Though it sounds preachy - it is true that your resume (or c.v.) is NOT the document you meticulously design, craft, revise and format. In an increasingly "connected" digital world, your resume is the
ethos you have established in every area of your life. (
Ethos here refers to your credibility, your standing, your relationship with others, your reputation, etc.)
A recent article in
Digital Trends, titled "People Still Don't Understand Their Online Lives Can Cost Them Their Real Jobs," discusses new research that reveals
"one in 10 young people have been rejected from a job because of the content of their social media profiles."
The most surprising part of the article is not that people lose jobs because of their online behaviors, but rather that they are clueless that it is happening!
People have been getting fired for their activity on sites like Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram for a while, but this report is noteworthy
because it underlines how common it is to have negative real-life
repercussions from fooling around on the Internet. You’d think that this
widespread rejection would make young people more cautious when posting
online, but the On Device study noted that two thirds of the
respondents are not concerned that their social media will damage their
careers. That means there’s some kind of disconnect happening between
what people think is acceptable to employers online and what’s actually
acceptable. -
Digital Trends, June 3, 2013
from AVG Digital Diaries
When we consider that our c.v. - which stands for "the course of my life" - is just that: everything you write, say, do, etc., then it is clear that it would be a disservice to students to teach them proper formatting and grammar, and not to address the core issue of professionalism we call
ethos! With every project, relationship, and deed, we write our c.v. - digitally, visually, relationally, figuratively and literally.
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. -Proverbs 22:1
