It’s commencement time around the country. This means plenty of excitement for new opportunities and starting careers…and plenty of anxiety over student debt and starting careers. The pressure for “what are you doing after graduation?” as a barometer for success doesn’t end with the first job – the pressure to keep up continues decades later. Going to your college reunion? Not quite sure how your resume compares with your classmate who sold their startup for $150 million in cash and retired at 32? For many of us, we spend much of our lives concerned about the prestige of our titles and the companies for whom we work for that we forget the “why” we do what we do. The joy and idealism often get lost in a race that is often not to our choosing or liking, but a race on the hedonistic treadmill we find ourselves on and difficult to jump off. Perhaps it’s time to look down at our feet and check in to see if they’re moving in our direction or someone else’s.
The Two Adams
David Brooks (who happens to be the commencement speaker at Dartmouth this month) distinguishes between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues – and how we spend most of our time concerned with the former, yet it’s the latter that matter most about who we really are and what we leave behind to the world. As he says, to nurture the eulogy virtues, rather than fight our weaknesses, build on strengths.
It’s not about the font or the label, it’s the substance.
- Think long term
The majority of the most successful – and content – individuals will tell you that there was not particularly a logical rhyme or reason to their career choices. While we may have been told by a book written in the 80s that job A leads to promotion job B, which leads to promotion job C, the reality is that this rarely happens. Ellen Degeneres was a paralegal and oyster shucker. Elvis Costello was a computer programmer. Skills are gained and reputations are built not necessarily by a linear progression of titles and jobs, but by exposure to different opportunities, environments, and roles. This isn’t to say choosing jobs is a haphazard exercise, but that there is greater freedom in that choice to help us build a portfolio that in the long run, speaks more to your accomplishments and character than one specific role.
- Connect the dots
Becoming an “expert” takes time. And it takes various experiences to build a level of competency and credibility that goes beyond a job description. Help others and yourself to discover what is unique about what you bring to table by connecting your different experiences and drawing out themes. It’s about finding the substance of work that is engaging and meaningful, and about transferring your skills and building upon what you have done to create new opportunities.
3. Be ready, always
“Successful” people owe their success to “luck” or “chance.” The reality is that these individuals aren’t just lucky, but that they are always prepared not only to recognize an opportunity, but take the chance to seize it. Building a career and a strong resume is not cut-and-dry, apply for the online job, but always being open and receptive – even to those opportunities that seem completely off-the-beaten-path or “contrary” to what you envision your life to be. As we know, life never turns out exactly what you imagine. It’s far more fulfilling to be ready to take life up on what it offers you.
5. Spend time with people
Resumes and careers are not built by applying to autobot online sites. They are build by having real relationships with people. Networking often gets a bad rap usually because people network only when they need or want something. We all know the feeling when someone we haven’t heard from in years emails us out of the blue to get a name or a contact, and we think, if only that person had responded to my holiday card with a ‘thanks!,’ this request wouldn’t feel so icky. Reaching out to people simply because you want to and to check in when you don’t need something is an honest way to build stronger relationships. Not only can these relationships add positively to your life as interesting human beings, but they can also expand your support system for when you do need it – and for you to support them when their need arises. These relationships are critical to building strong resumes, as people are the cornerstone of any career.