16A – What’s Your Secret Sauce?

1.    Five ways in which I have human capital that is unique

a.    I am very detail-oriented. I would not go as far as to call myself a perfectionist, but I definitely have an eye for detail in everything I do. It is in my nature to do my very best every time.

b.    I am a problem-solver. This is the reason I want to be a lawyer; faced with any problem, my brain immediately starts thinking of solutions and alternatives that are more efficient and/or beneficial.

c.    I am diligent. I don’t like giving up on something before I have finished it or exhausted all of my options.

d.    I am a mediator in group situations. I always find myself being the one trying to bring both sides together and find a compromise that everyone is happy with. 

e.    I am compassionate. This is a characteristic that has allowed me to connect with all different types of people. In any situation, I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes and understand where they are coming from before reacting emotionally.

2.    Interview #1: The first person I chose to interview was my mom. She expressed almost all of the same qualities that I stated in part 1, just using different words for it. I thought that was an interesting aspect to note. The primary characteristics that she thinks contribute to my unique human capital are being disciplined, being analytical, and being inclusive to others.
Interview #2: The next person I interviewed was my dad. He emphasized my logical reasoning skills as my strongest asset. He said that I am very practical when faced with complex tasks, and that I am able to easily identify problems and break them into simpler tasks.
Interview #3: I also interviewed my best friend/roommate. She said that the main skill that makes my human capital unique is my ability to be in the middle of conflict without picking sides. She said that this quality allows me to help both sides find common ground so that the conflict doesn’t escalate further.
Interview #4: I interviewed another one of my roommates as well. She thought the most unique part of my human capital is my relaxed demeanor. She said that I am almost always calm which eases tense or stressful situations.
Interview #5: The last person I interviewed was my older sister. She had the most to say out of everyone I interviewed. She said that I am level-headed, analytical, sociable, and easygoing. She said that these attributes, especially in combination with each other, were my most valuable assets.

3.    Reflect on the differences: I was somewhat surprised by how well my family and friends’ responses lined up with my own. I thought it was interesting how my family members all noted my logical/analytical side while my friends focused more on social aspects of my personality. It makes sense given the situations in which I interact with those groups, but it is still interesting how consistently that pattern existed. I do think that my interviewees are right about me. I don’t think I would change anything about my list in part 1 since most of the people I interviewed seemed to agree with the ideas I expressed.