"You need to pay attention to details"

[shutterbug55]

I swear, if I hear that one more time, I am going to take hostages!

Does anyone know how debilitating that one sentence is to someone who’s spending all their time and energy ON THE DETAILS? All I do is pay attention to details. I am completely incapable of catching them all. I spend 10 times the energy and effort as anyone else, and I still miss things.

This was a great job, but it will start circling the drain just like all the rest and I will be out of work again.

I wish I was at the point where I can retire, so I don’t have to hear that again.

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[Wgreen]

There is NOTHING more dispiriting than sifting through job postings and noticing that 80 percent of ’em include “attention to detail” as a necessary “proficiency.” Picky, picky, picky.

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[shutterbug55]

I ignore those. Nobody is going to post a job saying “I need a smart, well intentioned worker, who couldn’t get it right to save their souls.”

Sorry. I’ve been down this road before, and no matter what I do, I am going to be unemployed in 6 months… tops. I’ve heard this message ever since I was a kid. It goes along with my second favorite saying “I know he’s smart, but he just doesn’t perform to his potential”.

Yea. I will never get out of second grade.

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[Wgreen]

Well, here’s a little secret:

There are VERY FEW non-ADDers who “pay attention” to details.

Just a few weeks ago, I read an article on Yahoo about the importance of a “clean” résumé. No spelling or formatting mistakes! Okay, I can understand the rationale there. BUT… a paragraph later, I see the following phrase: “Even if you think you’re a shoe-in for the job….” So, here is some PR guru telling us we need to make sure OUR copy is clean, and yet he/she doesn’t know the proper spelling of “shoo-in.”

Most of us know we have a hard time with details. But people—ADD or not—who 1) are good enough to recognize an anomaly when they see one, 2) are attentive enough to spot them most of the time, and 3) care enough to comb through presentations, spreadsheets, and other documents looking for them are pretty darn rare.

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[shutterbug55]

What area do you work in, Wgreen? I work with computers for a large software firm in Redmond, Washington. The buildings here are FULL of people who are 1) good enough, 2) attentive enough and 3) care, because its my back they want to step on to get to the next rung on the ladder.

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[Wgreen]

What field do I work in? I’ve owned/run several companies over the years. And in almost every instance, I’ve been amazed at how sloppy people are. I’m talking about smart people with graduate degrees. Over all, I’d say that finding competent people who consistently pay attention to what they’re doing is the biggest challenge I’ve faced. That may not be other people’s experience. But it’s mine. Maybe it’s because I couldn’t afford to pay big six-figure salaries.

So you work for a large software firm in Redmond. Hmmm. Does it start with an “M”?

I know times are tough. And I know any job is a good one. But one has to wonder if a job such as the one you describe is a sane way for an ADDer (or anybody) to make a living. It sounds like life in a Wall Street investment bank—you’re either a shark or you’re shark bait. And who wants to be chum?

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