Resumes, Cover Letters, oh my!

I am almost tempted to do a little experience with my resume and see what happens. My resume presently is not incredibly strong, but I have worked with one of the biggest and most well-known companies in the world (let’s call this company G). Granted, I did not go through the tedious hiring process G usually puts potential employees through, but entered the company through an aquisition. Most people would believe that having G on ones resume would be a big plus, but I am starting to see the drawbacks.

During interviews, I am often asked, “Why did you leave G?.” “Wasn’t G a great place to work?” Recruiters immediately think that anyone who would leave the almighty G must be a.) hard to work with, b.) hard to satisfy, c.) a horrible worker or d.) terribly stuck up. For who would ever leave such a wonderful, acclaimed and prestigious company? I will admit I enjoyed certain perks that G offered its employees but a few people with whom I worked made it impossible for me to see a future with this company. Why would anyone stay in a deadend job where they were insulted, pushed around and lied about? G does not have a perfect track record. G does do evil. And believe it or not, G is not the perfect, infallible place to work. People do quit.

Having G on my resume also seems to give people the impression that I should be exceptional. After all, most employees at G go through extensive screening and several interviews. Aquisitions are the loophole. Not everyone at the acquired company was exceptional. In fact, there were some people who were not the brightest marbles in the bag.

The fact being that no one should make any assumptions about who I am or how I perceive myself based on this aspect of my resume. I once thought it would be great to have such a padded resume but now, I am considering removing my G experience from my resume. It carries too much baggage. Without G, I might be able to land one of those crappy admin positions I have been applying to. I am tempted to experiment.

While I am at it, I might as well say that I am a recent graduate and have a degree in business (wth a 3.78 gpa bonus!). I took a few years off after high school to experience the real world before deciding that a college degree would be necessary in order to advance in the business world. I spent the time before entering college working several jobs that ranged from working the cash register in a department store, to waitressing, to answering phones in a call certain. During college, I continued working as a cashier to help pay for my schooling. I am thus looking for an entry level job with room for advancement and aspire to move up to managerial position. A perfectly constructed lie that would land interviews left and right! (I might as well just sell my soul to the devil now.)

The funny thing about this is that 90 percent of the companies I apply to would not even know that this resume was a big fat lie. Most never verify the information. And even funnier still, I would probably have more sucess with this phony resume than with the real one that has real experience.

But in truth, I believe in sincerity. I refuse to lie to get the job. I refuse to give them the answer they want to hear. If sincerity and passion are not their virtues, perhaps they are not the company I want to work for.