Compatibility determined by more than just the resume

When you apply for a job, your resume is the one document that
defines you and offers your employer a look at your past
experience.

Because of the importance that is put on this one piece of
paper, there are many students who participate in activities or
take jobs simply because it will “look good on the
resume.”

But if you live your life and choose your path only because
these choices will benefit the resume and not because they’re
what you want, you will probably end up unhappy.

Similarly, if you act as an employer when accepting and
rejecting dates and pay more attention to achievements and social
status than personality and compatibility, you’ll probably
end up employing a date that doesn’t interest you.

If you’re not sure whether you partake in resume dating,
try this simple test.

If, when someone asks you about your significant other, you list
what they do or their career aspirations before their personal
qualities, you may be a resume dater.

If it’s more important to you that your boyfriend or
girlfriend drives a nice car than if he or she is truly nice, you
may be a resume dater.

If you meet someone at a club and immediately think he is
marriage material after hearing where he went to grad school, you
may want to get to know the person before you start making future
plans.

In today’s dating world it sometimes seems hard not to
assess someone on paper before you consider a date. With Internet
dating sites and friends setting friends up on blind dates, you
often get the resume summary before you get the real person.

But purely resume dating doesn’t work ““ you should
be looking at more than just those qualifications. A first date is
sort of like an interview, but it’s more like a hands-on test
or a probational first day on the job. If you do well, you may be
invited back for another week, month or until one of you decides
it’s time to be unemployed for a while.

Now when looking for a job, if your resume isn’t so
stellar, you can sometimes wow your employer with a great
interview, but you usually need both to get the job.

While you shouldn’t only consider your significant
other’s resume, it should come into play as background
material. If you’re a go-getter with real career aspirations
and the person you’re dating is a real slacker, you probably
aren’t going to be so compatible.

So remember, always keep your resume one page long and update it
frequently. And when interviewing new prospective partners,
don’t forget to give extra points for personality, honesty
and all those attributes not listed on paper.

Bonos is the 2004-2005 managing editor. E-mail her at
[email protected] if you need a character reference before a
potential partner will consider getting serious.