A few months ago, I stood looking at myself in the full length mirror in my dressing room as I struggled to fit 45 years of bad eating habits and a total disregard for exercise into the waist of my dress slacks. I knew it was happening; I just enjoyed the status quo to the point that I would simply blame the clothing manufacturers for sub par materials that seemingly shrunk before my very eyes.
I sucked in for one last glorious attempt to fasten the brave clasp and zipper that would attempt to contain all l that I had become. I stood, glaring at the form before me, as the old axiom, “you are what you eat” hit home in a big way, when I suddenly realized how much I had in common with a giant blueberry muffin that had been yesterday’s snack on the way to work. I headed to the closet to rifle through my shirts, looking for at least one with enough girth to somehow camouflage the aforementioned midsection. But soon I was faced with the fact that the same people who made my ‘incredible shrinking slacks’ must have gotten to the shirt guys too.
Exasperated, I chose a tan one, and turned back towards the mirror to finish getting dressed. Once my shirt was buttoned and tucked in, the transformation I had hoped for fell short of the reality. Now, instead of a pasty white muffin, I looked like a freshly baked golden brown one. That didn’t help my outlook for the day at all. And, to add insult to injury, I was now starving for, you guessed it, a nice warm blueberry muffin!!
On my drive to work that day, I pondered the vision of my out of shape physique and decided it was well past time for a change. So, over the next few weeks I read and researched all I could about ways to change that reflection, and before long I was eating healthier, working out on a regular basis and appreciating more and more what I saw in the mirror. What in the world does any of this have to do with a resume?
Well first of all, it’s no secret that we all outgrow our resumes. With every new job we take on, we must fit that new experience into a space that may be getting a little tight. That also goes for degrees, and certifications that we pick up along the way, as well. And just like the guy who’s trying to fit his size 38 waist into a pair of size 34 slacks, those new experiences can be left on the outside of the waist band in a usually not very attractive manner. Just as I was able to get help for my somewhat rotund shape, the professional resume writer can take what you have become and help mold it into a more desirable form.
Yes, you can always buy more paper and add those new items to the bottom of the page, and I could have simply bought new bigger clothes to help conceal the additions I had made. But at the end of the day, that simply is not the best answer.
You must make an investment of time, money and energy in anything you wish to accomplish. Since the day I chose to make that change in myself, I have not regretted one workout session or been unhappy with the decision to eat healthier. It was hard getting started, but the results have been well worth the pain. So, if you haven’t looked in the mirror at your resume lately, maybe its time for a check up that could lead to a whole new outlook for you career.
Written by Rob Poindexter, sales executive and sailor, who, as Jacqui’s husband and business partner, provides an observer’s perspective to job search coaching and resume writing.
Excellent point, Rob.
I laughed and empathized throughout the article, as I am sure many people (myself included) look in a mirror and think, “Hey, who IS that person?”
You are right. It DOES correlate with resume writing. So many clients keep adding on and adding on to an old outdated resume that doesn’t accurately reflect who they are, what they’ve done, and what they can offer.
Great article… and great job on your commitment to health! Turning away a muffin is not an easy task. 🙂
Erin
Thanks for the comments Erin, I always look forward to your generous responses to my musings.
With my clients, I use the word “personal brochure” or “employee brochure” to get them to see that their resume is much more than just a list of past work done. It is their most important sales tool!
Rob –
It’s a well know fact closets shrink clothes. 🙂
Excellent analogy. Inhaling for an entire evening is no way to make an outfit fit — been there, done that. And adding a few things to a resume that hasn’t seen the light of day in 10 years is no a way to sell skills in today’s market. Both are a “good enough” approach … and we deserve so much more than good enough. Trouble is, surpassing mediocre takes effort. That’s the difficult part.
Bravo on your commitment to yourself. And thanks for a bit of inspiration for me too.
Really appreciate your taking a moment to comment on my post, and I think we can all agree that inspiration without perspiration is just an empty box. Again, thankyou so much.
Rob, great post that had me laughing and empathizing! I love the analogy and know that so many will relate. The insights about the resume are spot on. I commonly have previous clients come to me wanting a simple “update” of their resume 2 jobs later. Your post points out why this makes about as much sense as squeezing into too tight pants. BTW, congrats on the healthy habits too!
You hit the nail on the head , Karen. Thankyou for your kind words.
Great post, Rob.
Same thing here, it took me seeing a picture of my older, much heavier brother for me to take action myself.
BTW, I don’t actually have an older, heavier brother.
That last line almost made me fall off my chair, Thanks GL
So funny and so well written! The vision of oneself as a muffin conjures up the image of Tweedledee and one’s overstuffed resume as dear Tweedledum…just a lot of circumference waiting to topple!
Like you, I see so many resumes so dense with content that no one could ever discern the value or relevance of the candidate to the job. Too much of anything rarely serves us well. Back to less is more!
Thanks, Rob, for the fun and useful read!
Your very welcome Dawn, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. It’s nice to know someone appreciates my ramblings
I’ve bookmarked this because I found it notable. I would be very interested to hear more information on this. Cheers!