Working on the Resume

I spent some time yesterday working on my resume. The one I had written prior to my internship disappeared when my computer crashed last winter.

Resume writing, for me, feels a little embarrassing. I don't have a list of jobs that speak of money making careers. I have volunteer work and part time work that were never as important to me as my main job - raising three kids.

I was lucky - I didn't have to work full time like a lot of moms do. And, in some ways, I enjoyed that comfortable niche. Other times I wondered what I was missing - like there was something quite profound that I was giving up being the primary caretaker in my family. I don't wonder about that anymore. I'm not sure how I could have done this earlier - but what I see now is a partnership between A. and I that I really enjoy. The kids have enjoyed his participation as well: they have two parents who they can turn to, play with, whine at and pester.

Anyway - back to the resume. It's a strange snapshot of my adult life from an odd angle. I'm not sure what it reveals and I'm not sure what assumptions are made by reading it. I guess I have to admit that I hate it when assumptions are made about me. I've gotten better about not caring so much about the different points of view out there - I can hardly control what the world thinks - but it still grates a bit in this particular context.

But here's the thing that I also realize: All of us who are coming new into this field have a host of job titles, careers and volunteer work that have nothing to do with what we want to do now. I could have been a CEO of a company - but that might not get me a job as a counselor at a non-profit agency.

So I'll write my resume and put it out there for the world to see and judge. I'll present myself as a counterpoint to the written word, filling in the blanks and bringing my grace and intelligence forward to be seen as well.

That's not embarrassing at all.