Career success requires more than technical qualifications. While knowledge and skills may help you qualify for a job, understanding the needs, expectations, and concerns of others can make the difference in an interview, improve your workplace performance, and open doors to greater responsibilities and long-term career growth.

One simple principle can make a major difference:

“Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.”

This means seeing situations from different perspectives and understanding what matters to employers, coworkers, customers, and the people you serve. It strengthens communication, empathy, teamwork, adaptability, professionalism, problem-solving, and reliability.

See the Interview from the Employer’s Perspective

During an interview, candidates naturally focus on their own qualifications, experience and answers. Those questions matter. However, a candidate gains a stronger perspective by also asking:

“If I were the employer hiring for this position, what would I look for?”

Consider someone applying for a role in digital health office administration. The interviewer may be a clinic or medical office manager who is not simply looking for someone who can complete administrative tasks. The manager needs a person who can be trusted with patients, confidential information, digital systems and the daily operation of the office.

The manager may be asking:

• Can this person maintain accurate electronic records?
• Can I trust them with confidential patient information?
• Will they communicate professionally and empathetically with patients and healthcare professionals?
• Do they understand billing, scheduling and office workflows?
• Can they use modern digital tools confidently and responsibly?
• Are they aware of privacy, data security and cybersecurity risks?
• Will they make the team’s work easier and help the office operate effectively?

Once applicants understand what the manager needs, they can give better answers. Instead of merely listing what they studied, they can explain how their knowledge will help patients, coworkers and the organization.

“How can I make my employer’s job easier and help the organization succeed?”

Look Beyond the Job Description

A job description explains duties, qualifications and responsibilities. Employers also look for qualities that may not be fully described in the posting. They value employees who listen carefully, communicate clearly, behave professionally, adapt to change and take responsibility for their work. They need people who understand why a task matters—not only how to complete it.

Technical Skills + Understanding People’s Needs + Professional Attitude = Greater Employability

The following examples illustrate how understanding others’ needs can strengthen employability across healthcare, business, administration, artificial intelligence, and information technology careers.

Healthcare and Human-Service Careers

Medical & Health Office Administrator

A career in healthcare administration offers an opportunity to combine organizational, communication, and digital skills while supporting healthcare professionals and improving patient experiences.

Put yourself in the shoes of a clinic manager, healthcare professional, and patient.

Patients expect respectful communication, confidentiality, and accurate information. Healthcare professionals need dependable administrative support, while clinic managers value efficiency, organization, and responsible use of digital systems.

Skills in electronic medical records, billing, scheduling, privacy, and digital technologies become more valuable when combined with attention to detail, empathy, communication, and teamwork.

The goal is not simply to manage medical information, but to help healthcare offices operate efficiently while providing better patient service.

Although this example focuses on healthcare administration, the same approach applies to nearly every career: understand what the employer needs, identify the challenges they face, and explain how your skills can contribute to their success.

Personal Support Worker

Put yourself in the shoes of the person receiving care, the family and the healthcare team.

A person receiving care may value dignity, patience, safety and compassion. The family may look for dependability, respect and clear communication. The healthcare team needs someone who is observant, follows instructions, reports concerns accurately and works cooperatively.

This perspective shows that success in personal support work depends on more than completing care tasks. It requires empathy, reliability, professional boundaries, careful observation, teamwork and respect for each person’s individuality.

Early Childhood Assistant

Put yourself in the shoes of the child, parent, supervisor and coworkers.

Children need safety, patience, encouragement and an environment where they can learn and develop. Parents need confidence that their children are treated with care and respect. Supervisors need someone attentive, responsible and dependable, while coworkers need a supportive team member.

Seeing the role through these different perspectives helps an Early Childhood Assistant understand that daily activities are also opportunities to build trust, support development, communicate clearly and contribute to a caring team.

Business, Administration and Marketing Careers

Accounting & Payroll Administrator

Put yourself in the shoes of the employer, employee and organization.

Employees expect their pay and records to be correct, confidential and timely. Managers need dependable financial information, organized documentation and work that supports compliance. The organization needs someone who notices discrepancies and handles sensitive information responsibly.

Accounting and payroll knowledge therefore connects directly to accuracy, confidentiality, reliability, organization, ethical judgment and professional responsibility. The real value is not simply entering numbers—it is helping people and the organization trust those numbers.

Business Administration

Put yourself in the shoes of a manager or business owner.

A manager does not need a spreadsheet, dashboard or campaign merely because someone knows how to create one. The manager needs information that helps solve a business problem, understand customers, improve operations or make a better decision.

Business administration, analytics and digital marketing can develop decision-making, initiative, customer awareness and communication. Before beginning a task, ask: “What is the business trying to achieve, and how will my work help?”

