[04.16.09]

32 great comments!

Do You Know Your Career History? Introducing CareerBack™

What’s your story?

After all these years of work, have you taken the time to look back? If you are like me, you do that every time you change jobs or find yourself in between. It’s natural to look back, right?

Each time you do so, a new piece of your career puzzle falls into place (the job you just finished) and you see the shape of your work life adjusting to a long, consistent curve. You may also see a history filled with significant shifts. Some planned, some not.

These shifts might include the following:

move to a new city
shift to a new industry
break to take care of a sick family member
decision to start a family or stay home to take care of one
plan to become a consultant
inspiration to start a new company
ratchet down to a less stressful role
extended job search period

Of course there are more, but these are the ones that I’ve seen most often over the years reviewing resumes and talking with job seekers. All of these shifts are common, natural life events. So why are they so hard to explain to someone when the question comes up in an interview?

Well, I think one of the reasons is that many of us have not taken the time to know and understand our history. We’re not looking for patterns and we’re not ready to answer the inevitable questions.

The truth is that we are not defined by these shifts. Nor are we defined exclusively by our successes or failures over the years. Or our choice of education. Without knowing your story, you are forced to defend each of these shifts as individual events. Sometimes this puts job seekers in an unnecessary defensive position.

So here’s my suggestion. Write your history. Create a longer term position for yourself.

I call this your CareerBack™. You could also call it your career background or narrative. And yes, I have a free downloadable template for you (see below). Your CareerBack is written in the third person (as if you are a news reporter writing an article about yourself). This way, you can do a proper job of highlighting your best points, skills and accomplishments (often hard to do properly in a resume). Most people don’t feel comfortable bragging on themselves. How about you?

So, what are the benefits of writing your CareerBack?

1. It forces you to stop and think about who you are and what the years of experience have helped you become. If you are out of work, what better use of your extra time? When it comes time to interview, you will have the ability to talk about those career shifts (above) in context and without a defensive posture.

2. It allows you to put your total career in perspective without the drowning noise of one or two experiences (positive or negative). With perspective, you can position yourself to others in ways that are more top level and convincing. If you have downloaded my SoloSheet™, you will have written or will need to write a positioning statement. The knowledge to write it does not come easily - without a longer look at your career.

3. If you are working with a recruiter and have been identified as a candidate they’d like to present to a client, you have already done a key job for them. Often a recruiter (especially a retained search recruiter) will write a narrative about you for the hiring manager to review. Not only have you done the job for them, but you’ve written it! And hopefully, with this creative license, you have delivered an honest and compelling advertisement for yourself.

This one is actually pretty simple. There are three sections:

Background

This is a longer version of your career summary (from the SoloSheet) and can include your work philosophy. It more completely explains your unique abilities to succeed and the ways in which you’ve done so in your career to date.

Career Narrative

Here you detail each position you’ve held by putting some skin on the bones from your resume. Explain the context in which you were working and provide more details on the impact you had while there. And, at the end of each position review, describe why you left that company.

Education and Personal Details

Includes your education history and details that help someone to get to know you a bit. You are not defined solely by your work, but by a broader view of your life.

Overall, think about writing 2 or 3 pages maximum. While this document is intended to be read as a story by someone who is already interested in you, do not be wordy. Be interesting in as few words as possible.

As with the SoloSheet, I am happy to send a copy of my CareerBack from 2007 as an example. Just leave a comment below and don’t forget to leave your e-mail address in the form!

Good luck and make sure to take the time to do this one right!

You can download CareerBack here.

Please continue to share your feedback. I love hearing from you!

http://linkedin.com linkedin@mccoskey.com

Hello Tim,
Have you ever heard of this book:
Career Comeback: Eight steps to getting back on your feet when you’re fired, laid off, or your business ventures has failed–and finding more job satisfaction than ever before by Bradley Richardson
pretty good book and the author gave it to me when I was unemployed and there were a lot of good insight in this book. Bradley had recently gone through or was going through being unemployed as he had currently worked for the Wall Street Journal, Career Online Division. We both live in Dallas and happened to meet as both of our kids were in school together.
You also have some good info and resources.
Robert McCoskey
linkedin@mccoskey.com
http://linkedin.com linkedin@mccoskey.com

Hello Tim,
Have you ever heard of this book:
Career Comeback: Eight steps to getting back on your feet when you’re fired, laid off, or your business ventures has failed–and finding more job satisfaction than ever before by Bradley Richardson
pretty good book and the author gave it to me when I was unemployed and there were a lot of good insight in this book. Bradley had recently gone through or was going through being unemployed as he had currently worked for the Wall Street Journal, Career Online Division. We both live in Dallas and happened to meet as both of our kids were in school together.
You also have some good info and resources.
Robert McCoskey
linkedin@mccoskey.com
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hi Robert – Thanks for the recommendation. Sounds like a great read!
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hi Robert – Thanks for the recommendation. Sounds like a great read!
Mark

