Generic or Name Brand?
For the career path I have chosen, I believe it is beneficial to be more specialized rather than generic. “In general, job applicants have to be reasonably competent at a range of genres.” (Gershon 1138). When it comes to listing my skills and work history these experiences need to be relevant in some way to the company I am applying. I expect this will come with some difficulty because currently I have only had one internship that directly relates to my career path. I have had many jobs in the past and I learned very valuable skills, but the hard part is predicting if these skills are just as valuable to potential employers. “Skills that you use to accomplish a task in one type of job may not easily be interpreted by those hiring as relevant for another context, even if they seem like the same skills to you.” (Gershon 1303). For example, as I was revising my resume I debated whether I should remove my experience working in a fast food restaurant because it’s not relevant to my future career plans, as according to Gershon, “These days, applicants are strongly encouraged only to put down the jobs that are relevant for the potential employer — not every job in someone’s past should be listed.” (Gershon 1196). The readings for this week helped me realize the importance of being flexible when applying for jobs. Each resume you submit should be tailored to that specific position and the skills you already have can be reworded to fit the position.
“Figuring out what makes you distinctive is an act of interpretation.” (Gershon 1064). Another difficult hurdle to overcome is making your application stand out from the rest without going too far. I feel like I have a lot of the hard skills that are required of those in my perspective field and I have the experience to back it up. To accentuate on my strengths in my resume I put the skills I am most confident in at the top and I included a link to my Linkedin profile where I have added projects that showcase the work I did at my internships.
Gershon, Ilana. Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find (or Don’t Find) Work Today. The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
