Resumes and the Career Objective...are they Incongruent?

So, here is my latest thought...what the heck is up with that silly thing called an "objective" at the top of a resume? I have decided to establish a coup with regard to this pesky statement for three important reasons:

1. People basically rewrite some part of the job description as their objective for each job that they apply for and this shows little creativity or spirit,
2. This offers yet one more opportunity to misspell something that adds little to no value to the small amount of space that you must cram your professional life onto, and
3. The objective is to get a job at the salary that you think you are worth...of course, that statement is politically incorrect and won't land you a job either.

So, you may wonder what to do with this valuable vacant space. I assert that you fill it with your career mission statement. Of course, there are three immediate objectives that will probably jump to your mind:

1. This is a personal statement and you don't feel that it is the business of a bunch of strangers, even if they are potential colleagues,
2. Many of us still have not taken the time to write a personal mission statement or do not find the value in one, and
3. Your personal mission statement might make your future boss a bit uneasy if you are going after his/her job (good intimidation tactic).

Well, here are my responses to those objections. First, it is best to not use your whole mission statement, just the part related to your career and add or delete just enough filler to allow your competence and professionalism to shine through while still allowing your spirit and values to underpin your efforts. Next, if you have not written your mission statement, it is time to wake up! The corporate world is passing you by. But, on a more serious note, if you do not know where you are going, then what difference does it make if you get this job or another one. You have to have an end in mind to make your efforts worthwhile. Lastly, you don't want to work for someone who doesn't support you possibly taking on their job someday. If they are not actively looking for their own replacement, there is a chance that you will work in an environment that is stagnant and/or dominated by micro-management and fear-based motivation tactics.

So, there are my thoughts on the "objective" portion of the resume. Time to considerate it invaluable and certainly unreliable!

Would love to hear your responses to this thought...

Is Less...More?

As random thoughts go whirling through my mind, I consistently drop on this topic. From a professional coaching standpoint, one of the first things we tell clients it to get rid of the clutter. The thought being that the more you tolerate excessive stuff, the less energy you have for other more important things in your life. Furthermore, is less really more in your career as well?

Let's take for example a standard resume. Professional advice suggests that a resume should not be greater than 1 or 2 pages. This is for obvious reasons. Managers simply do not have the time to read about such things as your favorite 4th grade craft project. Also, you become more valuable if you can show that you are loyal to a company (a.k.a. you will stay for 4 - 5 years at a time). Here, less is definitely more, when you can demonstrate your heroic efforts with a few vital employers.

But, let's take this one step further. What if you recently received your MBA and you are trying to change career fields. Do you list the MBA if you are applying for a job that is a less-than-lateral move just so that you can get your foot in the door. Many people won't list the MBA on there resume in this situation. Again, there are obvious reasons for doing this. Possibly you do not want to take the chance that the hiring manager will assume that they cannot afford to hire you or you may fear intimidating the hiring manager altogether. The unfortunate thing is that a master's degree is a tremendous accomplishment, regardless of the motivation behind it. So, why should it be hidden?

One more area where less is more is in the interview process. Of course, you are required to engage in discussion about yourself, but the discussion necessitates that you be brief and concise. Again, this undoubtedly requires the speaker to omit details that could be helpful to the interviewed. There reasons for this exchange are numerous as well. But, I cannot help but think that in your career life...less is more.

So, if we eliminate the clutter, even in our careers and we open ourselves to further opportunities is that not just a new form of clutter that we are welcoming?

I can do anything...now what?

My first posting has led to another philosophical question. When you as an individual can actually escape the numbness that comes from a lack of spontaneity and innovation in your career, what do you do with your new found energy?

I liken this to what I consider would be my response to climbing a mountain (mind you I have never done this and most likely never will because it really does not interest me). But, if I trained and developed my skills enough to climb Mt. Everest, once I got to the top I might actually think, "now what?". After all, you cannot live there, even if it is the most breathtaking view you have ever witnessed. How long would you stand there after making it the top? Of course, I would relish in the moment of the achievement as anyone should that makes this trip (even though I wouldn't do it I still admire those that do). But, what do you do next? I would inevitably have to climb back down the mountain and live with the memory of the view.

Now as a career coach, my job is to get others to the point where they move their mental obstacles to those things they want most in life (much like climbing that mountain). However, there is much pain that an individual must go through (or maybe we should call it growth) in order to actually decide what they want to do with their new found energy.

Is this confusion a requirement of the process? How do we as individuals (assuming we are not all educated in the differing coaching philosophies) assist each other through this vulnerable stage? And lastly, does the uncertainty associated with this stage make people turn back to the comfort of their old habits and live only with the memory of the view?

Career Control: Is it Yours?

In my line of work, I come across a lot of people who are unhappy with their jobs. They lament about such things as salary or their micro-managing boss. It leaves one wondering about the true source of their discontent. It seems to me that often the restlessness comes from a deeper issue. I recently read an estimate that stated that over half of workers in the workforce are in the wrong job (this statistic seems a bit vague no matter how you look at it), however, there is probably an element of truth.

Essentially, the question becomes, do you own your career or do you hand it over to the entity that supplies your paycheck? When people are complaining about their salary, are they really saying, "that is all I will ever get paid because I handed my life over and did not realize it." There is often an urge to try to reason with this individual and tell them that if they are not happy there are a multitude of choices: get educated, make a lateral move, join a different company, start your own business. However, as you begin to draw the words to your lips, you realize that the individual sitting in front of you is completely numb because they have allowed their work to draw all creativity and innovation from their minds and bodies.

So, do you own your career or not? If not, why not? How do you take it back?