To Choose or Not to Choose: That Is the Job-Hunting Question

In my 16-year career, I’ve learned two truths about job hunting. The first truth is that job hunting is an art, not a science. The second truth is that everyone and their mother is more than eager (whether or not we ask for it) to provide advice when it comes to job hunting.

Do you keep short term jobs on the resume or do you remove them? Do you keep the specific dates that you were at a job or do you just put the year? Do you apply to a job via the link on the ad or do you bypass the link and apply directly to company via email or physical mail? The answer to these questions often depends on whom you ask.

 Since graduating from college in 2003, I’ve had a few short blips of unemployment. During those times, I have looked to career coaches or career experts for guidance as I have looked for a new job. The problem is that every career coach or career expert has their own opinion as to how one goes about getting a new job. If I am to be honest, it is completely and utterly confusing. The advice that one career coach may give is likely to be the complete opposite of the advice that another career coach may give.

 One of the issues that has come up recently is the question of whether or not to have gaps on my resume. For the last few years, I have adhered to the idea that my resume must be gap free. Recently, I was advised that gaps in my resume were acceptable, especially given the golden rule that resumes (unless one is applying for a CEO or CFO position), must be no more than one page long.

 Due to restructuring, I am currently looking for a full-time job. Once more, I have had to wrestle with the question of what advice to follow in regards my resume and job-hunting methods. After a lot of soul searching and reading, I have come to the same conclusion that I came to the last time I was looking for a job: do what is right for you. The information a job seeker receives is not akin to a set meal that one must eat. It is akin to a buffet in which the job seeker has the ability to choose what advice and tactics works for them and their job search.

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Thoughts On the Upcoming Changes to the SAT Test

In theory, every child should receive the same education, regardless of the factors that have a hand to determining how they are growing up. But in reality, factors such as race, neighborhood and family income often play a role in a child’s access to a solid education.

Last week, it was announced that changes are coming to the SAT test. In addition to the standard scoring, an “adversity score” will be included when an applicant’s file is given to whichever college(s) the student hopes to attend. In a nutshell, the adversity score takes into the account familial and environmental issues that are preventing the student from receiving that education.

If I am to be completely honest, I am torn as to whether or not this is the best way to help the most educationally needy of our children.

We all agree that there needs to be some leeway for these children, especially given the circumstances that they are living in. It’s not exactly a secret that certain communities in our country are able to give their children a more than solid education while other communities are struggling to fulfill their children’s most basic educational needs.

However, there needs to be a line drawn between an hand up and a hand- out. A hand up is helpful, but that only goes so far. It is up to the person who is given to hand up to put in the work to achieve whatever they want to achieve. A handout, if it goes past a certain point, teaches that this person does not need to work for what they want, they will receive it without putting any effort at all.

There is an old saying: give someone a fish and you feed them for a day; teach someone how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.

There has to be a balance between helping these children and doing the work for these children. I just don’t know where it is.

Thoughts On the full trailer for the Downton Abbey Movie

A good movie trailer is essentially a tease of the full movie. It gives enough away to tempt the audience to pay to see the movie, but it doesn’t (well hopefully it doesn’t) give away too much of the narrative.

The full trailer for the Downton Abbey movie was released earlier today.

Based on the uber-successful BPD Masterpiece television program of the same name created and written by Julian Fellows, the movie starts in 1927, a year after the series ended. King George V and Queen Mary will soon be visiting Downton, causing all sorts of commotion. I also fully expect there to be plenty of personal drama between the characters while the household is preparing for their royal visitors.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing this movie.

P.S. Whoever decided to end the trailer with a delicious verbal duel between Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and Violet (Maggie Smith) is a genius.