What's your story?

I try my best to watch a TED Talk every single day. I find there is so much valuable learning available on this free website that people should really take advantage of!

Today’s lesson was titled: Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume

Regina Hartley begins with explaining that there are two types of candidates who apply for jobs: 1) The Silver Spoon and 2) The Scrapper. Think Ivey League vs. State University. Both extremely intelligent in their own ways, but perhaps one candidate may have experienced a little bit more fortune if you know what I mean.

I feel as if I fit right in between these two categories. My parents made sure I had many opportunities to succeed, but I also would like to think I still worked hard to get where I am. Although my Mom did let me do some hours at her office during the school year, my summers consisted of emptying golf course garbage cans and filling holes in on fairways. I was by no means the smartest kid in school (or even in the top percentile) but I did well enough to get accepted to the business program of my choice.

Regina then goes on to discuss how the resume of a person is the equivalent to their story. This made me think: “Well, what story is my resume telling a person?”

This is the conclusion I came to:

When someone reads “Maintenance Staff” they should realize:

• I started this job when I was 14 and in Grade 9 because my parents decided it was time for me to work. I would like to attribute my strong work ethic to being thrown into the working world at a fairly young age. This job was no picnic - it was 12 days on and 2 days off, with 6am starts. It’s honestly because of this job that I am a morning person who jumps out of bed as soon as the sun comes up. In every summer, I was one of maybe two females on the entire team, which motivated me even more the show the world that I could do everything and anything that my male equivalents were doing. I had this job all 4 summers of high school and it has had a huge impact on molding me into who I am today.

When someone reads “Project Manager” they should realize:

• I held this position the summer after my first year at university. It attributes to my story because it shows I was ready to get some real experience. One year of university done and I was ready and willing to enter the corporate sector and get my feet wet in what the big kid world was going to be like. In 4 short months, this job showed me that loving the job is important, but at the end of the day it’s the people who are going to make you laugh and leave with a smile on your face.

When someone reads “On Campus Position” they should realize:

• I was spending more money than I had saved during the summer. Even though having this job on my resume doesn’t make me the most qualified person for a position in my future, it shows people that things didn’t always come easy for me. If I wanted to go out with friends, pay for my car, etc. then I was going to have to work a little harder and find time to balance a job with school and everything else going on in my life.

Although I had other jobs and even volunteer positions, I wanted to give people a brief understanding that jobs on a resume should be more than something a hiring manager or recruiter just skims over. I understand they want to see examples of hard work and measurable outcomes, but it is equally important to think about the candidate’s story and how that experience may have impacted them as a person.

So to repeat Regina, “The Scrapper deserves an interview”.