Resume Prep

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Opinions expressed in this episode are personal. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this streaming platform. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Good day, everyone, and welcome to another edition of let's be diverse. I am your host, Andrew Stout. This episode is dedicated to all my loved ones who supported me through this journey. I had a discussion this week with a couple of people, and they were talking about resumes and they were talking about their prep, and a lot of people are so concerned about their resume. A lot of people figured that resume, yes, it's going to get you in the door, but is it actually going to get you the job? So I thought maybe let's have a conversation on resume prep. And I wanted to find somebody that I thought would fit this conversation well. So my guest today is Victoria Morno. Victoria is a certified career and resume strategist through career professionals of Canada. With over a decade of experience in career development. She believes in the power of well crafted resume as a personal marketing document and excels at uncovering her clients unique value propositions to position them as invaluable assets to hiring managers trained by top talent mobility organizations. Victoria stays updated on the latest trends in resume rating and employment employment strategies, ensuring her clients receive the most effective services available. Victoria and I were talking just before we started how long it's been since we've been connected. And it has been a while. Time goes by so fast. But you will see. I'm super happy to have her. She is one of the nicest individuals you could meet and super powerful and I'm so excited to hear her thoughts on this topic. Welcome to the show, Victoria. It is so great to have you on today. [00:02:03] Speaker A: Thank you for having me, Andrew. I'm really excited to dive into it today. [00:02:07] Speaker B: I'm excited to dive into this topic as well. It's been something that I've been wanting to talk about for a few weeks now. How are things going with you in your world? What's happening? What's new? What's exciting? [00:02:18] Speaker A: Oh, gosh, you know, it's, yeah, things have been going really well. I feel like January was exciting and busy. Usually a lot of people are. Part of their New year's resolution is to perhaps get a new job in the new year. So we started off really busy in January and February. Things are starting to kind of move into a, a nice momentum now and yeah, starting to fall into the rhythm for the year, I think so. So that's been really good and yeah, just enjoying the spring weather now. It's getting nice here in British Columbia. So trying to get outside a little bit more. And it's amazing how that sunshine has such a positive impact on, like, everyone's overall mood. [00:03:04] Speaker B: So you are so correct when you're going to work during the day and it is in the winter time and it's dark when you leave and dark when you get home. It is so, like, depressing. So now it's at the point now we're getting up in the morning, you're traveling where you need to go, and it's light out. And I was just saying the other day watching tv to my wife, that it was like, after seven, it was still light out. And that is super cool. I love that. And we are very much. People like to be outside. Winter's not our favorite time of year as far as the cold goes, but summertime, we are like, when it starts getting nice out, we're like, pretty much, if we're not out somewhere, we're out in the backyard. It's so nice to sit outside and get the fresh air. And our dog loves it, too. So everybody's happy when it's nice outside. [00:03:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Like I was saying earlier, too, we're, my kids have their last ski lesson today. So I think this will be the, hopefully the last little bit of winter activities, and then we can kind of proceed into this next season of the year. So. [00:04:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. Well, glad things are going well your way. And things seem to be peaking for you as far as work goes. So that's awesome as well. Before we begin, Victoria, I always have a fun, thought provoking questions for my guests to get things going. Are you ready for yours today? [00:04:33] Speaker A: I'm ready. Let's hear it. [00:04:35] Speaker B: So my question to you is, if someone asked to be your apprentice and learn all that, you know, what would you teach them? [00:04:44] Speaker A: Ah, that's a really interesting question. Hmm. You know, I'd probably start with just teaching them how, strategies and tips that I've learned over the years when it comes to dealing with people, like dealing with different personalities, you know, managing conflicts that can come up. The reason why is because I think the skills in most jobs are, I wouldn't say easy to learn, but they will come. Right. You can teach people the skills and that will come, but dealing with the unexpected emotions of other people and maybe when things don't go right, that really makes or breaks an interaction and the whole experience for the client. So I would start with that. I think that's the most important thing. That's what I'd work on with my apprentice. [00:05:42] Speaker B: I love all of that, I think it's super important. I totally agree with you as well that everybody has certain, we talked about it before we started taping today that everybody has certain skills that they can take from one profession to the next. So it's just a matter of teaching them the processes, what have you, and it's also their personality. Right? So certain people have certain personality types. So if you have that certain personality type, you know, sometimes they're hard to find, but you can also teach them the processes. So sometimes it's just a matter of if they're a good fit or not for the organization. And once they are, if you can see that, then everything else will come into play, I believe. [00:06:21] Speaker A: Yeah, well, that's exactly it. Like it's pretty easy to teach, let's say an apprentice. The processes, the standard authorizing procedures, skills specific, like, you know, hard skills, but yeah, like the soft skills and the client interactions, I think that really makes or breaks the whole experience. And that's what I would put an emphasis on. