The reason I got thinking about this was that I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend who had gone to a job interview. He was informed that he would be sitting a written test but little did he realise that he would be given a pen and a pad of paper. Shock horror...no laptop provided!
I suppose there's nothing particularly unusual about this were it not for the fact that he went on to tell me that he couldn't keep his hand still, beset by the 'shakes' as he had almost forgotten what it was like to write by hand. Not to mention he felt ashamed at the poor quality of his handwriting.
Not sure how I would have reacted in his place, used as I am to tapping away at my keyboard. While picking up a pen isn't exactly alien to me, still, apart from signing the odd cheque or document and scribbling down the odd message or two on a Post-it, I can hardly say that a pen is my best friend.
No personality
And that's a Gen Xer speaking here, someone who still didn't know what a computer was until I went to university, so someone who was used to writing, from the lecture hall to the exam hall. In fact, I fondly remember buying many a blue Pilot pen (my favourite writing implement) always making sure I had a few spares so I wouldn't run out of ink.
How times have changed. Does anyone now, apart from the older generations, actually write letters? And yet a hand written letter or covering letter not only reveals a lot about your personality (organisations have been known to employ handwriting experts to build a picture of character traits) but actually makes you stand out, giving it that personal touch. Which a type written document will never do.
Right, I think I'll try and write a letter now to see just how confident I am, if I remember how to hold a pen and make sure that someone can actually read it. On second thoughts, maybe I should just stick to the keyboard, far easier and quicker.
Like my friend, I may just get pen phobia and my writing may not be up to the task at hand.
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