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Subject:Re: How do you respond to job ads? From:Jill Burgchardt <jburgcha -at- PESTILENCE -dot- ITC -dot- NRCS -dot- USDA -dot- GOV> Date:Thu, 4 Feb 1999 08:31:04 -0700
Maybe Andrew's approach is a little mean, but he has a valid point. The ability
to follow instruction matters. If it takes being a little mean to get that point
across, so be it.
Back when I did proposal writing, following the instructions in the RFP was
critical. Noncompliance could get a proposal thrown out. But, there was always
somebody who knew better. (Usually a technical person or writer brought in to
work on that one proposal.) They'd change format or write 10 pages when the
directions clearly allowed them 3, etc. Or, they'd simply answer the wrong
questions. They'd do the work once and somebody else would end up putting in an
all-nighter redoing it.
I'm not against creativity and mavericks. Individuals with those characteristics
can be great leaders and pathbreakers--or they may be too scatterbrained to
follow a straight road. Talented or not, they can be hell to work with on team
projects. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the hassles, sometimes not.
Following instructions (or giving an explanation for not doing so) on an
application is pretty simple. If I were interviewing someone who didn't follow
directions, they'd have to impress me in the interview as having exceptional
talent and good ideas.