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, you answered that without even knowing what the question was beforehand. That's pretty good answer there. So I'm pretty impressed. Seems like you were prepared and that's. Thank you so much for having fun with me. I totally appreciate it. Why don't we start off with you telling us a little bit about you, your story and your why. [00:07:04] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. So when I really think about. Think back about it, I've been helping people with their career development for as long as I can remember. When I think back, my foundation in professionalism was developed at an early age. My parents owned businesses, so I was exposed to the hiring process and the importance of professionalism when it came to things like how to properly present a resume, prepare for an interview, and simple things like being ten minutes early or writing a proper thank you note. And then my journey in career development really started as a business student. When I was hired as a student mentor for students in the international center. I loved helping students transition onto campus, explore courses, which ultimately helped them in choosing a career path. So shortly after that experience, I graduated from business school and I pursued a ten year career in student advising, where I supported post secondary students and those looking to change or advance their careers. I was the lead advisor for the largest program in the school, advising over 1000 students from several countries per year on career options related to accounting, financial services, marketing, hr management, supply chain management. I really loved that job and I pursued it for nearly ten years, minus a few maternity leaves. Yeah. And during that time in my role, I also completed a certificate in career development and academic advising, which in a way kind of introduced me a little bit more to the world of career development. I was able to meet a lot of career development practitioners, coaches and counselors from all across Canada, and I was introduced to a lot of interesting career paths that I didn't even know existed. So that was a really rewarding experience and it kind of planted the seed for me and had me thinking about what a career in career development could look like one day if I started my own business. So I started to network with other career development professionals and I dabbled in some resume writing during that time. But I didn't think about it like too seriously for, for quite a while. And then just over a year ago, I relocated back to my hometown in British Columbia. And this move also meant that I had to leave my full time position as a student advisor since it was not a remote role and the role was in was 6 hours away in Calgary. So I decided, you know what? This is going to be probably the best time that there ever is to start my own career development business. So in early 2023, I officially launched career development 101, where I provide career development advice and resume writing services. And when it comes to my why, honestly, helping people reach their professional potential has just always been part of my story for as long as I can remember. Like I said, it kind of goes all the way back to like, being a student and I really can't imagine myself doing anything else. This just feels like my true talent that I am able to share with others. [00:10:43] Speaker B: I love your story. I feel like everything that you've said kind of got you to where you are now. What the one thing that kind of makes me think about what you're doing is I'm sure that you learned a lot of communication is key. And I also feel like you had to develop some key listening skills as well. To listen. Exactly. To try to figure out. Exactly. So when you were helping out the students, you know, listening to exactly what they're looking to do, what direction they want to go in, and now being in career development, designing a resume that will help the individual get to the stage in their career that they want to get to. So you have to be a good listener in order to figure that out because if you're not, then anybody could just like I could probably do up a resume for somebody myself. But you know, being a career development person, you have a little bit more to skill to write the resume. So by knowing what they're looking for, it's actually going to help that as well. So getting all the information that you need, learning about them and building rapport with them and communication, I feel like are all key to what you're doing. [00:11:57] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Active listening is definitely, you know, it's such an important part of just communication and effective communication in general and, yeah, listening to the clients and hearing their stories about what makes them unique, hearing the stories about what their unique challenges are and what they're looking for in a career and helping them kind of piece those little bits of the puzzle together is really, you know, that's, that's kind of the bulk of it. It's truly listening. Yeah. [00:12:34] Speaker B: So this is a great segue into our conversation today. So again, we're talking about resume prepost. What I want to know from you, Victoria, is what is a resume and why is it, what is its real purpose? [00:12:48] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. So a resume, really, it's your personal marketing tool. I like to say that it should feel like, kind of like reading the best professional version of you and I. It's an opportunity to present your unique value to recruiters and hiring managers and also demonstrate how you can meet their needs and solve the problem. Solve their problems or be the solution that they're looking for. A well crafted resume should effectively highlight the candidates strengths, their accomplishments, and their unique selling points. Again, it's a personal marketing document. So I like to present my clients resumes in a way that makes the hiring manager think, wow, I really need to know more about this candidate, and I'm going to bring them in for an interview so that I can learn more about them. And since it's designed to showcase your unique value proposition and be the solution that the employer is looking for, it should be carefully tailored to each position that you apply for. So with the most impression, the most impressive information should always be above the fold, as they call it. So that just means, like, on the first half of the first page of the resume, the first thing that the recruiter or the hiring manager is going to see, and you know what a resume is not, is a list of your past job duties and responsibilities. It should be very accomplishment driven and it should just make your unique achievements shine on paper. [00:14:36] Speaker B: So two things that you said that I absolutely loved, Victoria, was that you're saying it's a personal marketing tool and it is designed to present your unique value and to be the solution that they are looking for. I am a huge believer in storytelling, and I totally agree