Quick review from my last post:
In the
Human-Centered Resume, WHO, WHY and HOW are the 3 KINGS.
The message is:
WHO
I am as a person, WHY I chose my
past experiences, and HOW I went
about doing them drives WHAT I've
done, WHERE I did it and WHEN I did it. Therefore WHO, WHY and HOW are the best indicators of my ability to succeed in the
job I'm applying for.
Then I left you hanging
with this suspenseful phrase: The resume
itself looks like:
Drum roll please…..
CONSTRUCTS ( aka SUPERPOWERS)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLES:
Short
(one line)
Story
based
Tie
in with previous employment AND non-employment experiences
The first
construct/superpower I’ve developed for my personal resume is “The Imaginator.”
The IMAGINATOR
Never content to do
something the conventional way if a better way is possible, the Imaginator
always has an eye to possibilities.
When empowered in my
workplace, I also have the efficacy to make improvements and experiment to help
already awesome organizations spiral toward even more greatness.
As the Imaginator, I
improved the line for more efficient and ergonomic short order cooking for two
seasons at Stanley Baking Company. Ask the manager Becky about this; she was game to try nearly every suggestion I put forth. I also executed a number of wild lesson plans as a
Teaching Assistant in the Sociology department at UMass Amherst to increase
student engagement. Imagining a brave new life, I’ve lived in a new location
every six months for the past 5 years.
Woah, Woah, Woah. What Just Happened There, Mary?!
Notice how I gave some job
history/experience information, a tie in to a reference, and demonstrated how
this superpower works in two vastly different work situations.
One reason I wanted to
create this kind of resume is because I’m transitioning out of my “career” as a
seasonal line-cook and into any kind of work that nourishes my mind, body, and
soul.
Housing my variety of
experiences under a construct/superpower is so empowering for me because I’m
a Meaning Maker (it’s another superpower). I see continuity in my life where others see chaos and
skills-based resumes represent my life as disjointed and confusing to
employers.
Wait she was a Teaching and Research Assistant
for two years at a top university and then she worked for free at a Buddhist
center and then became a line cook working in a town I've never heard of in the-middle-of-nowhere Idaho?
Actually, yes. That’s my
life. And it may well be yours, too. Bold folks do weird things, ya know?
Keep In Mind
This is what I wrote
off-the-cuff without a specific job posting/position in mind.
My vision for the Human-Centered Resume is to tell relevant, short, simple stories that illustrate things at the
intersection of:
·
Deep
personal resonance in terms of illustrating who we are as gifted and capable
humans
·
Deep
resonance for employers in terms of our ability to rock their world by meeting
eligibility requirements and then some
Value-added at every
turn and completely in the realm of “show not tell.”
I am from The Show Me
State after all.
As I play with this more
I also want to make it visual. For example, “The Imaginator” would be
represented with a symbol (e.g. imaginator x-ray goggles). I’ve just begun
exploring how the visual element can be incorporated, but I love the idea of
images and words dancing together on a page.
My first ask:
I'd love your feedback on the concept I've presented here. What, if anything, gave you an "aha" moment? What, if anything, made your brow furrow in skepticism? How can I make this better or present the idea better?
Compassion-fueled feedback is welcome; be aware this is rough and I am tender.
Reach me at marykoppes at gmail dot com
Photo Credit: photobunny
