Write a personal role profile

Who still writes a cover letter when applying for a job? Who still reads cover letter of applicants? I started to skip them, when the first paragraph is hollow. In a world of AI having decent chunk of your cover letter dedicated to news about the company or developments in the industry are very easy to write. But a person hiring needs to read 50 or more of them.

From the perspective of the hiring person: When looking for a new team member, you need to find a single person. So from 50 or 100 candidates, ideally one person stands out, by being the perfect match combining Craft, Communication and Principles. With Craft there is a basis for a collaboration. With Communication that potential to Craft is is unlocked. With principles you can develop the team with the right perspectives and values. The hiring process is to check each of the 3 areas and so Principles can become the deciding factor in a more competitive job market.

A portfolio shows Craft. One good case study is fine, if it is well structured. The rest of the portfolio, can be shorter, flashier and more experimental. I am collecting a list of good portfolio that I come across. After reviewing a portfolio, I have a rough understanding what level of visual finesse can be expected from a candidate. From a case study I can see how they approach a project, which gives an insight into how they plan and define the user experience, flows and how user context is considered.

The interview process shows communication. How easy is it coordinate a meeting, are there questions, how does the candidate respond if there are short term changes? Later in the interview process, when discussing salaries, how do they behave in more stressful situations? It can happen that because the communication styles or skills are so different, that a collaboration is not possible.

To learn about the candidates Principles I came up with the personal role profile. It is a set of 8 questions, 2 additional if you are leading a team or apply for a leadership position:

Purpose

• What is your core mission?
• How do you define success in your work?

Expertise

• What is a unique skill you incorporate in your daily work?
• How do you contribute beyond role expectations?

Influence

• Who do you influence?
• How to measure the impact of your influence?

Principles

• What are guiding principles for your work?
• How do you align design with business goals without compromising ethics?

Leadership (if you apply for a leadership role)

• What is your leadership style?
• How do the people you lead benefit from your leadership?

Challenges

• What’s a common misconception about your role?
• Where do you see need to develop?

This is the first iteration of the “personal role profile” and the question and the name should improve with feedback. I made mine public and will reference it in future applications.

Answer those questions for yourself, to see who you are and what you want. Include it in your next application to share a deep insight in what drives you. Include it in your public portfolio, to share perspectives. Your portfolio, your work are a result of your character personal role profile. It helps the recruiting company to get a deeper understanding of how you work.