My husband and I used to cultivate an enormous garden when we lived in rural Iowa. And part of that process involved composting.
We had a compost “heap,” fenced in with chicken wire on three sides. About 9 feet square. We added remnants on a daily basis: grass clippings, pine needles, fallen branches. Plus peels, stems, and cores from fruits and vegetables. Eggshells. Even hair clipped from our haircuts (since we don’t chemically treat our little remaining hair).
A robust compost needs a little bit of soil and a little bit of moisture to keep the bacteria and other “consumers” happy. Turn it every so often. And soon there’s a nutrient-rich restorative to add back into the soil! After four or five seasons of enriching the earth, the soil was just astonishingly healthy, resistant to pests, and growing tasty produce.
And …. what does this have to do with résumés and interviews and finding new employment, you might be wondering? Nothing. JUST KIDDING! OK, I admit that it’s a bit of a stretch! But here’s what prompted me to think of this metaphorically.
Sometimes we’re tempted to put into our résumé or cram into our interview every single task we handled in a particular job or every conceivable detail about a particular example. And that can just become too much information.
In composting, there are certain things that one just doesn’t add to the mix: nothing that contains sauces or meats (because it attracts pests more quickly than it can decay); nothing that contains chemical additives (because the chemicals don’t necessarily break down); no excrement from humans, dogs, or cats (since these may contain bacteria that won’t break down in the process either), though bat guano is said to be useful. In the same way, there are certain things that one just doesn’t need or want to add to a résumé or an interview. The résumé needs to highlight our most substantial and relevant responsibilities; it’s not a full job description. Likewise, an example provided in an interview needs to quickly demonstrate a point; it doesn’t need to provide the outline for a reality show.
The best composting requires just a little bit of moisture and frequent turning. With too much water or infrequent turning, you can end up with an anaerobic — gooey and stinky — mess! Same thing with a resume or an interview. We want to be truthful and straightforward, giving enough concrete detail to be persuasive about our skills, our strengths, and our aptitudes. But too much information and too many details can really bog down the process into a cumbersome mess. Keep to what is most pertinent from the past for the future.
The sturdiest résumé and the heartiest interview — like the most robust compost — will contain a solid mixture of details and examples. Just enough to convince that prospective employer how much healthier the company would be with you on the team. Just enough to make that prospective employer ready to plant his/her offer at your feet!
