Friday, January 18, 2013

Leaving Your Mark: Current Events and the Job Market


In an effort to keep up with current events and in an attempt to tie them into the theme of my column (careers, jobs, resumes, etc.), let’s look at the Lance Armstrong saga and the numerous Major League Baseball players who were denied entry into the Hall of Fame.  This won’t be a stretch and frankly can be used in an “apples to apples” comparison.


For those of you not paying attention, Lance Armstrong has recently come clean and admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs to help him win the Tour de France seven times.  Prior to this, he had been stripped of his titles and banned from future participation.  Also, in the last few weeks, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America decided not to vote in notorious members of the “steroid era” in baseball including but not limited to: Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro.  Both of these examples are the formal, by-the-book results of their actions.  For the most part, on the other hand, the public opinion of these athletes is very negative and “our” minds are made up.  They tainted the game and their reputation.  We cannot trust them and forgiveness may or may not be an option.

This applies to you, as a current or future job-seeker, whether you think it does or not-
    - On your resume, don’t lie.  If you got a 2.9 GPA, don’t list it on your resume as a 3.0 GPA.  If you went to one meeting for a professional organization three years ago, don’t list it as currently participating.
    - During an interview, don’t overstate what you did on a given project and/or your skills.  If you worked on a team and others contributed, say so.  If you don’t know how to do certain things in Excel or PowerPoint, don’t say that you are advanced or proficient.
    - On the job, if you have to call out sick, don’t do so and then play hooky.  If there is a mistake in your work, take ownership and offer to correct the mistake.

There are plenty of other similar examples but I put these in front of you to let you know that this isn’t just an on-the-field/court/route issue.  This is an everywhere issue.  As a job seeker in an industry as small as sports where everyone knows everyone else and in a job market that is tight as ever due to the economy, you cannot afford to be like Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, or any of their cheating friends.  You have to be accountable for your actions and take responsibility.  Major missteps with no resolution will follow you throughout your career.  Take ownership of your successes and your failures.

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