3-4 paragraph discussion

Jason Fried, CEO of the software company Basecamp, embraces the use of traditional and social media to build an effective professional persona that aligns with the reputation of his organization. As a TED Talks speaker and a prolific writer and contributor on platforms such as Twitter ( twitter.com/jasonfried ), Medium ( medium.com/@jasonfried ), LinkedIn ( www.linkedin.com/in/37signals ), Inc. ( www.inc.com/author/jason-fried ), and BigThink ( bigthink.com/experts/jasonfried ), he brings attention to issues such as productivity, project management, collaboration, workplace satisfaction, diversity, and business strategy. He is known for building a great workplace where all employees are encouraged not to work more than 40 hours per week.

Jason frequently talks about the importance of excellent writing skills. Here is his approach to hiring:

Our top hiring criteria—in addition to having the skills to do the job—is, are you a great writer? You have to be a great writer to work here, in every single position, because the majority of our communication is written, primarily because a lot of us work remotely but also because writing is quieter. And we like long-form writing where people really think through an idea and present it. This is one of the reasons I don’t like chat services. When companies start thinking one line at a time and everyone’s rushed and you have to get your conversation in before it scrolls off the screen, I think it’s a terrible, frantic way to work, and people are burning out because of it.

Jason explains that the company evaluates job candidates’ cover letters, résumés, and email correspondence to determine whether they are strong writers. He views clear writing as a demonstration of clear thinking. So, remember to consistently improve your writing skills and, like Jason, find ways to build your professional reputation through traditional and social channels.

Sources: Orin, A. (2016, December 28). I’m Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp, and this is how I work. LifeHacker. Retrieved from  https://lifehacker.com/im-jason-fried-ceo-of-basecamp-and-this-is-how-i-work-1790556608 ; Bryant, A. (2017, September 1). Jason Fried of Basecamp on the importance of writing skills. The New York Times. Retrieved from  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/jobs/corner-office-jason-fried-basecamp.html .