Expect the Best
I have had a charmed career since it began. I came into the workforce amidst a strong economy and that prevailed for over a decade. The last three years, however, have not been good for me. After a long and very enjoyable career at Move.com, I decided to take on the start-up world. As many of you know, start-ups are volatile and I was in the midst of a tanking economy when I made the switch.
I took much for granted when I made the change. I assumed my luck and past experiences would prevail and everything would be just fine. But, that has not been the case. Now, I am faced with job changes and being laid off. Re-entering the job market when jobs are scarce and being told I am over qualified for many of the jobs I am interested in is a humbling experience I never planned for. Getting my foot in the door takes longer and the number of opportunities are much more limited. So, what do I do?
I recieved lots of advise on this front. I have been told to “dumb down” my resume and lower my expectations. But this is counter to how I am wired. I worked hard getting my skills up to were they are. Having high expectations has always delivered high results in the past. So why should I lower the bar for myself?
Resume Anxiety
Everyone has an opinion about what a great resume looks like, but no one seems to agree on a single definition of great. As many job seekers, I have solicited feedback from many people on how I should word, organize and format my resume. And like others, I find myself working with conflicting advise and opinions. Even when I have complete trust in the advise of all the people from whom I have gotten feedback, I still am left with substantial–material differences of opinion.
Here are some examples: I have a robust and diverse background. I have been a project manager, a product manager, an executive and a consultant. In recent years with the volatility on the economy, I have had to be flexible in the types of roles I take. I am capable of many things, so how do I convey what I am really good at. As an example, I have a Masters degree, I am a veteran and have a current PMP certification. How should I highlight those things? I have had VP level jobs and been a general manager, so how do I tie that into my more functional abilities? Do I put my education first or my work experience? Do I use bullet points or should I use a more narrative format? Do I even mention I have a PMP when applying for non project management jobs? Should I de-emphasise my executive experience or my functional experience?
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Embrace Open Source
Open Source Software might be just the thing to get those creative juices flowing when you have a creative itch to scratch. Conventional wisdom will tell you that web product development needs to follow specific steps; industry standard prescribed phases and deliverables may prove valuable, but also can impede creativity. The cost of starting without pre-developed tools can switch focus to building the tools and not the product. The product manager may then elect to work in the abstract and put ideas on paper in a technical vacuum before making choices on platform or functionality. Buying a technology platform before you know what you need is expensive, but open source platforms might just be the thing that frees the web product mind from cost and constraints get the ideas on the screen as quickly.
I have these uninhibited moments of inspiration from time to time that I call “Jerry Maguire Moments.” They are highly idealistic thoughts that are stripped of social repression and doubt because they come to me when I am completely alone, in the midst of a sleepless night, listening to music in the car or on my motorcycle. I know that many of us have these, but we typically repress them because out social environment indirectly regulates what ideas are acceptable. Great ideas disappear with what we think are constraints to possibilities. In large corporate environments–innovation is often decapitated because of existing power structures, role identity, idea ownership and arbitrary conventions.
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