Unexpected Why You Might Want to Make a Resume of Your Failures

Unexpected Why You Might Want to Make a Resume of Your FailuresUnexpected Why You Might Want to Make a Resume of Your Failures1When you want to make a resume to get you noticed, you pretty much know what to include. Your completed education and degrees, your work experience (leaving offthe job you walked out on after only a few weeks), and all of your skills. After all, this is what employers want to see and what will ultimately get your foot in the door for a job interview- and get hired. But what about your not-so-sterling experiences?You know, the jobs you tried out for (but didnt get), the classes you might have tanked, the promotions you deserved (but didnt get), and so on? We all have a litany of failures in our background, and we try as hard as possible to pretend that they dont exist so that we can always put our best foot forward.Case in point in the Independent story, A Princeton Psychology Professor Has Posted His CV of Failures Online, Johannes Haushofer, a Princeton prof essor of psychology and public affairs, posted his cover letter that included a laundry list of his failures.He wrote down degree programs he didnt get into, academic stttes and fellowships he didnt get, andawards and scholarships that were not awarded to him. But why would such an established professor want to expose all of his failures to the world? His thinking was that failures are just as important as successes.Keeping in mind we all have failures, we offer up these reasons why you might want to make a resume of them for yourself1. It puts things in perspective.You might feel that you have been job searching for eons and the reason for not getting a job is all your fault. Well, it might not be. Making a list of your failures isnt meant to depress you more its meant to give you some perspective.Maybe you didnt get that last position for reasons out of your control (e.g., the hiring manager accidentally deleted your application). Or while you may have felt all along that changing careers meant that you gave up, but perhaps it has taken you in a completely different (and good) direction, leading you to a new career field that you absolutely love.2. It makes it less of a secret. We work so hard to keep our failures a secret so that no one sees our gaffes. But talking about failure can be very freeing, even if the resume of your failures is just for your eyes only. It allows you to vent in a fun way, presenting your failures as facts of life, as opposed to dirty little secrets that you have to hide from the world.3. It can be inspirational to others. As much as you look at other peoples lives and wonder how they do it all (and how they seemingly have it all together), guaranteed there is someone you know (and others that you dont) who are viewing you in that exact same light.Writing a resume of your failures- and then sharing it- can help people see that you are just like them and that everyone struggles at some point in their lives. From that, you can be an i nspiration to others who might feel that they are the only ones who are dealing with certain issues, such as looking for a job.4. It can motivate you to move forward. Although you might want to bury your mistakes, you should revisit them from time to time. Why?Being able to view the entire landscape of your life (both professionally and personally) can help you gain a more accurate picture. Perhaps you havent had as many mistakes as you previously thought, or maybe the goofs havent been as heinous as you once thought.Looking at your failures in hindsight might also be the motivation you need to push yourself forward, in your job search and in your life. That degree you wanted to finish for years and never completed? Seeing a resume of your failures just might be the impetus you need to go back to school, earn that degree or certification, switch careers, ask for the flex you want- the sky is the limitInitially, making a resume of your failures sounds like an exercise in futility- an d depression. But by viewing it in the correct light- as a learning experience- your past failures can become your future successes.Readers, what do you thinkabout the case tomake a resume of your failures? Would you do it? What failures would you want to correct? Let us know in the comments below?