What did you do with the dash?

 
                                                                             I have literally conducted hundreds of interviews over my career

                                                                             and, although there have been changes in terminology (J.I.T.

                                                                             replaced by Six Sigma replaced by Kaizen) and technology

                                                                             (BTW: what am I supposed to do with all of these Lotus 123 skills?)

                                                                             the format of resumes remains relatively unchanged.  For an

                                                                             eternity prospective employers have attempted to sell themselves

                                                                             by cleverly presenting themselves with a polished arrangements of

                                                                             titles, accomplishments, responsibilities and dates connected by

                                                                             dashes.

I suggest that the real story of a person can be found in learning “what they did with the dash”; that is: what did they do (tasks and responsibilities), what happened (professional and personal events, environment, culture) and how they responded (challenges and accomplishments).  Morris Massey, MBA (Professor, Sociologist and creator of “The Massey Triad”) teaches that this not only becomes recountable history; it also molds one’s values.  Charles Swindoll has his own version, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

As 2016 comes to an end and we reflect back on 1/1/16 – 12/31/16; ask yourself, “What did I do with the dash?” and then do better with the next one.

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