Hand Written Resume

As a true story, many years ago, while working at a nursing home, I ran across a resume hand written on a napkin from the local bar. The nurse had met the Director of Nurses at the bar and they chatted over a few drinks.

It was a hand scribbled resume with a list of qualifications. She had her name, address and phone number with a list of seven jobs she had held in the last 10 years. While the resume was certainly not the most effective resume I have ever seen, the most outstanding fact was that the Director seriously considered hiring the prospective employee.

The nurse was hired the next day. She was fired within two weeks. Perhaps the lack of job hunting preparation was a small indicator of future performances.

The time, care and consideration one takes to pull together their skill-set on paper should, in many ways, reflect on how they actually perform those job skills they have identified.

Things that were wrong with this resume were first, it was hand written. One should always use a word processing application on the computer to complete a resume. Secondly, it was on a napkin. Good paper tells the future employer that you are a serious job hunter. Third, there needs to be more than a list of jobs, but a job description and a comment about why you left that job.

While this resume was initially effective in the fact that the nurse was hired immediately, it did become a good indicator on the care and quality of work this nurse provided. It is a good lesson for all of us who may have the degree, but should consider some job-searching savvy.