An application form asked me what I feel about their value "doing what it takes". I shared a story about an old dog.
Tags: application, jobhunt, story
Published: 2024-07-02 15:55:30

"One of our values is 'Do-What-It-Takes.' Please provide an example of a time you’ve applied this and what the impact was."

I'm kind of tired of the rinse-and-repeat job description-focused answers. 'I always met deadlines cause I *did what it took*', 'the customers were 99.98% happy with the results', etc... They've yielded no positive results for me on my job hunt. I'm not standing out over the noise of the 999 other applications. So, I kind of just write what I feel now. If something sticks, we'll probably have that "culture fit" we're all  seeking these days.

Anyway, here's what I wrote in my application - majorly unedited and just blathered out. It's the story of an old dog.

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This story is outside the realm of tech, but I see this from the perspective of "doing what it takes [to be a decent human]". Being a decent human includes things like trying to reduce pollution, inequities, and all other evils we've created... being human also includes speaking out against a group if you believe there is a wrong to be righted.

Two years ago, my roommate's dog had a small wound on his paw for about a month that wasn't going away. First, waited for my roommate (dog owner) to act. He did not (for several days/weeks), the wound expanded because the poor dog kept licking it.

I told the dog owner a story about a cat I had seen in a similar situation and she had to lose a leg. I told him it was important to me that the dog be cared for promptly. I suggested a dog cone so the wound could heal. I tried secretly treating the wound but was told to stop. And the dog cone suggestion was ignored. I eventually bought a dog cone, but it was never used. The wound expanded. For 18 months. I tried to wrap the wound, clean it, cone the dog while the owner was away, and gently remind the owner that the wound needs professional attention. He ignored the problem. The wound kept growing. And the dog was clearly hurt, hiding, and not in a good way.

Around this time, this dog's owner picked up a new puppy. Exacerbated by the puppy's want to play constantly, the old dog's wound took up most of the paw and he was very hurt, completely unable to use that foot. But the owner thought the old dog dealt with pain admirably. 

No one else has spoken up directly to the dog owner to this point. Not a single neighbor, coworker in the office, other roommates, no one was speaking up for this dog because they didn't want to ruffle feathers. 

I had to 'do what it takes' to get this dog taken care of at this point. I'll confront, I'll set boundaries, I'll call the authorities if it gets to it. The direct conversation of "you need to care for your neglected dog, he needs medical attention, and you need to rethink your priorities" became a defensive confrontation. Then all of my neighbors and mutually connected friends stopped being friendly; they were no longer cordial and were more standoff-ish, even glaring at me sometimes.

The dog owner's family stopped inviting me to Christmas dinners.

Despite all of the negative reactions by these groups of people. Despite the resentment the dog owner still has for me. Despite the 'shunning'.... Despite all this. The old dog has been treated. The old dog is now two toes less (amputated), but he now able to play with the puppy, he can stand on all four paws, and the old dog is also a happy dog again.

I did what it took to make sure that old dog can live out the rest of his days in relative comfort.

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Don't be afraid to speak out, speak up, don't be afraid to be the squeaky wheel when it feels like you must. You might feel alone in your fight, but you are not.