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To All The Jobs I’ve Done Before
Real-life resumes tell the whole story
At a certain point in one’s career, you will likely hear that your resume should not exceed one page in length. As someone who has served on way too many hiring committees, I understand this advice. However, as someone who has served on way too many hiring committees, I think the jobs people leave off their resumes are usually the ones that tell their whole story, and might make an interview way more interesting.
Those who seek jobs requiring a curriculum vitae get to write more. But I know they still don’t include that time they changed their major from biochemistry medical engineering, in tears, after failing organic chemistry again. Those people are now writers, anyway, and they need the one pager, too.
I am advocating for the submission of a real accounting of all the jobs—all the jobs. Some of which are likely to be the ones where you really, really worked.
My real resume should read as follows:
Real-Life Resume
1984–1986: Babysitter/Lego engineer/ alcohol counselor
Provided childcare for three children under the age of five. The oldest would never go to bed, even though the parents assured me that it would be an easy night and they would all be sleeping…
