Could You Work for Steve Jobs?

A lot has been written about Steve Jobs, one of Apple’s co-founders and last CEO, since his death on October 5. An article in Technology Spectator, “Remembering the Real Steve Jobs,” described him this way:

“Charismatic, visionary, ruthless, perfectionist, dictator - these are some of the words that people have used to describe Jobs, who may have been the biggest dreamer the technology world has ever known, but also was a hard-edged businessman and negotiator through and through.”

Work for Apple, one of the most innovative, creative, challenging and high-profile companies in the world? Are you kidding??? Duh! How many job seekers search for jobs by company, hoping to find a job with the best, most cutting-edge, or highest profile (and hopefully, highest paying) company? What would be your ultimate employer? Answer this question—“I would give up my iPhone for a year for a job at __________.”

Some say Jobs was a genius, but he was a genius who would tear people apart, just to see if they would stand up to him. He was a control freak. He was the ultimate micro-manager, but for the entire company. He once tried to mandate all Apple employees wear uniforms. He ended up getting fired from his own company. Not exactly things you would list on your resume, but there is no denying he changed the means of communications forever.

Great opportunities often come with great challenges. I had a hard-hitting general manager who only called to point out what I did incorrectly. He once scolded me for not speaking up when I disagreed with him. He would set two managers against each other and then watch to see who came out on top. He would agree with you in public and tear you down in emails to the rest of the team. Yet, he was a brilliant manager tasked with turning around a company everyone said was sure to fail. He challenged you, so you could discover your own strengths and successes. Tough? Yes, but I would not trade that experience for anything.

Look at the list of attributes you want in a manager. If you want to work for a creative genius like Steve Jobs at an innovative cutting-edge company, you need to add some other characteristics. It might just be worth it.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.