The Resume Bulletin
A collection of 22 posts
The Resumes of Chernobyl
HBO has been on a roll lately and the team at Enhancv has been enjoying every minute of it. Two years ago, we geeked out on Game of Thrones and now we’re indulging in our collective Chernobyl fandom. Why? Well, because it’s fun. But also because we love telling stories. We’re not as good at it as HBO but hey, a software company can dream right? Creating the resumes for Anatoly Dyatlov and Valery Legasov let us explore how to condense the lives of two consequential and (until recently) obscure people into single pages which still managed to tell their stories. We think both have plenty to teach both about the people and about how resumes can (and should) tell compelling stories in general. Hero of the Russian Federation, the resume of Valery Legasov Frankly, we wanted to put together a resume that was a fitting tribute for Legasov. The challenge was to compress his achievements and experience into something that would be interesting for someone familiar with his story and informative for anyone who knows nothing about it. Funnily enough, that’s the challenge most resume writers face. You don’t always know whether the person reading it is going to be steeped in your field or just a random HR person. For Legasov, this meant acknowledging his work in physics and chemistry prior to the Chernobyl disaster, while putting the focus there. It reflects his voice as well as his achievements. A mixed bag, the resume of Anatoly Dyatlov Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen the show yet but Dyatlov is… not the hero. His resume balances his confidence, his genuine accomplishments, and has a little fun along the way. References to his “secret supervision room” aside, it’s a nice reminder that his failures during the Chernobyl disaster shouldn’t overshadow the fact that he had a real experience. He’d even experienced a small scale nuclear accident before! What do these resumes have to teach us? We hope this is a reminder that the history of your work is more than just a list of what you did, it’s your story. How you tell that story makes all the difference. In the meantime, enjoy the show and stay away from those REMs. Otherwise, it’s the end of the world as we know it.
What Casey’s Coaching Resume Example Taught Us
Sport coaching employs over 270,000 people in the US and has been steadily growing each year. While the industry itself has been on an uptrend, it is somewhat dominated by men and areas such as basketball are lacking in coaches. With this in mind, Casey’s coaching resume could not have come sooner. Casey has been working as a basketball coach for the last four years and has done so across three countries: Ireland, Northern Ireland and The United States. Her passion for the industry knows no bounds and has seen her involved in some of the most inspiring basketball organisations in the world – PeacePlayers International for one. For her, a coaching resume is used for securing coaching opportunities and as a record of her experience. Here’s what we’ve learned about coaching resumes from Casey’s example. 1. Get involved The best way to bolster your coaching resume is to get involved everywhere you can. From local teams to international organisations, Casey has been a coach in a variety of settings. You can find relevant experience just about anywhere. As we see in her resume, whether its high-school or an international organisation, the skills remain the same. Research to see if there’s a local team in your area, or volunteer with a youth club. The more experience you can show, the easier it will be to secure a more lucrative coaching job. 2. Opportunity not locality One thing that makes Casey’s resume stand out is her history is global. Speaking to her, she says that some of her coaching experience was offered to her while she was living elsewhere. This shows us that like with most jobs, you can broaden your coaching horizons by looking outside of your local area. Remote working as a coach is possible, too. Perhaps you could volunteer as a consultant or host one-on-one meetings with teammates to help strategize. 3. Action is key Coaching is a hands-on activity. Casey brings her action-oriented sensibility across by including a photo from a former coaching gig. The same can be said for any coaching project. You should demonstrate your action in any way you can. This can be linking to your website that has videos of your coaching, or even including an action-photo like Casey did. 4. Bring your personality For coaches to be effective, they need to mesh well with a team. This means recruiters of coaches need to see who you are to determine if you’ll fit with the team’s culture. Casey ensures that her personal side is shown by including her life philosophy in her resume. There are other ways that your personality can be brought in your resume: detail your favourite books, provide a personal summary, include a Most Proud Of section and more. Overall, the key learning from Casey’s resume is that we can learn from an example and apply it to our own situation.
