Sunday 26 July 2015

Warts and all

a relevant experiment from Jeff Scardino on Vimeo.
The relevant résumé is the first résumé that showcases your failures. To prove it works, I submitted two different applications for ten different job openings — one using my regular résumé and one using my relevant résumé.
www.therelevantresume.com

Whether it's Facebook status updates or ghastly round-robin emails at Christmas, pumping up achievements to Zeppelin-sized accomplishments, I'm always amused when someone starts to take the mick and sends something out along the lines of 'What a year we've had! In May I had an ingrowing toenail diagnosed and in September the cat was sick on the patio.'

It's much the same with CVs. I haven't updated mine for years, and I'm well aware that it probably does nothing to sell me or my meagre talents. I feel slightly queasy at the idea of describing myself as a 'results-orientated team player who pursues perfection with passion' or some or other similar twaddle.

So I was very pleased to hear about The Relevant Resume from copywriter Jeff Scardino. He has well and truly burst the bubble of those pompous, over-inflated but strangely similar CVs with his idea to 'showcase your failures'. He put his idea to the test, applying for jobs with a traditional CV and the warts-and-all version, including 'missed honors', 'bad references' and 'non skills'. And the warts-and-all version attracted far more positive attention.

I think there's something that can be learned here for brands, too. Sometimes it's the non-perfect bits that don't fit, the stuff you're not good at, which makes you the perfect choice.

4 comments:

Barbara said...

It’s a very long time since I've had to write a CV (thank goodness), but I do get several of those round-robin emails at Christmas. I love my friends but sometimes wish they would skip the operations, hospital appointments, change of doctor, what medication they are on and tell me about the good/funny stuff!
Have a great week, Barbara

Sue Imgrund said...

When I was young, those round robins were a rare occurrence - my parents used to call them 'sagas' and it was generally understood that they were produced by one or two individuals who were 'rather full of themselves.' Little did we realise that it would lead to such behaviour being the norm, via social media!

Barbara said...

Hi Sue, I haven’t heard that expression since my parents died. They also knew one or two people who were ‘rather full of themselves' and you are quite right they were the ones who sent the sagas.

Sue Imgrund said...

I think everyone is encouraged to be 'rather full of themselves' these days!