Get your resume right and aim high

June 24th, 2008

I was talking to my friend B the other day. Her builder husband has been off work with a broken arm (ok, it’s really a smashed arm, but let’s not go there…) for almost a year - it’s kind of hard to build with just one arm - and he’s just starting to think about applying for jobs instead of working for himself. The last year had been pretty brutal for them: a new baby, B off on maternity leave, and then he had to stop working. Money’s been tight, and they’re all feeling the crunch.

I was really happy to help him rewrite his resume, and we did a superb job promoting his strengths and skills. The end result looks - and is - great.

But after we created this excellent high-achieving resume, B tells me that he’s looking at maintenance positions. “He’s just so desperate to get something that he’s thinking of applying for anything,” she said. “But I told him ‘there’s no use applying for a crappy job that you’re going to hate within a week. You should aim higher - look hard for that great job that you’ll be good at and want to do for the long term.’”

Words of wisdom! I don’t think the message is to hold out for the ‘perfect position’ - not at all, in fact. It’s more like beware of the ‘tide over’ job. It might seem like a good idea just to get something, but tide-over jobs have a way of sucking you in like quicksand.

And what happens when a truly good job comes along, and you’re already employed? Will you be able to get the time off for an interview - or even to prepare an application? How will a succession of short-lived, random jobs look on your resume?

The best advice is this: think hard about where you want to go, and aim high. Sure, it’s tempting to take the first gig that comes along, but think of it this way: the time you would spend at a go-nowhere job might be better spent finding a go-somewhere job.

As for B’s husband? Well, he’s rethought it, and the first application he put in was for a Senior Project Manager. I think he’s in with a real chance. And let’s face it - for him, it beats the heck out of maintaining an apartment complex any day!

Happy job hunting (and sight-setting)!

Kristin

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