The bane of my existence
It has come time for me to move on from my current employer, and seek out new challenges. This thought fills me with dread for one simple reason: I hate having to try to create a resume for myself!
As with most annoyances in my life, it is the little details that bug me most.
For example, my career arc is anything but smooth. I have worked in I.T., garment manufacture, publishing, architecture… just to name a few. Trying to sculpt these disparate experiences together into a single narrative thread tends to result in a five page resume!
People look at my resume, say “You are overqualified for this position” and send me packing. And that is from the few who even bother to respond at all!
Most people look at my resume and can’t figure out what to do with me.
So I am taking two different approaches to solving this problem.
First the fun one: a graphical resume! This is basically an 8.5x11 image that illustrates my skills, abilities, key quotes from references, and certain iconic past employers into one seamless, flowing graphic. (Naturally, this is what I will send to highly creative types.)
The second one is…. well… five. Yes, five different resumes, each focusing on a particular aspect of my work history. This way I can apply for managment positions with my management resume, design positions with my design resume, author/editor positions with my writing resume, etc.
And now I am off to work on it…!
