Tech Writer: Tiger or Duke

Meet my cat, Tiger. Notice his steady gaze and obvous intelligence. Tiger is determined, independent, and works well alone. He would make a great tech writer.

This is my dog, Duke.
He has a short attention span, no ability to be still unless asleep, and he chews things. Not a good tech writer candidate.

But wait. Today's tech writer is a new breed. Although Tiger might seem the better candidate at first glance, Duke has many stellar qualities which, perhaps, put him ahead of the natty feline.

1. Sociability---The most obvious advantage Duke has is social. He is being cuddled by a pretty girl who seems delighted with his company. Tiger's claws and aloofness can be liabilities in teamwork and collaboration.
2. Honesty---Duke looks straight at you. He is who he is, with no sudden mood shifts or mysterious agendas.
3. Pragmatism---Duke aims to please, as all dogs do. He is not a prima dona. He will do whatever gets him a treat.
4. Skills---Duke has a number of valuable performance skills:
1. Sit: With proper incentives and clear leadership, Duke follows instructions and can be relied upon.
2. Stay: Given those proper incentives, Duke is quite attentive. Sometimes patient.
3. Shake: A nice social skill, though muddy paws could be an issue.
4. Roll over: This might not be that valuable in tech writing. Better for management.
5. Potential---While Duke is not so very brainy, or focussed, or detail-oriented, and he can't type, he far outshines Tiger in potential. This guy can learn what you want him to learn! Tiger, on the other hand, only learns what he feels like learning, when he's interested in learning it, maybe. And he is not motivated by treats.

So, be honest. Which candidate would you want on your documentation team?
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