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Re: OT: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
Subject:Re: OT: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea From:Chantel Brathwaite <brathwaitec -at- cacctus -dot- net> To:yehoshua paul <ysp10182 -at- gmail -dot- com> Date:Tue, 4 Sep 2012 12:42:19 -0400
I'm not in the market, but if I were, I'd opt for a traditional resume and
point to a web page that has a mix of serious projects and anything that
could be construed as being funny. If I used humor, I'd probably do
something that would be very mild, very middle of the road - and I'd use it
sparingly. I'd probably make it integral to the sample that I'm trying to
show so that even if a person didn't like my sense of humor, they'd be
interested in what I can do (hopefully).
Now, if I were truly funny and every time I opened my mouth people
laughed, I'd play to my strengths and use more humor. But I'm not. If I
make people laugh, it is usually unintentional.
Chantel
------------
On Sun, Sep 2, 2012 at 4:33 AM, yehoshua paul <ysp10182 -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> Good morning Whirlers,
> Has anyone here ever been stressed out about their resume? Spent hours
> reviewing and polishing the spelling, grammar, layout - and content? Just
> wished they could relax and have some fun with it?
>
> I recently wrote an article for the JobMob annual guest blogging contest on
> 5 different ways to having fun with your resume. I'll explain more about
> the contest, and add a link at the bottom.
>
> It's a pretty funny article, which I thought people would enjoy reading on
> a Sunday morning, but I would also like to start a serious discussion on
> this topic.
> I have heard from more than one person (including the CEO of a technical
> writing agency, which I link to in the article) that they expect potential
> candidates to stand out. Supplementing a resume with something like video,
> or even Star Wars crawl is one way to do so, and an almost guaranteed way
> to land an interview and then a job. I have heard from probably more people
> that any candidate who did something like that would be treated as a joke,
> and his resume would quickly find its way to the waste bin. Personally, I
> think the answer depends on the country, industry, company, hiring manager,
> and what was sent in - all of which require research (that you are supposed
> to do before applying anyway).
>
> I'd like to hear from the group both those who have applied for technical
> writing positions and those who have had to hire technical writers what do
> they think about supplementing a resume with something humorous/creative.
> Would it work? would it not work? Let me and the group know.
>
> This article is part of a contest. The winning article will be the one
> which is most read, with additional prizes going to most Facebook likes,
> most tweets, most +1s, and most e-mailed.
> During the next 5 days, I need to get as many people as possible to read my
> article. I was debating whether to post on the group or not, but a. I
> consider it relevant, b. I think most people would enjoy reading it, and c.
> It's always good to start Sunday with a smile.
> After reading this paragraph if you feel like reading a really funny
> article and also supporting me, you can read the article at:
>http://jobmob.co.il/blog/have-fun-with-your-resume/
>
> Have an awesome day,
> Yehoshua Paul,
> Your friendly neighbourhood technical writer.
>
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