It’s killing you.
The minute you decide you want to work for the mere reason of adding something to your CV, stay at home and binge watch your TV show instead. I mean it.
I’m not sure where the trend started and why it’s still going on but it needs to stop here. If you’re a student and you’re looking for a job to gain experience and learn, that’s great. If you want a job just to say you had a job or just to add it to your CV, please don’t even consider it and stay at home.
I’ve noticed that a great number of students are approaching me and are asking me to help them find a job, yet whenever I ask them why they want to work they say, “I just want something to add to my CV”. Why is that? Since when did that become the goal? Why is it that we care more about the way our CV looks rather than becoming actually intellectually interesting people?
The ultimate sin of getting accepted in the internship/job
I’ve had a few interns over the past year or so and if I have to be honest, some of them took away from my energy a lot more than they were helping out. Why’s that? That’s because I had to chase them to submit work and to meet up and to ask questions. Some of them were just not interested. Why apply? That’s what gets me going crazy! Why waste your time and the supervisor’s time and the company’s time if you’re just not interested in learning and being proactive?
You can fill up your CV with a whole bunch of things and you’ll still be the most lethally boring person in the room.
Elaf Trabulsi
No one cares about your CV
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but with all honesty, no one cares about your CV. Companies won’t always read it and they’ll just skim through it. They just use it to see if you have the basic requirements they’re looking for. The CV is just a way for them to get a first impression about you and meet you in the interview. What are you going to do in the interview if you never really learned anything? What are you going to do when they realise that you’re not more interesting than your CV, in fact you’re more boring. It’s a hard pill to swallow but someone had to say it.
How to stand out without your cv
There are a million things you can do to be a more fitting candidate rather than worrying about the way your CV is filled up. Here are some things that can land you jobs and make you stand out without a CV:
- Create an online presence. Share your achievements and ideas in a public page where other people can find you to learn more about who you really are.
- Network and meet new people. Have many conversations and open your mind to new thoughts and ideas.
- Learn new things, things that make you you. That’s your biggest asset.
Don’t get me wrong, create a good CV either way
Your resumé is your first impression anyway, so do create a good one. I just mean to say, and I hope my message is across loud and clear, just don’t do things and waste your time solely to fill up your CV.
Do things with purpose, with intention and with passion. At the end of the day, it’s your journey; you can have a motivational one, or a really boring one. It’s completely up to you.
Elaf Trabulsi
My point is, do something you like. Don’t be afraid of exploring and and finding what you love. You determine how interesting of a person you can be, not your CV.
Thank you for reading this article and please do feel free to share your opinion on this in the comments!
Elaf Trabulsi 