I've been trying to figure out a way to express this to people. It tends to be hard because we live in a society that focuses so much on money and people think that I don't understand how jobs and companies work or that I don't care about making money. Neither of which is true.
Part of what I do for work is help people write resumes and cover letters, and what kills me every time is that every person I help has their value summed up in how much time or money they made or saved the company. That's it. There is no humanity in it. We strip away all of the things that make us human -- the connection we have to each other -- and replace it with the mathematics of business.
Now, I am not saying that making money is bad. I'm also not saying that we shouldn't strive to improve the companies we work for, or that we shouldn't try to improve our own material situation. What I am saying is that our worth has nothing to do with these numbers. These numbers are a reflection of something deeper that we do, which is connect with people. We can't make great sales teams if we don't know how to lead and connect with our people. We can't create a loyal customer base if we can't cultivate a human connection with the people on the other side of the phone.
It kills me, it really does, to think that in our capitalistic society we have to sum up our humanity in revenue and time for the companies we work for. I know there is a better way and I aim to find it.
So, here it is, my poem on resumes, value, connection, and humanity.
Resume
Take a moment and tell me what you’re worth
tell me your value in a few bullets:
How much money have you made the company?
How have you sped up production?
How have you reduced processes that waste time?
How have you reached more people?
How have you have generated more leads?
How has your team beat their sales goals over and over again…
breathe and look that list over again
your value summed up in a few simple questions
your worth in numbers
but what about the time you let Susan cry on your shoulder
after her father died and she got the news at lunch
tell me about the time you connected with the woman on the phone –
you spent an hour with her while she told you
about her kids and her business and how everything was growing
tell me about the time you brought in cake
for Anthony’s birthday because he had just moved to town
and had no one to celebrate with
what about the time you brought in donuts and coffee
because your team had just gotten through working
all week on a critical project?
Look over your resume again
tell me your worth
show me your humanity in a few bullet points
sum it up in numbers and time
show me how you connected to people
how you helped them grow
how you forged bonds in the fire of work
and then try again
and show me who you really are.
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