The Path of Self Discovery Leads to the Land of Character and Resume Building
Frustration tends to destroy the weak, but strengthens the resolve of the valiant. Nietzsche sagt, “Was nicht mich vernichtet macht mich starker.” “What does not kill me makes me stronger.”
After nine months of being unemployed and refining my resume countless times, one begins to wonder if one is as valuable and worthy as one thinks. I have sent out resume after resume infinitum. After a while the process and constant rejection tends to wear one down a bit. During this time I have relied heavily on the moral support of friends and family, but also on the words of those much wiser than myself, like Nietzsche.
One individual whose words constantly reverberate in my head is Dr. Jay Gillette, world famous blogger and professor extraordinaire at Ball State University. No, I am not sucking up! Those of us, who have been blessed to have this man’s tutelage in our lives, know from whence I speak. Each of his classes finds one inundated with bits of knowledge and wisdom. Yes, much of his wisdom comes from other sources, to which he gladly gives the credit; but he always takes it further by adding-value of his own from his life and personal experiences. His words have given me the most solace in my failing job search. He told me, “ for every $10,000 of income you want to earn, it takes that many months to find a job.” So, using that formula, I should find a job that earns $90,000; to be realistic I will deduct weeks when I was on vacation or not very vigilant in my search. This makes my realistic amount of pay $50,000, which seems fair for the amount of experience and education that I have.
Another source of comfort comes from knowing that the competition is stiff! The unemployment rate is higher than ever. It is vital to know what your talents are above and beyond what jobs you’ve held and what education you have. So, my advice is to take a good look in the mirror and tally up your “gift-set”, the things that “add-value” to your resume. More often than not, employers see hundreds of resumes for one position. Generic, same as the last guy, is not going to make them talk to you. Here are some of the helpful bits I received during my time in the CICS program:
1. Make your resume stand out. Use three catch their attention words or short descriptors at the beginning to keep them reading.
2. Keep it brief. If your resume looks like a term paper, they probably won’t read it. Time is money people.
3. Customize your resume to each position you’re applying. Make sure the words that stand out to you in the position requirements description are obvious in your resume. Many employers use software that sifts through the resumes for them, and will not forward it on to an actual human if key descriptors are not present.
4. Evaluate your resume. There are actually job boards, which once your resume is uploaded, will tell you to what types of jobs you should apply. Some like, CareerBuilder.com go a step further and rank the openings for you from most compatible to least; and they tell you roughly how many people have applied to those positions already. Other good websites are: IndianaCareerConnect.com, Monster.com, and HotJobs.com. There are many more out there. Find the one whose usability/functionality works best for you.
5. Go the extra mile. Make sure you follow-up on the status of your application, if you can. Any position which gives you an actual name of a contact person is a bonus. Send them a brief and polite follow-up email to inquire on the process and thank them for their consideration.
6. Turn frustration into strength. Every time you feel dismayed or upset by a rejection, which is never personal, usually it’s just a matter of not making it to the “let’s get to know them” pile, then do something to boost your ego. I highly recommend volunteering; it’s very emotionally rewarding and looks good on a resume. Only cowards give up the search and turn into couch potatoes!
To all those who have not yet graduated: Don’t wait to strengthen your resume!!!!!!!