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Volume 5, No. 5 | Friday, May 12, 2006 |  |
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few years ago, I did a full-day workshop on transition for a group of alumni of Bentley College. Right after we finished lunch, just before we started back again, someone expressed frustration with the inefficiency and wastefulness of traditional job-search practices, and I made the offhand remark, “If I had my way, we’d throw out resumes and stop networking.” It was as if an electric charge went through the room. Thirty business professionals, all of them well-trained in the standard job-search methodologies, came alive. They knew instinctively there had to be a better way.
I’ve often wished I could have put aside the agenda I had planned for the afternoon to pursue the subject with them. What I suspect would have happened is that they would have told me they keep following the standard practices because they don’t know what else to do. The inability to answer the question, “What do I do instead?” is the reason people looking for work keep doing the same old things and expecting different, less frustrating results. So what would happen if you got rid of that time-honored, universally utilized sacred cow of job-search, the resume? Necessary Evil
The problem comes when the resume is the centerpiece of an unimaginative job search. When one or two 8 ½ x 11 sheets of paper start to drive the scope, direction, and potential of your career, something is out of whack. Form and protocol have replaced innovation and initiative. Thinking of a resume as the focal point of your career is passive. It’s going through the motions rather than actively participating in shaping your future. I understand that a resume is a necessary part of the paperwork for presenting your credentials to a business with whom you would like to be employed, if—and it’s a big if—you are approaching that business as an individual. If, on the other hand, you can break free of the grip of the employee-job mindset and start to see yourself as a resource in the marketplace, as one business approaching another business, a resume is only one of a number of options. Would a vendor or a consultant rely exclusively on a flat description of their product or services, such as a brochure or a flyer? Wouldn’t they use a variety of ways to stay visible? OK, so when I said, “Throw out your resume,” I didn’t mean it literally. What I meant was—don’t let it control your thinking. Take it off your desk and out of your briefcase. File it under “Forms”, and the next time someone offers to pass along your resume say, “What I’d really like is to have a brief conversation with him (or her).” In other words, pay far less attention to it. Instead of building your job search on the track a resume locks you into, start thinking of the resume only as something you have to have to follow the rules. Make a conscious effort to break out of the box it puts you in. Challenge yourself to a new level of self-leadership, one that asks you to put your career package together differently.
Use Your Imagination What comes up for you when you begin to entertain the idea of getting rid of the old job-search lifeline? Amid the chatter of confused and fearful thoughts that always arise when we detour off the beaten path, is there an idea or two? Here’s what I see might happen:
Resumes have a long and mixed history (see sidebar, “A Brief Anecdotal History of the Resume”). They are a tool of the industrial age, when lifelong employment in clearly defined jobs was the norm. That age has passed. Continued reliance on an outmoded approach will not open doors. It will only limit possibilities. Resumes have too narrow and too personal an application to be an effective tool in today’s highly competitive business environment.
Win-Win for Businesses and Mature Workers The Mature Workers Program was created by the WIB to help meet the need for skilled employees on Cape Cod by raising awareness in the local business community of the value of hiring workers 55 or older, and by training mature workers who have had long and productive careers to fill new roles. Currently, several cohorts of mature workers are participating in a comprehensive program to prepare them for customer service jobs in the insurance industry. This includes training in industry-specific software and customer service, and transition counseling. The Center for Career and Business Development is developing the curriculum for the transition segment and will deliver it on June 1 and July 14. We are very excited to be a part of this innovative program.
40 Oak Leaf Rd About Us Our long-term relationships with clients, recognition by peers, and growing reputation as a community resource speak to the excellence of the services we provide and our commitment to making the world of work a better place for all.
Privacy Policy We at the Center for Career and Business Development respect your privacy: we do not sell, rent, share or otherwise misuse any data which we may have about you; its only purpose is to send you information which we believe will be of value to you. If you don’t want to receive this newsletter, click the SafeUnsubscribe™ link below and your name will be promptly and cheerfully removed from our list.
The stick illustrations in this issue are by Eloise Morley.
Copyright © 2006
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Also in this issue ...
As we move forward into the 21st century it’s pretty obvious to just about everyone that work isn’t what it used to be. Whether we work for ourselves, or for someone else, or are in transition, things are changing rapidly and we’re caught in a shift of seismic proportions. Many things are being demanded of us, and it’s going to require more than just new skills to survive and thrive. We’re going to need to learn how to get serious about taking care of the business of our professional lives. Taking Care of Business We also invite you to share your thoughts by
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