Hi Tim:
These tools that you are sharing with us are great. The best I’ve seen and they are very powerful.
Could you please send me a copy of your CareerBack from 2007 as an example.
Mark

Hi Tim:
These tools that you are sharing with us are great. The best I’ve seen and they are very powerful.
Could you please send me a copy of your CareerBack from 2007 as an example.
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hi Mark – So glad you are finding them helpful. Good luck!
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hi Mark – So glad you are finding them helpful. Good luck!
Randy

Hello again, Tim.
I would also like an opportunity to receive your CareerBack example.
Thank you, Randy.
Randy

Hello again, Tim.
I would also like an opportunity to receive your CareerBack example.
Thank you, Randy.
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Randy – It’s on the way!
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Randy – It’s on the way!
Jennifer Bahr-Davidson

Hi Tim, could I please get a copy of your 2007 CareerBack? Thanks for the great suggestions!
Jennifer Bahr-Davidson

Hi Tim, could I please get a copy of your 2007 CareerBack? Thanks for the great suggestions!
Katherine

Hi Tim,
Could I please get a copy of your 2007 CareerBack?Thank you for all the great ideas and forms.
Katherine
Katherine

Hi Tim,
Could I please get a copy of your 2007 CareerBack?Thank you for all the great ideas and forms.
Katherine
Scott

Would you be so kind to provide your personal examples of the 5 job search tools.
Scott

Would you be so kind to provide your personal examples of the 5 job search tools.
http://profile.typepad.com/6p01157129cc22970b David.D

I would love to see your carreer back. I have a last minute interview on wed and this would be so helpful.
THANKS!
david.dodds73@gmail.com
http://profile.typepad.com/6p01157129cc22970b David.D

I would love to see your carreer back. I have a last minute interview on wed and this would be so helpful.
THANKS!
david.dodds73@gmail.com
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

All samples are out the door . . . thanks again for the interest!
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

All samples are out the door . . . thanks again for the interest!
Michael Cyr

Hi Tim,
Can you send me your sample CareerBack from 2007? I am working on mine and want to ensure it isn’t too drawn out. By the way, I’m finally going through your 30 ideas document and reading it cover to cover along with many of your blogs. It is very helpful. Can’t thank you enough for all the time you spend on this labor of love.
Thanks, Michael
Michael Cyr

Hi Tim,
Can you send me your sample CareerBack from 2007? I am working on mine and want to ensure it isn’t too drawn out. By the way, I’m finally going through your 30 ideas document and reading it cover to cover along with many of your blogs. It is very helpful. Can’t thank you enough for all the time you spend on this labor of love.
Thanks, Michael
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hey Michael – thanks for that and great to hear from you! Hope thongs are going well for you ! Your copy is on the way…
http://profile.typepad.com/1220292248s14607 Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hey Michael – thanks for that and great to hear from you! Hope thongs are going well for you ! Your copy is on the way…
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davepruyn Dave Pruyn

Hi Tim,

Looks like I am a little late to the party. I have recently stumbled upon your site and have found your content and blog to be very thought-provoking. I too am in the middle of my own job search and am about to write my own CareerBack (great idea). I am hoping that it will lead to my next great resume update. Examples help, so please forward your own example CareerBack along when you have the chance.
Thanks – DaveP

http://www.timsstrategy.com Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hey Dave – You should now have my version in your in box. I hope you find this a helpful experience!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davepruyn Dave Pruyn

Hi Tim,

Looks like I am a little late to the party. I have recently stumbled upon your site and have found your content and blog to be very thought-provoking. I too am in the middle of my own job search and am about to write my own CareerBack (great idea). I am hoping that it will lead to my next great resume update. Examples help, so please forward your own example CareerBack along when you have the chance.
Thanks – DaveP

http://www.timsstrategy.com Tim Tyrell-Smith

Hey Dave – You should now have my version in your in box. I hope you find this a helpful experience!

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=4515826&trk=tab_pro Robert Weinstein

Hi Tim – great site – I am so glad I found it. Could you send yoru CareerBack 2007 sample? I am reviewing your past and present posts and will probably have more questiosn soon.

THanks again,

Robert
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=4515826&trk=tab_pro Robert Weinstein

Hi Tim – great site – I am so glad I found it. Could you send yoru CareerBack 2007 sample? I am reviewing your past and present posts and will probably have more questiosn soon.

THanks again,

Robert

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