In Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, Amanda Montell makes connections between cults like Jonestown, MLMs like Optavia, and exercise trends like CrossFit. She says, “The real answer comes down to words. Delivery. From the crafty redefinition of existing words (and the invention of new ones) to powerful euphemisms, secret codes, renamings, buzzwords, chants and mantras, ‘speaking in tongues,’ forced silence, even hashtags, language is the key means by which all degrees of cultlike influence occur” (Montell 12). 

Just like in the cults (and cult-ish organizations) Montell outlines in her book, corporations use new language and other symbol sets to prime employees, shepherding them into the company culture. “Whether wicked or well-intentioned, language is a way to get members of a community on the same ideological page. To help them feel like they belong to something big. ‘Language provides a culture of shared understanding’…” (Montell 15).  For new employees, this process begins before they're hired, before they apply: when they first encounter the recruitment webpage. 

“A linguistic concept called the theory of performativity says that language does not simply describe or reflect who we are, it creates who we are” (Montell 47). Companies are able to invoke language to manifest the employees they want; by using rhetorically-charged, company-specific language, recruitment pages nudge potential applicants into an altered frame of mind. This slight adjustment primes applicants to adjust how they regard the company, usually toward or away from specific reputation in the company's favor. 

In her book, Montell cautions against empty language that may signal a less than ideal work environment. “Excessive ‘garbage language’ may signal that upper management is suppressing individuality, putting employees in a headspace where their entire reality is governed by the company’s rules” (Montell 197). "Garbage language" is common on recruitment websites and should be approached with skepticism. 

Cultish companies know how to use language; they hire experts to develop their websites. This language can be used to paint a picture of a company culture that's often too good to be true. “…they’re in the business of selling the transcendent promise of something that doesn’t actually exist. And their commodity isn’t merchandise, it’s rhetoric” (Montell 167). 

Montell, Amanda. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. Harper Collins, 2021.