Paying Attention To Detail

This past week I had an “oh, shiitake” moment when I realized a few consulting proposal responses had a glaring error on pricing. I pride myself on attention to detail. In the age of spell check algorithms plus cutting and pasting — in this particular case the issue — I still have my moments of falling short. Weekly. I thought if a mea culpa doesn’t suffice, I’ll honor my proposal responses knowing I would still give it my all. In the end I’m offering career consulting because I enjoy supporting people landing their dream job. So much so, I volunteer at Dress for Success every week as a career advocate developing personal brand image for resumé, LinkedIn profile makeovers, and interviewing preparation. It’s my way to pay it forward as an important part of my life purpose. I feel joyful for helping women in transition. How rewarding to receive a thank you, hug, and see women realize their full potential.

Dyscalculia — Ever Heard Of It?

I have dyscalculia which sounds like a Frankenstein reference. This brain misfiring drives my husband crazy especially years ago when people left phone numbers on our answering machine and I jotted them down. I would get it wrong 9 times out of 10. Remember when we had landline phones and external answering machine devices 10 years ago? Replaced today with iPhone or Android voicemail or texting. Here’s my issue, I transpose numbers for no apparent reason. I can overcome this by memorizing numbers and then writing them down rather than trying to listen to numbers and simultaneously write them down. Dyscalculia /ˌdɪskælˈkjuːliə/ is generally seen as the mathematical equivalent to dyslexia. In this particular case for client proposals, I left off an important digit. I couldn’t blame it on dyscalculia since it was my human online editing error. Dang my cutting and pasting skills when I was reorganizing a bulleted list! The upside was this was a financial learning moment with a new pathway within my brain to pay closer attention to proposal details. Applying the proverb, “measure twice, cut once.”

Guess What? No One Cared.

Here’s the striking thing, not one person pointed out the very low price. Four scenarios came to mind.

1. Lack of attention: My potential clients realize I didn’t pay attention to detail so passed on working with me. I don’t blame them.
2. Desperate for business: The inquirer felt my price was so low I wasn’t good at my craft. Seems rationale from their perspective.
3. Distracted momentarily: My prospect similarly may not pay attention to detail. Probably a little of this transpired.
4. Kicking the tires: She/he was on an exploratory mission determining their next career adventure and wasn’t ready to pull the trigger or they found a better offer. Good for them!

Life happens so I moved on. In any case, I found this situation intriguing so I decided to research “human attention to detail.” For those of you who follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter, you might recall an item I posted recently regarding the silly Microsoft research related to goldfish vs. human attention span. This new topic relates and is right up my alley. I like brain mechanics, gone haywire in my case.

The Research

Missing my childhood encyclopedia Britannica, here’s what a Google search revealed. Confusing evidence.

• More Attention Paid: Prezi’s 2018 “State of Attention Report,” found that well over 1⁄2 business professionals feel they can give a piece of content their undivided attention more so today vs. 1 year ago. Further, the study found attention spans are not only intact across generations, but expanding in younger generations. Uh oh, I sent a proposal to a Gen Z. Would he notice? Nope.
• Less Attention Paid: Beauty retailer Superdrug found men have little knowledge of their spouses’ basic information. According to the research, there’s 10 things most men don’t know about their wives including mobile number, date of birth, and job title. Hysterical IMHO. I recall a wedding anniversary 10 years ago whereby we went out to celebrate on the wrong night. Noted nonetheless by my neighbor who happened to have requested and documented all her friends’ “special” days. In spite of this error, the Vietnamese Chạo tôm was phenomenal for our non-anniversary dinner. Simply put, barbecue shrimp cake on a sugar cane skewer tastes great any evening.

The Punchline

Paying attention to detail will definitely help you get the job as well as execute a job better. It appears I missed out on 5 potential clients with my oversight. For your resumé and job application cover letters, I recommend proofing 3 times and having a friend or significant other proof read. It never hurts using a free online grammar check app. It will boost your chance of what I call sticking the landing. My gymnastics reference.

I still drive my husband mad with dyscalculia in other matters. Do you have this brain malfunction too? Let’s chat. Evidently a phone number is challenging for me. I’m reachable at monique@resumetech.guru or www.resumetech.guru.

Hope you are landing your dream job. You deserve it.