Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What do resumes and tattoos have in common?

I recently got a new tattoo. It's a Doctor Who quote, in case you were wondering. On my arm. Where people can see it. Where interviewers and potential employers can see it. My mom expressed concern in that direction, with a mother's worry that I was compromising my ability to some day get a job with a company that frowned upon tattoos. But I'd already thought about that possibility, and it was a discussion in one of my marketing classes about resumes of all things that convinced me that I wouldn't fall off the job-market cliff if I got a tattoo where people could see it.
You see, we were talking about those really cool resumes. Infographics, flow charts, milk cartons, legos—you know, cool stuff. And someone asked, "What if an employer doesn't like those kind of resumes?" The answer was simple: if the company doesn't like your creativity, it might not be a good fit. If they don't like your personal brand, why would you want to work for them?
The same goes for tattoos. Unless you got it while drunk and really wished someone had stopped you, chances are a tattoo says something about your personality. It's just a part of your brand.
I came across this article on how to quit like a boss that summed it up pretty well:
"The people who don't get you don't deserve you."
The article goes on to elaborate how the old branding rules are just that—old and outdated. Welcome to the time where personal branding trumps company branding. So here's to milk carton resumes and tattoos.