blueskyresumesblog

Are You Authentic?

I bought a loaf of bread yesterday. I wanted something healthy. Something without high-fructose corn syrup or preservatives and something with real whole grains. I finally settled on a loaf wrapped in brown paper. The packaging was designed to say 'earthy' and 'healthy' and 'organic.' That brown paper made me feel good about my choice because it looked as though it would be better for the environment than the plastic wrappers on the other loaves.

But when I opened the brown paper wrapping this morning, I found more wrapping inside and this inner wrap was made of the same clear plastic as all the other loaves on the shelf. That plastic wrapper showed the brown paper up for the fake that it is. The bread company isn't trying to protect the enviornment - they're just trying to make me think they are.

What does this have to do with looking for a job? Authenticity matters! If you make a claim on your resume or in your cover letter, you have to be able to back it up in interviews. Make sure your packaging matches the product. If it doesn't, interviewers will feel the same way I did about that loaf of bread - deceived and irritated.

Accident or Design?

Billie Sucher asks an interesting question over on Career Hub. Did your career happen by accident or by design?

In my case, I left college with no idea what I wanted to do. My love of music led me to an entry-level job in a record store, the company promoted me into HR, I did well, and eventually I parlayed that experience into helping people find jobs and started Blue Sky Resumes.

Perhaps none of this would have happened if I had loved shoes instead of  rock music!