A surprising lesson from Maisie Williams about career change
Reading that another celebrity has tried to become a politician, entrepreneur, or different kind of celebrity has always provoked eye-rolls for me. I was always certain a bunch of celebrities couldn’t teach me something about changing careers (something I’ve experienced and written about plenty). I was wrong. It turns out there are universal lessons on making a career change, even for someone . Case and point: Maisie Williams. If you read the headlines, you’d think she had just woken up one day and decided to co-found Daisie, a tech company (specifically, an app for young creative people to build their careers). But it turns out a huge portion of the skills, knowledge, and relationships she’s developed as an actor apply directly to her new role as a co-founder. Actor → Tech Co-Founder It all starts with an exercise we developed to think about how people change careers. The idea is to get you thinking in concrete terms about what each role actually involves. So instead of considering a software engineer job in the abstract, you think about the day to day coding, fixing bugs, debating features to add, etc. Then, you compare the skills, knowledge, and relationships at your current role and your new role. This is where things get interesting. In Williams’ case, many of the skills she developed as an actor apply directly to co-founding a technology company. Her PR training taught her how to handle media as the co-founder of a company, her lessons on choosing the right roles to advance her career has lent her some basis in strategic thinking, etc. Her knowledge of the kinds of challenges young people in creative industries face is also critical for her new role. Luckily, being just one of those people means she has a good understanding of those challenges. Finally, with a devoted fan base and connections in the entertainment industry, Williams has the kinds of relationships that can help her succeed. It’s also worth mentioning what doesn’t show up here: knowledge of technology. Williams doesn’t know how to code, but her transition is a great example of how non-tech people can still bring vital knowledge to tech companies: understanding people, PR, presentation skills, etc. But what are the broader lessons to take away? Old Role → New Role As I learned when I made the transition from academia into marketing, a lot more skills, knowledge, and relationships transfer than you would think. I found research skills, writing abilities, and an understanding of quantitative methods were invaluable. Sure I was studying early 20th century radical agrarian movements, but I had a good understanding of statistical significance and how to write on a deadline. But I learned those lessons organically. It would have been more helpful to realize how much of my skills, knowledge, and relationships would transfer from the beginning. I could have been more confident and leveraged that information to perform better. I hope Williams’ story and my own can inspire you to try this for yourself. You → New You So give it a try, imagine a new role you’d like to have alongside what you do now and see how ready you really are. Whether you’re looking at moving into the tech world like Maisie Williams or myself, or just want to try something new, there’s a lot to learn. It’s just 4 easy steps, so what have you got to lose? SaveSave
Sick of dating apps? See how the dating resume might change the game
The cures for modern singlehood are many and familiar: Tinder, Okcupid, Bumble, The League, Grindr, Match.com, speed dating, and underwater dating. Okay, we made the last one up. Point is, the serious dater is always on the lookout for the next best thing. But what if the next best thing was actually there all along? Job and date searching have something in common… When job searching, a resume is a tool that we rely on. The best resumes represent who we are as both a professional and an individual. When done right, they can make us feel proud and boost our confidence. It’s no surprise that most people looking for a date could use some of that same confidence. That’s why crafting a dating resume could be your secret weapon this year. The idea came from just one innovator, a college kid named Joey, who showed the world a new way to kill it in the dating game with a dating resume created with our platform that went viral. Being resume experts and having dabbled in dating ourselves, we thought about crafting the perfect dating resume template, for anyone to use. Our perfect dating resume sections: 1. About me: Are you a stable, healthy human being who happens to know how to listen, make life-changing blueberry pancakes, and make people laugh? Toot your horn – but keep in mind that you should also consider why your qualifications might matter to a perfect mate. 2. Ideal qualities in a partner or what you’re looking for: Here, describe what exactly you’re looking for. Do you need a partner that can travel on short notice? That wants kids ASAP? Someone you can bring home to your parents? Ask and, hopefully, ye shall receive. 3. Deal-breakers or red flags: Best to get these out of the way early. But they should be serious issues that would prevent you from moving forward with someone who might otherwise be great. Bites their fingernails? Eh, they can probably unlearn that habit. Doesn’t share your opinion about having children? Probably better to be straightforward about that. 4. Ingredients for a perfect relationship: Using the Enhancv platform, you can add a section called “MyTime”, which can be renamed and adjusted to suit any topic. Use it to identify your top 5-8 characteristics for a perfect relationship and adjust the chart to show how much importance each has. Add things like spending time at home, being active, cooking, visiting relatives, or anything else that matters to you. 5. Activities you’d love to do together: What kind of experiences and adventures do you want to share with a partner? This can often be a great insight into shared interests and common ground. Next steps… If you’re on a lookout for “the one” at the moment, give a dating resume a go. Answering the right questions about yourself and the perfect partner can not only give you clarity on what you want, but it can also boost your confidence. Create an account on Enhancv and be your own Cupid this year. Happy Valentine’s Day and may Cupid be with you!
What Game of Thrones needs: an HR department
We have to admit, 7 years is a long time to spend finding the perfect candidate for a position. But the Iron Throne selection committee feels the importance of this role warrants our rigorous hiring process. Today, while the circumstances for their elimination were regrettable, the brutal deaths of Tommen Baratheon, Joffrey Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Renley Baratheon, and Viserys Targaryen have left us with four top candidates. Thus, we’re now in what we hope will be the final year of the selection process. We’ve taken a look at their resumes and have some feedback and questions leading into our future interviews. Cersei Lannister’s Resume Cersei’s status as a strong and independent woman really comes off well, but will the committee see through her veiled attempt to mask her alcoholism? Daenerys Targaryen’s Resume Daenerys’ resume clearly left the committee with more questions than answers. She’s overselling herself in some places and underselling herself in others (slavery pun not intended). Jon Snow’s Resume As a veteran with possible health problems, Jon has the Iron Throne’s HR department very concerned (is being previously dead a pre-existing condition?) Tyrion Lannister’s Resume Tyrion could allow the Iron Throne to fulfill its affirmative action quota, but yet another thinly veiled reference to alcoholism could hold him back. Who Would You Hire? Which candidate do you think has the best qualifications for the position? The Iron Throne HR department always appreciates feedback on its hiring decisions.
