January 3, 2009
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About a gazillion people have recently lost their jobs. They are likely scrambling to polish resumes that are a total bore (it’s OK.-that’s how we were taught to make them!) in hopes of gaining some type of employment before they have to give their houses back to the bank.
Lets try something different.
Shred the eggshell colored bore of a resume that you have used before. The one that has all those terms and words like “Facilitated”, “Assisted with”, or “Lead a team”. Everybody has that resume. Do you really expect to stick out or wow anybody with that? What usually happens is a potential employer sees you went to the same university as their son, or grew up in the same state they did and then they become interested in you. No one really cares that much about the massive list companies you have “Lead a team of” so and so’s at. There are millions of people who have your degree or have held a job for at least a few years. Employers want to know if you are driven, reliable, honest, and great at what you do. They usually find that stuff out when you just break it all down and start a normal conversation.
Sure you have to have some professional background and experience, but if at some point in your interview you can get your potential new boss to say: “Me too! I played soccer in high school!” or “I backpacked through South America after college too!- It was amazing, and man did I love that food!” I promise you’ll be first on the hire list.
Type up (on whatever color card stock you damn well please that fits your personality) your contact information, a few bullets about:
*Your experiences (work, volunteer, certifications, etc.)
*What you are fabulous at and take pride in
*What you suck at or are continuously working on. (Nobody’s perfect. Be human)
*3 References that you have experience with that have offered to truthfully promote you as nothing less then stellar to anyone who asks
If you want you can close your new resume with a short, sweet, honest “I want this job because (blank) and I am the best. Try me” Or whatever works for you.
At very least you’ll get a chuckle, interview or “I’ve never seen anything like this before-you’re hired!” Sure beats the alternative of X amount of your years and experience typed lifelessly on a piece of plain paper just piled with the other hundred on someone’s dusty desk.
