I am unique and so are you. We are keepers!
The job seeker’s perspective—Kerry Meagher
In today’s climate of 700 responses to a single job opening, it is important to identify for yourself exactly what it is that differentiates you from the other 600-plus applicants who are applying for the same job. No doubt those in charge of the interviews are looking for someone who is:
- Analytical
- Creative
- Detail oriented
- Hard working
- Objective
- Problem identifying
- Problem solving
- Punctual
- Reliable
- Synthesizing
… and the list goes on.
Now, it is unrealistic for anyone to have all of these traits, but everyone has an assortment of some of these, which is just what makes you the unique candidate for each company to want to hire. Take a moment to ask yourself this—what combination of traits do I have that makes me unique?
Personally, I can list creative, detail oriented, hard working, and problem solving in my unique combination of traits that makes me marketable in the roles of technical writer, market researcher, and editor. Just taking the time to identify for myself the traits I bring to the table has helped me in my current job search by easing the process of writing cover letters and using my list of traits as a type of mantra that I can repeat to myself before the always frightening job interview.
The employer’s perspective—Judith Shenouda
This business succeeds if workers are appropriately aligned with the business’s mission, which is developing publications that simplify the tangle of technological jargon, making them readable and usable for the intended audience. Achieving this mission is no short order and requires workers who get it!
Those who do not get it are not keepers. Who are they? They are workers who do not come through for this business or for our clients. The deliverables are an unacceptable quality. Deadlines are missed. The time required to complete the project is excessive. Questionable integrity, talking ill of others, leaving a project before completion, passively agreeing to anything and everything, aggressively lashing out, and similar behaviors are indicators that a worker is not a keeper.
Now, who are the workers that do get it? Who are the keepers? Simply put, they are suited to the mission of the business and its clients. They take pride in doing quality work. They continue to hone their skills and positively influence the project team and the project. Keepers possess a strong work ethic and have a professional demeanor. They are committed, dedicated, and enthusiastic.
This employer seeks workers with the right competencies, the right attitude, the right demeanor, and the right alignment—a combination that produces the right results!
Judith Shenouda 
Keepers have positive attitudes and their commitment encompasses the business and its customers. As Bill Self would say, the business is the customers, and keepers want them to be happy. This piece is spot on!
You and Bill get it! And so do I! Keepers continuously ask, What can I do for you? How can I help? They bring their talents and competencies to the table to influence favorable outcomes.