11 Skills and Attributes: Ethical Practices
Leadership Objective: Maintain confidentiality and assert oneself
Evidence: Verified protection of organizational interests in email with former State Farm research lead (2009)
In 2010 I had a large number of interviews, and the issue arose about the level of detail I should go into in discussing my past corporate experiences. As highlighted in my software development experience, I worked on several projects of business value with my past employers. From the brief ethics training required of employees at these businesses, I gathered that I may not reveal organizational strategies but I can share information about skills I gained from the experience. I resolved to familiarize myself with the skills I developed in past internships and place them in a fitting context for my interviews.
Most of my interviews focused entirely on my behavioral and technical abilities, allowing me to explain my abilities more than the intentions of the projects I worked on. I continued explaining and showing my abilities just as much in the few interviews that began to encroach into my knowledge on a business strategy. For example, I protected the interests of State Farm by discussing more of my relevant strengths rather than the overall software design and architecture. My interviews were still received well.
Just as with interviews, I also had to protect company information when piecing together this portfolio. My former research lead at State Farm verifies that I have maintained a proper level of confidentiality.