When you were in grade school, do you remember that sinking feeling you would always get at the end of a long weekend? Despite your best efforts, knowing you had to go to school the next day always ruined the last few hours of your time off.
Well, some things never change. Today’s youth still feels that way.
Case in point, last night we were sitting at the kitchen table coming down from the Labor Day Weekend high, and my 10-year-old daughter (an A student I might add) commented on how she didn’t want to go to school tomorrow. In fact the exact words were, “I hate school. It’s boring and you have to wake up early! I wish I could trade places with you.”
Understanding that the “you” she meant actually included her father and didn’t really include me (or doesn’t include me right now that is but I’m looking for a job, so it will shortly include me again. Hi, Unemployment Agency!) I was particularly curious to know what sort of glamorous picture she has painted of the work-a-day world. So I asked, “what do you think we do at work all day?”
She replied, “type emails, do calls.”
[Why yes. That’s exactly right! How thrilling it all is when you put it that way!!]
“But wait, Honey….we wake up early too. Does that ruin your ‘work is nothin’ but good times’ theory?! And what about all the business trips?”
“Yeah, Mom. That too. You fly on planes.”
Hmmm…back when I graduated from college, getting a job seemed so much harder. That may have been because there were no computers and therefore no emails to type so you had to come up with other mad skilllzzz that proved your worth?!
Double major in college? Check! Acquired a master’s degree in 18 months while working full-time? Check! Managed a half dozen people and have years of progressive work experience with several promotions under your belt to prove it? Checkity check check!!
And – well – now that them there compewters are prevalent and portable, and my job has been taken away after 25 years in the working world, it still seems a bit harder than that, but maybe it’s not. Maybe I’ve been focusing on all the wrong stuff? Perhaps I just have to find a 10-year-old girl-who-doesn’t-want-to-go-back-to-school-after-a-long-week-end to interview me. The significantly shortened version of my resume I would provide her with would look something like this:
NAME
Address
Phone Number
LinkedIn profile hyperlink symbol
Facebook Page hyperlink
Fancy Underlining
Stunning Summary of my hopes and desires (with frequently used keywords)
Work Experience:
1. Can type emails
2. Can “do” calls
3. Can fly on airplanes
Am I hired?!