How to Promote Yourself & Your Resume - An Introvert's Guide to Career Development

How to Promote Yourself & Your Resume

 An Introvert's Guide to Career Development

Introduction

•         In age dominated by numbers and the need for analytical skills couple with perseverance and experience, quiet and dedicated professional should find it easy to grow their careers. Right? Well - not so fast. Despite the need for qualified individuals in many sectors, it still seems that many competent people fail to advance their careers. For those who find themselves in a training capacity the extra layer brought on by the dominating skepticism surrounding the profession can prove extremely depressing. How can you succeed and honestly advance your career if you prefer quiet over chaos, if you spend more time wanting to learn and build understanding than self-promoting. Furthermore, how do you build grow your career the way you wish to grow it while still receiving fair remuneration for the time and effort you put in.
•         In the last few days I've added a few entries on the blog that deal with career development and career issues - although while still trying to focus them on training professionals as I could. A former, perhaps soon to be future, colleague I respect noted how even the best companies often fail to pay attention to the training needs of the trainers. Furthermore, as I meet more and more training professionals I've notice how many seem stuck in their careers or never developed them. Or, I've met people with no real desire to rise to the top, but who still can't influence decision makers and receive fair compensation for their work because the business model out their advocates a desire for promotion and career advancement to places where many people honestly don't care to go. I admire the found of the Rich Dad / Poor Dad series for his insights, his genuine effort to bring financial literacy to many, and his dedication to busting certain myths that our society continues to foster - a house as an asset, technical development as the way to gain ultimate wealth, and a few more. However, it's also fair to point out that he simply benefits from the system as it was setup by others, and allowed to perpetuate by others today. Is he smart for making certain observations and following his gut and doing what he does - sure. But, I wouldn't want to fly in one of Da Vinci's helicopters, and our society exists because of the dedication and capability of a wide range of people. I'd love to see business executives talk about wealth and industry if the sun was to disappear or our electrical grid falter. I say these things because many talented and highly educated people could find themselves a lot happier and their work a bit more rewarding if they could develop a few skills that have nothing to do with their jobs, but more to do with their careers.

How-To

•         To being any sort of process, introverts usually need time and details. In the case of your resume,   think of it the same way - a process that needs time and details. For those working with introverts - managers, recruiters, career counselors, friends, even for the introverts themselves - start with lead-in questions. Unless they're prepared for specific questions, introverts may find it hard to communicate effectively with direct questions - or questions asked without a lot of context. Many introverts have nimble and plastic minds - give them an idea, paint them a picture, and they'll run with it. Leading in, building up to works better for they way we think.
•         Ask open-ended questions. Yes/no questions can either freeze us or make us uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong - they're perfectly acceptable in other circumstances, but when working on your resume or working with an introvert on theirs, it's often counter-productive. If you are looking for a specific answer, allow them to keep talking, to ramble on, and then circle back once they shared a detail, concept, or experience you're looking for.
•        Realize it's okay to get involved in a complex process. From the introvert's perspective - the more you practice the better you will get at shortening your responses, accurately gauging what the person is really looking for. et al. Especially when it comes to your career - it's a work in progress. Even when you know your not giving the other person what they're looking for - don't sweat it, you can and will learn. If you are working with an introverted person - realize that they may need a more complex process to achieve the desired goal. Especially if you realize it, realize too that the introvert is okay with it. They're not usually trying to do too much so they're okay investing time.
•        Allow them, encourage them (including yourself as an introvert) to tell a story or create a narrative. This not only helps create a better resume for the introvert, it makes the process better and may even lead to deeper insights and realizations for the introvert. Especially if they has specific emotions wounds or struggle with certain things, building a narrative and using that to mold and shape a resume will be much more rewarding in both the short and the long-term.
•        For introverts in the training & development field, approach your resume (and your career) as you would an ID project. Brainstorm, storyboard, design a copy on paper, develop it, evaluate it, evaluate after each interview or career stage, and then go back and adjust. Remember, we're talking about a process here, not a one-time only event.