Re: Tossing Resumes

[Rowena Hart <rhart -at- INTRINSYC -dot- COM>]

It's so hard to find qualified applicants (for any job) that it really
doesn't matter what you put in your resume, as long as you send
one in to be evaluated.

I'm sure this comment will rub the wrong way with some folks on
the list, but I'm not saying this to raise the ire of my peers.  I just
think there is a lot of two-stepping going on around the resume
issue.  And the issue is that you don't have to have "the perfect
resume" to get hired.

I once put out a call to hire fisheries biologists and technicians
for seasonal/contract work.  We received about 400 responses.
One of the resumes that got passed around the office the most
was from a young man with a series of seasonal jobs as a
fisheries observer, which is well known for being one of the
worst jobs in the industry.  He listed the employers and job
titles, then described the work.  His comments included "Quit
due to the inherent shittiness of the job", "Took the job
because it paid $1 more than the last one" and "Learned
absolutely nothing from this job."

We laughed so hard it brought tears to our eyes, and we
couldn't help but admire him for his honesty.  In another industry --
with another employer -- his resume would have been tossed in
the garbage can.  As a fisheries technician applying to our
company he was a perfect candidate, because we wanted to
hire people who'd been in the field before and knew that the
work could be boring, physically demanding AND aggravating.
(By the way, this young man showed up for the interview wearing
a full kilt and dirk ensemble, and his answer to the question
"What is your major fault?" was "I'm not going to tell you that.")

I agree with Tim Altom that resumes are just a shot in the dark
and a statement of hope.  They get your name across someone's
desk for less than a minute.  So, IMO, put whatever you value in
your resume, because it is rarely going to be "the ticket" to
getting a job.

- Rowena

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Rowena Hart
Technical Writer
Intrinsyc Software, Inc.
http://www.intrinsyc.com