Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Epic Resume Go! Part 5! Tie-Ins!

"Wait", you think, "didn't I just do my resume?  Isn't that what all of this is about?"  Another section?

Well, if a resume is a story, it's made even better by supplemental material.  Like movie photobooks, sequels, short stories - additional elements help flesh your resume out.

Things that help you "tell your story" include:
Cover Letters - These are an art in themselves (perhaps one I should cover sometime). Cover letters help tell your story as well - I think of them as "previews" of your resume.

Websites - Having a professional/personal website helps tell your story as well.  Of course you want to have your website fit your theme and focus.

Social Media - Twitter, Facebook, etc. all are great ways to show who you are.  They're also ways to embarrass the hell out of yourself, so use them cautiously.

Portfolios - Portfolios can be online or offline (or both), and range from simple prints to clever things like DVDs with video examples.  A good portfolio, delivered in the proper manner, can really make an impression.

What else can you use to tell your story?

- Steven Savage

Epic Resume Go! Part 4! Tell Your Tale!

I've covered the idea that your resume tells a story.  I've looked at the kind of stories you'll tell (general, job, and career).  I've looked at the parts of the resume and how they tell your tale to a recruiter or potential client.

So how do you fill all this in?

It's actually pretty simple.  It's a matter of going through your history and telling your tale.

Epic Resume Go! Part 3! The Parts of Your Story!

As I noted previously, the best way to approach your resume is to view it as creating a story.  When you view it as a story, you can both craft it so you can easily convince people to hire you, but also it's just a lot more enjoyable.

Any good story has parts; introductions, beginning, endings, climaxes, etc.  Your resume has its own components that tell your story.  We'll look at these parts so you can get an idea of how to tweak them to tell the kind of story you want.

So, we'll take a look at the parts of your resume-story.  I'll present them in the order I recommend they appear on the resume.  Each has a specific purpose in telling your story.

Epic Resume Go! Part 2! Tell Your Story!

When it's time to write a resume - indeed when it's time to do a job search - you want to tell the story of your career to potential employers, in a way that gets you the job.

This is the "arty" part of resume writing and though it's a way to make resume writing far more interesting, it can be as difficult as any artistic effort.  You may have trouble starting - or stopping.  You may get writer's block, or not be sure what to include.

Either way, work on telling your story.

Epic Resume Go! Part 1!

In general people don't like to do resumes.  I'm sure for a good 90% of my audience this is not a revelation, but a confirmation.  People just don't enjoy the whole resume thing - something I encounter all the time.

Part of this is because of the stress of the job search, I'm sure.  However, another factor is that I think people haven't really found a way to "get into" doing a resume.  The resume is a barrier, the resume is an annoyance, the resume is a chore.

I think that resumes can actually be fun.  If you enjoy them, you'll do better at them.

You'll Never Get It Together

"Once I get it together, I'll launch my career!"

If you think this way, you're never going have a career.

The truth about careers (and life in general) is you'll never truly have it together.  There will always be something not quite right.  There will always be something a bit off.  Even if you get to your supposed perfect point, you'll re-evaluate it and discover it's not as perfect as you thought.

So you might as well start your career now.  Take that class.  Read that book.  Do that research.  Practice Flash animation or whatever.  You're never going to have it together enough to start, so wade on it.

"Once I get these things together, my career will be perfect."

If you think this way, you'll be waiting forever.

Careers are evolving, unpredictable beasts.  You can set a direction into the future, but you can expect quite a few twists and turns as you head towards where you want to go.  Along the way you may decide where you want to go is something differently entirely.

Want to be happy in your career?  Start as soon as possible, throw yourself into it, and enjoy the ride.  Accept the crazy, chaotic nature of what you'll face.  Enjoy the experience of the changes.

There's never a time it'll be all together.

But it can be pretty exciting!

- Steven Savage

Frustration Friday: The Best Isn't The Best - Again

OK, let me go and say something I've been telling people for awhile.

Your competency at a profession is not based on any one skill.  It is based on if you have the skills that SUPPORT that skill so you can use it, and thus have a job and a career.

• If you're the world's greatest artist and have no social skills, you're probably not going to get hired, or even let people be aware of your talent.
• If you're the world's greatest writer and you're disorganized and ever complete anything, that legion of half-finished novels will never see an audience.
• If you are a brilliant programmer and don't know the industry you're in, then you will not be able to deal with clients, make plans, and get the job done.

For that matter if you're a brilliant ANYTHING and can't do a job search, network, and market yourself you're probably in trouble anyway.

Thank a Recruiter

Take a moment to thank a recruiter.

Recruiters don't have an easy time in this tough economy.  Many people are suffering unemployment and underemployment - and the same happens to recruiters.  Their goal after all is to place people in jobs and no jobs means no placement.

Recruiters face the depressing facts of the economy day in and day out.  It's there in status reports, in interviews, in every customer that withdraws a request, in every potential recruit who is told no.  Recruiters face every facet of the Great Recession as part of their job; that has to be depressing.

Recruiters have to move with the times in technology, knowledge, and understanding professions.  A person may need to understand their job and career, but a recruiter needs to stay on top of many professions.  They need to stay on top of this news even in a troubled economy because . . . well it may just be important.

Once, a recruiter called me to see if I knew someone for a programming position that involved more Java experience than was possible.  When I told them that, frankly, the client didn't know what he was talking about, the recruiter said that's why he called.  He wanted his fear confirmed - and to blow off a bit of stream with a friendly voice.

Take a moment to remember the recruiters.  It's not just good networking - it's a sign of respect and empathy to people who probably need it.

- Steven Savage

Interview with Marrus, Author of "Lightsurfing"

I met Marrus when she emailed me after visiting Fan To Pro.  She's an artist and creative person who created a book called "Lightsurfing: Living Life in the Front of My Mouth" as a call to how people can live their dreams.  She's had an adventurous life (which intersected some of my own comics reading), traveled, and far, far more. 

So of course what do I do?  I interview her!  Let's meet a true free creative spirit- who has some advice for you!

Interview with Author Leona Wisoker

By now you pretty much know I have an ability to meet interesting people almost by accident - like Leona Wisoker, an author who dropped by and asked about conventions I attended.  We got to talking, and since she's living the progeek dream of being a published writer, I interviewed her of course!

So let's see how the author of "Secrets of the Sands" did her thing . . .