Seven Reasons Why You Should Hire Good Writers
It doesn't matter whether you are hiring for a writing-related position – such as content writers, editors, user assistance professionals . . . etc. – or, whether you are hiring for any other position, good writers are good for your business and here's why:
1. Good Writers can See the Forest . . . and the Trees
Efficient teams that collaborate well are usually made up of team members who complement one another in their skill sets. A very common struggle is to establish a balance between team members who are big-picture oriented, and those who are detail-oriented. Good writers are able to do both. They can zoom out and see the forest, and then zoom in, and see the trees.
2. Good Writers Understand Context
Say you are hiring a developer to code the thingimabob on the watchamacallit. This person will no doubt pour her heart into the lines of code and make it the best possible thingimabob that the market has ever seen. If this developer was also a good writer, she would also know how to contextualize this code. She would understand WHY the feature was needed, HOW the feature relates to the entire watchamacallit, and WHAT the significance of this feature is for customers in this release. The understanding of context greatly impacts efficiency and productivity. It also ensures that the parts that may be developed independently are in alignment and acquiescence with the whole.
3. Good Writers Can Tell Good Stories
The concept of organizational narratives and storytelling is well on its way to becoming a de facto pillar in the construction of an organizational identity card or mission statement. Leaders want their organisations to have a clear and coherent vision that tells a story. The storyline is not just a selling point, it also makes the organizational objectives accessible, real and significant. Just imagine if your managers were good storytellers. They could rally and motivate their teams. They could inject the narrative into the task list and make the action items into significant milestones that create impact. Good writers can do that.
4. Good Writers Bring Creativity to the Table
Writing isn't an exact science. It is a cauldron of improbable combinations which differ from writer to writer. One common ingredient; however, is creativity. For instance:
If you want to ask someone to come up with as many ideas as possible to engage with customers – ask a good writer.
If you would like to brainstorm the next generation of your product – ask a good writer.
If you are trying to come up with an original idea for your conference giveaway – ask a good writer. They will not disappoint.
5. Good Writers Know How to Step Into Someone Else's Shoes
Everyone talks about the importance of empathy, and they are all a hundred percent correct! Whether you are trying to get the best out of your team – individually or as a group. Or whether you are trying to hone in on your customers and what they truly want from you – nothing will take you closer to that goal, than stepping into their proverbial shoes. Guess what – good writers do that all the time!
Good writers invent personas and fill them up with individual characteristics, colour and feelings. They orchestrate how these fictitious beings behave in the world. They configure how they react to others, and how others perceive them. Good writers will not only walk in the shoes of others, but will also explain why these shoes characterise their owner.
6. Good Writers are Thorough and Methodological
Writing is not like climbing a ladder, it doesn't need to be done rung by rung. It is more like playing squashed sardines: the order in which the players find the target is not important, as long as they all get there in the end. Good writers will wrap up their work carefully and cleverly. They will stack their ideas with careful consideration as to what came first and what will happen next. They will not leave anything incomplete or undone – unless, within the context of the assignment, this incompletion makes sense, (see 2. Good Writers Understand Context)
7. Good Writers can Reinvent Themselves
I am not basing this on any empirical evidence or anything like that, but it is a good, solid hunch. If you have a friend or a colleague who is a good writer, ask him or her how many different professions they have experienced. I am betting a lot. Good writers are shape shifters. In their time they will do many things and be many things. In this day and age where professions are being eliminated, redefined and in some cases invented, you want a shape shifter on your team. You want someone who can adapt, pivot, and adjust to the tides of change.