Graphic, Web Design & Digital Marketing

Put yourself in the shoes of the customer first—and then the business owner.

Customers want information that is clear, relevant, accessible and trustworthy. Business owners want their website and marketing to reach the right audience and support a measurable objective. Neither benefits from content that looks impressive but fails to help the user.

Combining AI, marketing and web design with empathy helps professionals understand user needs, communicate clearly, interpret results and use technology responsibly. Creativity becomes more valuable when it serves a genuine customer and business purpose.

Artificial Intelligence, Data, Cloud and Cybersecurity Careers

Cloud Data Analytics & Edge AI Security

Put yourself in the shoes of business managers, healthcare professionals, and operational teams who depend on accurate, timely, and secure information.

They need information that is accurate, timely, understandable and appropriately protected. In healthcare settings, a delayed, confusing or unreliable result can reduce confidence and make decision-making harder.

Cloud, analytics, edge AI and security learning becomes more employable when paired with analytical thinking, attention to detail, communication and an understanding of healthcare workflows. The goal is not merely to process data—it is to provide useful information people can trust.

Security & Automation of Multi-Cloud Containerized Workloads

Put yourself in the shoes of the IT manager and systems administration team responsible for keeping services available.

They need workloads that are secure, consistent, resilient and recoverable. They also need automation that reduces repetitive work without creating hidden risks, and documentation that allows the team to understand and maintain the environment.

Professionals in this area create value through dependability, structured troubleshooting, clear documentation, careful change management and teamwork. A technically clever solution is not enough if it is difficult to support or disrupts the organization.

Cybersecurity & AI-Driven Threat Detection

Put yourself in the shoes of the organization and the people who depend on its systems.

Users need protection that allows them to work effectively. Leaders need risks explained clearly enough to make decisions. Technical teams need accurate findings, sensible priorities and prompt communication—not unnecessary alarm.

Cybersecurity and AI-driven detection therefore require judgment, vigilance, responsibility and continuous learning. A strong professional asks not only “Can I detect this?” but also “What is the real risk, who is affected and what response will best protect the organization?”

Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

Put yourself in the shoes of the organization and the people who will rely on the AI system.

They need more than a model or agent that produces an answer. They need a system that addresses the right problem, can be evaluated, handles information responsibly and makes clear where human review is required.

Advanced AI work becomes professionally valuable when technical ability is combined with critical thinking, responsible design, communication and awareness of consequences. The key question is not only “Can I build it?” but “Should it be used here, how will we assess it and who remains accountable?”

Use This Principle After You Are Hired

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes should not end when the interview is over. It becomes even more valuable after you begin working. Ask yourself:

• What does my manager need from me?
• What does the customer, patient, client or user expect?
• What information does my coworker need?
• How does my work affect other departments or professions?
• What problem are we truly trying to solve?
• What does the organization need to succeed?

These questions help you anticipate problems, communicate effectively and become more dependable. Over time, this way of thinking can strengthen teamwork, customer service, decision-making and leadership.

See Your Career as a Progression

Before the interview: put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes.

After you are hired: put yourself in your manager’s and customer’s shoes.

As you advance: put yourself in your coworkers’ and team members’ shoes.

When you become a leader: learn to see the organization through many people’s perspectives.

Understanding different perspectives does not mean agreeing with everyone. It means taking the time to understand what matters to them before you respond, make a decision or propose a solution.

A Simple Skill with Long-Term Value

Qualifications, technology and workplace requirements will continue to change. However, the ability to understand people will remain valuable in every field.

The next time you prepare for an interview, begin a new job or face a workplace problem, pause and ask:

“What would I need or expect if I were in the other person’s position?”

The answer may help you communicate differently, solve the right problem and see an opportunity you might otherwise have missed.

Technical skills may help you qualify for an opportunity. Understanding people can help you earn the opportunity, succeed in it and grow beyond it.

Discover Your Career Path with CCHS

Choosing a career is not simply about selecting a diploma or learning a new technology. It begins with understanding your strengths, interests, experience, and the needs of today’s employers.

At Canadian College for Higher Studies (CCHS), we believe career guidance should help individuals make informed decisions about their future. Whether you are entering the workforce, considering a career change, or upgrading your skills, our career counselling services can help you explore suitable pathways and training opportunities.

Visit thecanadiancollege.ca to learn more about our programs and career guidance opportunities.

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About the Author

Donatus Doss is President and Founder of Canadian College for Higher Studies (CCHS). With over four decades of experience in education and more than 35 years in information technology in Canada, he shares practical insights on career development, employability, and adapting to changing workplace needs.