I start ending my weekend with the ritual of the reading the NY Times. It’s a great way to ease into the most mellow day of the week for me that used to be celebrated around grandma’s table laden with way too much coffee and cake.
In today’s newly reformatted magazine section I am flattered to see that Mark Bittman recognized me for cooking a few basic soups without following a recipe yesterday! I loved reading the ”The Memory Champion” as I staunchly defend mine and it’s ability to connect the dots; the best portable device ever.
Bill Keller’s piece ”How to Lose a Country” which speaks to how to stand down gracefully and make way for history; raises the issue that corporations need to create succession plans that allow the “up and comers” to break glass ceilings in many cases still held up by Baby Boomers from the ’70′s.
Admittedly I start with the Obits ( followed by the Wedding, Book sections and then settle in with the puzzle before I catch up on the week in review). Not to be morbid but a way of learning from the amazingly always in alphabetical order mini-bios of all kinds of predecessors with interesting histories. I am certain that in its day they were written to keep distant family, friends and banks informed. Wouldn’t it be great if we wrote our obit’s early in our lives as a goal setting method rather than a past tense history of our achievements and how we want to be remembered.
Resumes can be altered. Obituaries are written in cement so to speak.
The teachings of many inspirational gurus tell us to live out of the future; in other words plan in a positive way to create what’s possible vs. living out of the people and circumstances that tell us “oh, you’ll never, or it can’t be done “. Many of my clients tell me they simply can’t imagine next steps and that dreaming is worthless or their goal is to make a lot of money …what ever that means.
If your stuck for words to describe yourself and your future learn from the language of obits . At 21 I already knew that I was an FIT grad with a business degree, had designed and manufactured a cookbook , was conversational in French and German/Yiddish and had picked up some Spanish on my trip to Spain and Portugal. My career included management responsibilities in operations, systems and finance for a growing regional department store (now a divsion of Federated), a Manager of a booming main floor shoe department and an Assistant Buyer- Large Size Designer Evening Wear promoted into Human Resources for a privately held specialty chain (since bought and sold by The Limited) that was rapidly expanding nationally. Fortunately recruited to voluntarily assist a Career Coach whose clients were twenty something year old women returning to the labor market armed with degrees and the mantra: “I’m only a housewife”.
Like the PLAID of my logo our lives criss cross many opportunities to learn and accumulate experience and data that can be applied to a wide range of specialty or generalist roles sure to impact any organization. It’s up to us to present the information in a professionally compelling resume and or cover letter .
Enlist the help of a professional Resume Writer and Coach at Paulamarks.com
