Nick Armstrong is the face behind Psychotic Resumes. Via the wonderful social media tool called Twitter, Nick sent me a Tweet on Sunday asking me if I had seen Psychotic Resumes? He caught my attention because of the name. I was very curious. It sounded Fresh and Relevant! When I visited his sight…well it met all my expectations and more. His approach is certainly fresh and young. He shows creativity and I he teaches a valuable lesson…use your skills and resources that you have (All of us have Gifts and we SHOULD use them in our job search). I give him a great deal of credit because his approach is fun and kept my attention. Way to Go NICK! You can find Nick on Twitter. The following comes from Psychotic Resumes. Be sure to visit and I hope it helps in the job search!
Because maybe that career as a “Daytime TV Expert” isn’t as profitable as you thought…
Everyone has been there.
You look at your resume and your cover letter one last time, cross your fingers, and hit “Send”.
Maybe it was a job that you didn’t really care for. Maybe it was a job that you really needed. Maybe it was your dream job. But two weeks later, nothing. No call, no e-mail, no hope. And your experience section for “couch potato” keeps on growing.
I know how it is. Because I used to be that guy.
Maybe you got laid off, maybe you got fired, or maybe you had a shiny new job locked in, only to find out your employer was a complete tool. The fact that you’re here either means that you saw unemployment in your future or that you are there right now. Or you’re a millennial (born between 1980 and 2000) like me and wanting to get off to the right start. Or maybe you’re managing people like me and want to know the right way to do it.
Good for you - sit up, brush off those potato chip crumbs and read up.
I don’t claim to be an expert, but I am good at what I do (according to everyone I’ve been able to help) - and I want to help you. I don’t make any promises, but I know what has worked for me and I am happy to share it with you. I hope you use the information I provide to make better, stronger, more informed decisions. I hope you use it to treat people with the respect they deserve and get yourself a better, more fulfilling job. But ultimately, it’s up to you what you do with this info.
Luckily, I was laid-off…
I graduated from college with a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Computer Information Systems. I also had a minor in Media Studies.
What exactly do you tell an employer when they ask you “What sort of career were you going for?” with a degree like that? Really, my degree was a symbiosis of my programmer father’s plans for my life, who I was obligated to please because he was footing the bill, and my own plans for my life after realizing that I loved working at the college radio station as the production (on-air marketing) director.
As you can imagine, I had a really hard time explaining to employers exactly what it was that I learned while I was in college. You can’t exactly mention drunken debauchery or a familial career clash during a job interview, so I had to come up with something.
I did, and I managed to land a plushy job at a major technology company, programming for a ridiculously high salary for a new kid out of college. I was miserable there, and luckily, I was laid-off along with many others - many of whom had many more gray hairs than I did.
It really is true that you become your own worst enemy…
It took me a while to find another job - as it usually does when you are demoralized.
Honestly, who could look at someone as awesome as me and think, “lets lay this guy off.” What’s worse, I was a good programmer and a quick learner - with no mentors available to me because they were all way too busy. How could I get punished for something that was outside of my control? Obviously, I had to have done something wrong.
In this case, it really is true that you become your own worst enemy. I wasn’t thinking about what I wanted or what would be good for me.
As my new job search kicked off, that was the mentality I had. When I found a position I liked, I only saw a very lucrative salary, a way to end my unemployment, and a way to redeem my self worth and hey, if it was going to be more of the same old crap from the last company, so what, right? This time, I’d prove myself to be a great learner, a great programmer, and code my way to glory.
Needless to say, I ended up bouncing from THAT job after only a few months, disgraced and disgruntled. This time I was fired. Never mind that the business was operating under some pretty unethical principles; never mind that my supervising lead programmer was completely unwilling to teach a newbie the ropes; it was obviously my lack of devotion and my increasing distaste for the workplace that had led me to get fired.
I’d made the realization that I was targeting jobs which were not fulfilling for me. I was seeking out companies that were perfectly okay disrespecting me, treating me like a number, and communicating poorly. Looking for a job this time, I was prepared. I knew exactly what I wanted, what I was looking for, and the kind of company that I would like to work for. And now I’m much better off.
I have work that I enjoy and I feel respected and well-liked. I’m able to put my creativity to use and my ideas are respected and valued. There’s no wall between me and the management - and my ideas can flow freely with no interference. On the same level, I can get help and tutelage just as easily.
Unless you know where you’re going, you will never get there…
I’m telling you all this because I want to share what I learned along the way. I want to share the things I’m still learning.
Maybe you can make some sense of it for yourself and use it to pull yourself up off the couch and into that suit. Maybe it’ll just give you a few laughs. Maybe you’ll learn how to manage your Millennials better. Or maybe you’ll find a path to your dream job - to create career goals for yourself, to understand the common job-searching mistakes and avoid them yourself, to read advice from well-known sources, and give yourself hope for your future.
A well-tuned resume, cover letter and interview technique will help you find your own path. Thinking critically about business and ethics and your role in organizations can only help you find the right kinds of businesses. Thinking critically about your own preferences will help you accomplish more in your career. After all, unless you know where you’re going, you’ll never get there.
If you need advice, feel free to contact me using the “Email Me” button on the main menu - and please do leave comments, I love to hear what you have to say! Thanks for visiting!
-Nick
PsychoticResumes AT gmail.com
PsychoticResumes.com
PS: You might find that you are either offended or put-off by my satirical style of writing or jokes. Take none of it seriously - if you can’t laugh, life owns you! This is all just my opinion and I don’t advocate kissing monkeys or any other “advice” the common person wouldn’t do. I take no responsibility for your stupidity, cowboy up.
If you spot a mistake on my website, please point it out - I’m always working to improve the content and I love discussion. Let me know what you think.
Speaking from experience, it can be hard to face the world with gratitude when life seems to be punching us left and right with negatives. The bills are stacking up, that wheel in our head is spinning with thoughts of things we should be doing but cannot due to the circumstance of unemployment and worry seems to be the most frequent knock at the door. Gratitude in the midst of all this is difficult …yet in developing the habit of gratitude one will plant the seed for goodness that is lasting.