Marissa Mayer: ''Thank you for a great resume!''
Our team met with the former Yahoo! CEO in London for a brief catch-up on resumes, motherhood and the best ways for dealing with bad press. Few would take on the challenge of walking a mile in Marissa Mayer’s shoes. After five years as CEO of the troubled Internet behemoth, she is now taking her superwoman cape off and moving on to the next big thing. Her achievements as CEO (during her leadership, Yahoo! became one of three digital companies with over 1 billion users globally) and personal sacrifices for the company’s well-being (she only took a total of eight days off for the birth of her first son) are numerous. Yet, it is safe to say that Mayer is leaving a troubled legacy behind. From spending over $1 billion on the acquisition of Tumblr, which she herself called “poetic”, to failing to disclose the large-scale security breach, which affected over 500 million Yahoo! users – Mayer has had her fair share of cringe-worthy moments. The Enhancv team was inspired by Mayer’s ferocious ambition and in August 2016 we created and published her resume. It was a crucial force in enabling more users around the world to learn about our platform. Mayer’s resume was liked over 40K+ times on LinkedIn, without any paid advertisements. And the Business Insider article covering the story received 300K+ reads. Today, Enhancv boasts over 250K+ registered users from over 150 countries worldwide. This is why we were particularly excited for the opportunity to meet Mayer and thank her in person for the unknowing contribution she had to Enhancv’s success. Imagine how proud we felt when her face lit up with recognition and amusement as we introduced ourselves. “I know you, you did a great job with my resume! I loved it”, she said. We also had the chance to ask Mayer a few questions, which we are happy to share with you. Get an exclusive peek into the thoughts of the First Lady of the Internet! What was the biggest challenge you tackled at Yahoo? Definitely, it was returning the company to its original 1990s culture. The Silicon Valley tendency to combine business and fun has its roots in the work environment created by Yahoo!’s founders – Jerry and David. The idea that the corporate culture and brand of an enterprise can have a meaning larger than the business itself has in my view been one of the key ingredients to Yahoo!’s early success. The challenge which I faced when I joined as CEO, was to reboot the original culture, while also encouraging Yahoo! employees to spend more time at the office and give that extra discretionary effort, which the company needed to pull through. You were the first Yahoo! CEO to promote maternity leave. Why then did you hide your pregnancy for six months and why didn’t you take a longer break from work following the birth of your children? For legal reasons – in the US maternity leave technically is a disability leave. If I took maternity leave, I would have had to appoint a temporary deputy, which would have been complicated and confusing for the board and shareholders. I also felt that Yahoo! needed me, needed a strong leader, who was present. What’s your strategy for dealing with bad press? I follow the advice a close friend gave me – I don’t read any news or articles about myself. One question, in particular, remains on everyone’s minds. Namely, what caused Yahoo!’s slow demise? As made obvious by the many achievements on Mayer’s resume, she was expected to over-deliver during her time at Yahoo!. Yet, the geek goddess was largely criticized for almost every decision she ever took, while in charge. It may be that expectation was set too high. When Mayer joined the company as CEO in 2012, Yahoo! employees made posters with her picture and the word “hope” underneath. These make-shift pieces of art were in a similar graphic style to the emblematic Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign. The posters were hung all around Yahoo! headquarters. Newspapers all over the world were blasting headlines like “Google’s First Lady Jumps Ship to Yahoo!”. A good indication of her slim chances to steer the Yahoo! ship in the right direction may have been the short-lived careers of Mayer’s predecessors. She was the fourth CEO in four years. Her immediate predecessor was taken down after it was discovered that he had lied on his resume. Observers judged Mayer’s task of saving the poster-child company for the first era of the Internet as close to impossible. Google’s search algorithms had been performing better than Yahoo! employees categorizing the web by hand. Facebook was doing a better job of serving the communication needs of digital consumers than Yahoo! chatrooms. Apps had taken traffic away from desktop computers to mobile phones and Yahoo! was lagging behind. Regardless, Mayer’s name will grace the tech history books, while her life experience will inspire young women and girls the world over to dream big and aim high. Kudos, Marissa! Should you be looking for a job again, we will be waiting for you at www.enhancv.com.
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