me now. Rhyme, meter, dissonance, assonance, alliteration and all those other little tricks of language that make poetry so pleasing to the ear are like little specks of gold when you’ve got a lot of copy online. They’re what make it sparkle. They’re what make it shine. And ultimately, they’re what can make your prospects want to sign on the dotted line.
See what I did there? Too much? Rhyming is a bit on the nose, but you get the picture.
3. They know how to do research
The average week for an English major goes something like this:
Read a novel, and three critical essays for class A.
Read a novel, and four critical essays for class B.
Read a novel, one short story, six poems, and two critical essays for class C.
Read a novel, and every piece of literary criticism ever published on the author of said novel in preparation for eight-page research essay for class D due next Monday.
Read a collection of short stories recommended by prof/TA/other student/Conan O’Brien just because they said that there was one page in there that was so funny they literally pissed themselves laughing. Find said page. Spend three days trying to think of a way to work an anecdote about that page into research paper in a way that makes logical sense.
It’s a lot of reading. And it’s a ton of research. But it’s so much fun! Well, it’s not for everyone. But isn’t that the point?
English majors are trained not just to handle high volumes of reading but to analyze it, digest it, sleep on it, reflect on it, bathe in it, synthesize it and write a paper full of brilliant insights on it. Research is a given. And if you want someone who’s great at it, you guessed it. Word nerds are where it’s at.
4. They know how to write
That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it?
Writing.
You want someone who reads widely enough to be extra-super-ultra-fluent in English. You want someone who understands the language and knows how to use it to make your products and services stand out.
English Majors, by the very nature of their degree, know how to write. They get a lot of practice doing it, and that practice can pay off big time when you need well-written posts for your blog.
5. They love to learn
A big part of any good literature degree involves cultivating an insatiable curiosity about the world and all the people in it. This type of curiosity will serve you well if you’re looking for someone who can learn as much as possible about your industry in a short amount of time and write about it with respect and enthusiasm.
Still not convinced?
Check out this article on the Huffington Post. Or this one over on Open Forum. Or this one on a little rag known as The Wall Street Journal. It’s not a coincidence that all of these publications are saying the same thing. English majors have coveted skills that are in major demand in an increasingly online world.