Re[2]: bogus resume stuff

[powen -at- MAIL -dot- LMI -dot- ORG]

Joan writes:

<snip>
>I'd have never gotten a job. I'm a FIRM believer in the
>"well-rounded student", and that great grades do not necessarily
>mean a great employee. Second of all, what the heck do SAT grades
>have to do with ANYTHING?! I wonder, are those requirements
>for ALL applicants (even those with years of experience) or just
>the junior-level?

>I am proof that a person with average grades can still do a more than average
>job. I had my first "real" job while still in my senior year, AND
>was on a collegiate sport team. And, yes, I did have a job before
>many 3.5+ G.P.A. students I went to school with.
>I know how to manage my time, and what
>my priorities are. I would hate to be looked over for a job position
>because I didn't break a 1200 on my SAT.

>My opinion (and not my company's, although they DID hire me so I can't be all
>that bad! :-) )

All I can say is I'm glad that, at this point in my career, I've got a long
resume and a decent portfolio. No one has *ever* asked me for my grades or SAT
scores. In fact, few of my clients know that I never quite finished my BA (too
busy learning by the seat of my pants and having a great time at a wide variety
of jobs all over the country). They never ask.

My feeling is that I'd never want a client (or employer) who was obsessed by
such things. The proof of how good I am is in the work I've done and the strong
letters of recommendation I've been able to get (from high school on) - from
showing that I'm determined and reasonably intelligent. OK, I admit I did pretty
well on my SATs, went to a couple of good schools for a while, and racked up a
few awards along the way, but I can safely say that I've always been hired on
the strength of the work I've already done (for pay or otherwise), the respect
I've earned from others, and my ability to promote myself. I know lots of PhDs
and people with high SATs and GPAs that are totally worthless on the job (at one
newspaper where I worked, we couldn't teach the new managing editor, who had
degrees out the wazoo, how to use the intercom - yelling to each other in the
office got to be known as using the "John Doe intercom" [name changed to protect
the technologically impaired]).

What's really galling is that, every time I look in the Washington Post, I see
ads for employers looking for editors with at least an MA and 5 years of
experience in, say proposal editing (the most grueling and school-divorced area
of technical editing). OK, fine. Then I look at the salary - $25,000 per year.
Who exactly are they kidding? Who exactly is taking these jobs? It has to be
somebody who is either desperate or who lies really well. Lots of qualities go
into being a good, professional worker, including common sense and a strong work
ethic - SATs and GPAs should stand in no one's way. And we all need to stop
undervaluing what we do - until we do, employers and clients won't.

Rant over.

Pam Owen
Nighthawk Communications
Reston, VA
Nighthawk1 -at- aol -dot- com, or powen.lmi.org