We’re More Than A Resume

When my children or people I know ask me to tell them about how I became a huge success I’ll tell them it was a simple path and point to the picture above.

Or I’ll draw a squiggly line and then when I know they are staring at it I’ll kick them in the ass, slap them across the face and poke them in the eye.

When they get upset I’ll tell them to suck it up and remember that life is full of surprises and not all of them are the kind that are nice.

Some are very unpleasant and are things we would choose to avoid or skip over, if we had the choice.

But we don’t always get that choice and more often than not we need to soldier through and get to the other side.

Don’t believe me?

Ask your parents and or do some reading about how to become successful and take a gander at the posts that tell you why failure is a good thing.

Really.

Yeah, some of that is serious and some of it is snark.

We’re More Than A Resume

Steiner the minor and I spent a few minutes talking about what is really involved in getting a job.

He was dismayed when I told him how the process works and explained you don’t always get an interview, let alone a response to your application.

“Dad, how can they do that? Don’t they know we are not just words on a page?”

“Technically they do know that we’re more than a resume, but sometimes the way they take the measure of a man is far too simple.”

einsteinimpossible

Don’t mistake any of this to suggest that I am in between jobs because I am pleased to say I am not. I am employed full time and have been for more than a year.

It still feels and sounds funny to say that because my father had one job and held onto for almost forty years.

In the more than 20 years since I graduated from college I have held multiple jobs, several of them were for a chunk of years, but not all.

That bothers me, even though I know it is not entirely my fault and that the world has changed since my dad was a regular Joe with a daily grind.

But it is hard not to measure myself against him.

The man worked really hard and it paid off, he retired before he turned 60. I doubt that I am going to be able to do that.

It is ok with me, honestly it is, but there are moments where I forget about then not being now and wonder what I did wrong.

Accountability.

Ma and Pa Steiner taught me to be accountable and responsible for my actions. I have done my best to pass it along to my children.

But I have learned and come to accept that our control is limited and sometimes it doesn’t matter whether we are accountable or responsible.

I didn’t cause the layoff I got stuck in nor did I perpetrate 9-11 and wreak havoc upon people and companies that did business with a company I worked for.

Sometimes shit happens.

So I teach the children to be prepared to roll with things and I wonder if I should push them to adopt a trade or pick a particular line of work like Occupational or Physical Therapy.

Maybe I should push them to become doctors or nurses.

Healthcare is never going to go out of style.

But that doesn’t change the fact that dear old dad loves that Einstein quote above and thinks it is applicable to his life.

Or should I stop the third person crap and say my life.

laotzuwhoweare

I know that the people who look at my resume aren’t getting the full story or measure of who I am and what I have to offer.

It is not tied into how well it is written because the best resume only gives a short snaphot and synopsis and I don’t think mine is the best out there.

Good maybe, but not the best.

I want better, but mostly I want people to bring me in and hear me.

I want them to see me.

I want them to not let fear of mistakes prevent them from taking a chance on someone who may not hit every keyword listed in the damn job description.

We’re more than just words on a page.

We’re people with experience, skills and abilities that are transferable that can do more than just fill a desk.

The Bottom Line

That fire in my belly is burning bright and pushing me to move from the place I currently occupy into the one I know I need.

Push the envelope, stretch the limits and go beyond it all.

I can’t live a partial life. Can’t stomach a half measure.

Have to get more, have to do more.

The question isn’t when but how.

It is not even about money as much as it is about time. I know I can always find a way to make more money but I can’t make more time.

We’re more than just words on a page.

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2 Comments

  1. Larry June 7, 2016 at 2:59 pm

    The resume has to open a door, so it matters. But, it is far from everything – not even close. There’s nothing like meeting someone to get a sense of them.

    I think teaching them to be accountable even when things are beyond your control is the way to go. I hope my kids get the same lesson.

    • Jack Steiner June 8, 2016 at 12:54 pm

      Yeah, it matters because sometimes it is the only way you have to access that door. I just wish there was more to it sometimes because it gets frustrating to feel like another cog in a wheel. But we work with the resources we have to work with.

      I am sure your kids will get the same lesson about accountability.

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