A Resume for Employers or a Record for You?

Most of us see our resume or CV as a single-purpose document that details our employment and professional accomplishments. We use it to list our work experiences, our academic degrees and publications, and our occasional public presentation and service on special committees. Moreover, our only reason for doing so is to impress employers enough to open the door to an interview. In short, we think a resume is simply a tool for a job search.

Unfortunately, this focus on an external audience and a single role often lulls us into thinking that we need not keep our documentation up-to-date. Since we need it only when we're in transition and communicating with prospective employers, we can ignore it until such moments arrive. And, that's a mistake. The recitation of our history in the workplace is even more useful as a tool for career self-management.

For that reason, the Career Fitness System envisions a comprehensive and current work record as the key document in our career. This record has two roles, both of which are internally focused. They are:

• To serve as a virtual trophy case, a place where we can spotlight and celebrate our accomplishments. The record enables us to avoid the unreliable counsel and recognition of our supervisors by supplementing it with our own celebration of what we have done.

• To provide a means of self-evaluation and coaching. By using the record to review our own performance on a regular basis, we can determine what we are doing well and where we need to improve in order to continue our professional advancement.

Granted, this much more proactive use of our career record requires both self-discipline and self-insight. We have to be candid and honest with ourselves about what we have done well and what we should work on to improve. That can be a challenge, to be sure, but the reviews are personal and private, so there's no reason to be anything other than straightforward with ourselves.

It is true, of course, that we may, from time-to-time, lack the knowledge to understand or remediate a specific problem. Unlike with traditional performance appraisals, however, we don't have to rely on (or be subjected to) our supervisor for the assistance we need. We can select the individual or group that we want to help us. And no less important, the more genuine self-awareness provided by such a process ensures that we can accurately describe the issue that is troubling us.

Finally, by keeping our record up-to-date, we have all of the information we need to compose a powerful resume quickly. As a result, we can launch off on a job search without delay if we suddenly find ourselves in transition or we can tailor our resume more effectively if we find a new opportunity for which we would like to compete. And, in an era fraught with uncertainty and continuous change, such preparation is a key component of career success.

Thanks for reading,
Peter