Jason Fried

Last week we started our Brilliant Books Series featuring Jason Fried’s “Rework.” In this series we pull out and share pieces of great books.

Fried is dedicated to simplicity and economy in all things. He published “Rework” in 2010 but the ideas are timeless.

In his section on Hiring, Fried writes about why to Hire Great Writers. Remember, he runs a software company:

If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer. It doesn’t matter if that person is a marketer, salesperson, designer, programmer, or whatever; their writing skills will pay off.

That’s because being a good writer is about more than writing. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate. They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in any candidate.

Writing is making a comeback all over our society. Look at how much people e-mail and text-message now rather than talk on the phone. Look at how much communication happens via instant messaging and blogging. Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.

Brilliant Book Bit:  Attitude is still the number one hiring criteria, but writing is one skill you should definitely use in your evaluation process. The best colleges and universities require essays as part of the admissions application. Think about adding an essay requirement to your hiring application.

Kindest regards,