I’m 55 and have never had a résumé. I’ve not formally applied for a job since I was 18.
The past 39 years of work have been eclectic and fun most of the time.
It included occupations or ownership in…
Framing Intellectual Property
Mergers and Acquisitions
Online Course Creation
Information Technology
Professional Speaking
Real Estate Holdings
Advisory Consulting
Corporate Training
Mortgage Lending
Subscription Sites
Missionary Work
Church Ministry
Fitness Center
Writing
And I forget some
At any given time, you could ask my boys what I did for a living, and they would say, “He’s got like 16 jobs.” (Many of these interests obviously overlapped more than I realized!)
At one point, before YouTube had taken off, my wife Marla would tell people, “He makes videos online.”
I told her to stop with that one because folks would not go in the right mental direction! 🙂
While I am not saying you don’t need a résumé, I am saying there’s too much focus put on it.
It’s not an automatic key to a dream job or even employment. No one ever asks an entrepreneur for their résumé because it doesn’t matter.
Right now, I am employed and self-employed. There’s no reason not to do both.
Maybe you’d like to kick the résumé to the curb…
3 keys to a No Résumé Work Life
Key 1: OPEN
I wasn’t chasing or pursuing any of the occupations or business partners that came my way. (Personal businesses were different because I actually had to start those.)
Not “looking” for work kept me from putting out desperate or needy energy. I just live open to possibility.
Even if you love your current career, share an open spirit about your availability. No words are required.
Key 2: OUT THERE-NESS
A door opened for me when a successful business owner wanted to go to breakfast. He said, “I am not asking you to leave what you are doing now, but I would love for you to become the leadership trainer for my company.”
That happened because he’d seen me speak at events. I was out there.
Get out there with your content, your experience, and your insights. Become attractional by being you and being seen.
Key 3: OPPORTUNITY
Simply be open to ANY opportunity regardless of what your one-sheet of work experience looks like.
Did I know anything about being the leadership trainer for a company… nope! Did I have the confidence and belief that I could do it? Yep!
Plus, I thought it would be fun.
Don’t shut down conversations early with “I don’t do that” unless it’s truly outside the realm of possibility.
Listen. Explore. Decide.