There was a senior executive named Jim. Jim had a highly successful, 34 year career; all with the same large company. Jim’s career path was one of steady and consistent progress up his company’s corporate ladder. He eventually became an Executive Vice President and earned a very comfortable retirement.
Through out Jim’s career, he witnessed scores of colleagues at the company come and go. Unlike the others, Jim somehow had remarkable staying power with a knack for upward mobility.
Jim certainly had talent, which he continued to develop. He had patience and people skills that supported his steady rise to the top. But so did many others who could not match his staying power and track record for promotions. What did Jim do differently? At Jim’s retirement party, one of his direct reports asked him:
“What was your secret to success?”
His answer might surprise you. Especially if you consider that Jim stayed at the same company for over three decades.
Jim always had an up-to-date resume filed in his right hand desk file drawer.
If Jim never planned to change companies, why did he even need to continue working on his resume? How could a single, minimally circulated document serve as a career success factor?
If you consider your resume as a tool that you dust off when you decide to start looking for another job, it’s easy to miss the value of Jim’s success habit. Jim’s resume was not as much as a job search tool as it was an achievement awareness tool. Jim approached his work differently than most of his colleagues. Rather than focusing on the immediate tasks at hand, his achievement awareness helped him to start every work week by asking himself:
“What can I be doing to add another significant, measurable achievement to my resume?
Jim’s ongoing answers to that question provided him with clarity of purpose and focus that others lacked. He avoided the trap of confusing activity with achievement. Spurred by his achievement orientated mindset, Jim built his career and reputation as a results orientated executive. Did he ever send his resume outside the company? Not very often. But that certainly did not diminish the value of his discipline for keeping a current list of achievements.
Keeping your resume current can serve as is an essential career advancement tool either before or after you discover a need to share your achievements with hiring decision makers.
But to be like Jim, make it a habit to ask yourself: What is the next significant resume bullet that I will commit to add?
Tom Lemanski helps accomplished leaders unlock potential, solve complex challenges, and amplify their impact.
Effective leadership is the key to driving meaningful, lasting success in a fast-changing world.
Tom’s focus on innovative strategies and self-awareness creates transformative results for leaders striving for the next level.
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3 Responses
Tom, this is terrific. Thanks! I had a couple of friends and mentors who did this. No regrets but I could (should) have done better here.
Best…Scooter
What’s preventing you from doing better now?
Tom – You insights are always fresh and helpful. Another tactic is to manage your finances so that you have “I quit” money available.