Most people have a resume. At times of uncertainty and change, we go through the process of updating it. But what is a resume? Is it our lives? Is it the sole record of our worth? Maybe, maybe not. Personally, I have placed a high emphasis on the contents of my resume in the past. As men, much of our self worth derrives from our work and what we do to earn money. The resume is what gets us the job, gets us more money, and allows us to provide for ourselves and our families better. A resume is important, except when it’s not.
Do you need a resume to start a business? Do you need a resume to do great work? A resume is only a document that lets others know what we have done in the past. If you have ever heard advertisements of investment profits, the commercials say, “Past performance is not indicative of future gains.” Our resume’s do not guarantee our success any more than the lack of a great resume spells out our certain doom. Much like a travel journal, a resume is only a record of where we have been, what we did that was interesting along the way, and what we learned.
We put so much power behind a resume and most of us are not intentional about its contents. Sure, when I was in high school, I wanted to have a good college on my resume to get a job (War Eagle! – Go Auburn). After college and into my first job, I updated my resume with new skills I learned and new jobs I performed. I documented my career progress. I did what most people do with a resume, I looked back.
The intentional resume
Why do we look back so much? Why can’t a resume look forward? I recently listened to a podcast by Justin Lukasavige at CoachRadio.tv that featured Ana White. One of the things they talked about that really struck me was the idea that you could envision an end result for your resume and live your life to fulfill that vision. For example, let’s say you want to be a writer, specifically of novels. You start with the end in mind, writing a best-selling novel, and work backwards, filling in your resume with the needed experience until you get to where you are now. You may realize that having a bunch of articles published in different magazines is one step along the way. Maybe you need to have some short stories published. The more complex the vision, the more steps needed to make it happen. Just imagine what the resume of your favorite authors look like and be creative.
Once you have that together, you have a road map to the success you want. You can now live your resume in order to get to where you want. Instead of your resume being a look back, it is a look forward. You are being intentional about the way you live your life and your career path instead of drifting down the river of time. You won’t be in complete control, but you at least have a rudder, some way to correct your course toward the goal.
It is a very subtle shift in thinking, going from a resume that tells what you have done to a resume that tells what you will do. The former may help you get a job, but the latter could change your life. I encourage you to be more intentional with your resume. Understand the power it can wield in your life and the focus it can give your career.
When you look back at then end of a long life, what do you want your resume? Why not start today?
What is one thing you wish you had on your resume? Leave a comment and let me know.
(photo by renjith krishnan)
You’re listed on the “Critique my blog” blogfest list, but I can’t see any posts about it.
Sorry, I may not have understood what I was doing. I thought the “Critique my blog” was to have other people look at my blog and give feedback, not on a particular post about a particular subject. I apologize for my misunderstanding. Thanks