Resume season

As I near the end of my degree the terrifying season of resume writing and interviews dawns upon me. Time to portray oneself as a level headed, career oriented, all around great person who knows exactly where they want to go in life and what company they were born to join (any that will have me really).

I had an interview recently - not even for a job - for work experience, but the anxiety for this little 14 and a half-minute ‘coffee sit down’ was overwhelming. "time to be a charming adult I thought. Surely one can only get better at this show but I am quite late to the party. I have gone through my degree going on holidays in the summer- rather than developing my networking skills or doing impressive internships- but after this interview I had a surge of panic driven action.

I had ambitions to remake my online self. Make a website. Market myself so no one could resist me. But is that real? Is that really what makes someone want to hire you, your perfect profile? 

More often than not - I scoff at perfection. I prefer bloggers, comedians and friends to show their imperfection to the world. I have always been attracted to over sharers- people who own themselves and unashamedly share their biggest lows as well as their biggest achievements. I had two friends in school that really showed me the beauty of just telling it how it is and hoping at least some people relate or laugh. As a self- conscious incredibly awkward teen I needed to learn from them and I think I still need to learn from them.

Anyway back to the construction of our perfect online resumes - where you have to be quirky yet professional and have experience even though you are applying for an entry-level job. This is a letter to all the HR managers to look for the imperfect, as they are often the best sorts. I have only one story in support of this assertion. My friend worked with one man that undoubtedly had a great resume, was good at what he did, said all the right things in the interviews but was an absolute nightmare to work with. So look for the rough around the edges and all around real people who may not have the most stellar resume but are eager to learn, and grow.

And to all the students who think they are probably not qualified enough, or perfect enough- for the role. Show the HR manager that you have down your research about the work of the company and the industry, but also show some of your REAL self- show your cracks but assure them that you are ready and able to learn.

By Cara Mayne, current Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) student at the University of Sydney Business School and Network of Women Events Director.