This editorial was originally published on February 15, 2013. It is being republished as Steve is out of the office.

Most of us have had an interview or two in our lives. We've had to assemble a resume or CV, create cover letters, and practice answering questions in preparation for an interview. In all of these things, we are looking for ways to market our past work and present it in the best light as evidence that we will make a good employee in our next position.

We each have our own experiences, successes, and failures, but we aren't bound by what's happened in our career so far. We have the ability to shape our brand for the future by making changes in the way we approach our career from this day forward. I have a talk and blog on this subject, but I certainly don't have all the answers. I'm always looking for more ideas and suggestions to help people and wanted to ask for your ideas this week.

What would impress you most about a job candidate?

Is there something that you've seen or heard about in the past that impressed you? If a candidate had written a book, or created some software, would that make you look upon them favorably? I know that a candidate needs to present themselves well in an interview and be able to write SQL, or manage an instance, but when you are examining dozens of resumes, is there something that stands out?

Take a moment and tell us what has impressed you in the past, and whether it was an indicator of a good employee or not.