with you on that. This should be something that's written up that you could say oh, my God, I love who this person is. I love reading about who they are and their story, and I want to hear more. So it's almost like a book that you grab. You open up and you're like, okay, you're starting it, and you're like, okay, well, wow, this is such a great start to it. I want to see how this ends. So I totally agree with you on that. It's the beginning of to catch the attention of the company or the interviewee or the manager, the leader. So I'm a firm believer in storytelling. I really feel like it is super important in all aspects of business. [00:15:41] Speaker A: Yeah. Another way that you could think about it is, you know, like, when you see a movie trailer and you're like, oh, my gosh, I really want to see this movie. The resume could be like the movie trailer, and then the movie itself could maybe be like the interview, right? Yeah. And exactly. Like, the. The storytelling element is so important. We want the hiring manager, the recruiter to go, oh, my gosh. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Like, we want to make it easy. We want to make through your resume, make you an easy yes to them. Like, yes, we're bringing that person in. [00:16:18] Speaker B: So what exactly should I put? Or so should people put on their resume and what should they leave out? [00:16:26] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, that's. I think that that's, like, the most common question I get nowadays is, what should I include and what should I leave off? And sometimes it's almost harder knowing what to leave off because we're tempted to just include everything. And, you know, it can be really hard to, like, for example, remove certain information that maybe you worked really hard on, but it's not relevant to the role that you're applying for. So let's start with what we should put on the resume. Beyond the basic information, like your contact information, I recommend first including a title that reflects the role that you're applying for. When I receive resumes, this is often something that I see missing. So, for example, if you're applying for a marketing director position, putting the title marketing director up at the top, just underneath your name and your contact information, is a really. It's a really nice addition. This is to clearly state the job position that you're seeking. It helps recruiters and hiring managers quickly understand your career goals and your intentions. And including the job title as part of your resume can also improve its discoverability in applicant tracking systems and keyword searches. So clearly stating that job title that you're targeting, it conveys professionalism. And it just. It also demonstrates confidence. It's like, yes, I'm applying for this role. I am a marketing director. And then I would also include a short, like one line branding statement. So, similar to how companies have branding slogans or taglines, you can also have your own personal branding statement on your resume. This kind of goes back to how your resume should be acting as your personal marketing tool. [00:18:23] Speaker B: Right? [00:18:23] Speaker A: You have your name, you have your title, you have your branding statement underneath. It just makes everything look very professional and cohesive. And again, it kind of like screams confidence, which is what we want. And then I would include a three to four sentence professional summary statement outlining your years of experience, the positive impact that you've had during your career, and a few of your top achievements. Again, you really want to make sure that this part aligns with the role that you're applying for, because it's one of the first areas that the hiring manager or recruiter is going to see. And then I would also include a skills section, often titled core strength. And that's where we include approximately ten of your specific skills that are most relevant to the job that you're applying for. That's another great opportunity to show your alignment with the position, but also include keywords from the job ad so that your resume can be discovered through ATS systems a little. Just like a little easier. [00:19:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:36] Speaker A: And then beyond that, we go into the professional experience where it's advised to list your roles and your top achievements in each role, and then your education. And if you want to add other sections such as technical skills, awards, publications, volunteer work, et cetera, you can do that depending on the role and the industry that you're looking at. A really nice added touch is to include like one to two snippets from perhaps some of your LinkedIn testimonials at the end, this is truly an extra and it's. It's not like an expectation whatsoever, but if you have the space on your resume, it can be like a nice added touch. [00:20:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:17] Speaker A: So then we go into what to leave off. And like I said, sometimes this is even harder. So first of all, what I see quite a bit still is clients, including their full address, like their full mailing address, I would leave that off. Just the city and the state or province is fine. Including your full address can lead to privacy concerns. So that's one of the first things I usually remove. And then another thing that I still see quite often is clients, including an objective statement. So, an objective statement, it's quite outdated now. And it focuses on what you want out of the role and what your career goals are. Whereas a professional summary statement focuses more on what you can do for the employer. Again, how you can be the solution that the employer is looking for. Another thing that I quite often see is people including their grad date from like 20 years ago or including a GPA, that's, you know, not right. Like, it's just. It can lead to biased opinions and it's just not including your. The date that you graduated and your GPA. It's just not really that relevant. Unless perhaps maybe you're applying for like, highly academic role. And then something I also still see quite often is clients, including at the bottom of their resume references upon request. So employers assume that you're going to provide a list of references if you are shortlist like shortlisted as one of the top candidates. So I usually remove that as well. And again, maybe replace it with something more powerful, like a snippet from one of your LinkedIn testimonials. Yeah. [00:22:17] Speaker B: First off, I love when you said that it's almost harder to figure out what to leave off. I agree with you. Sometimes people feel like the more is better, so they try to put on everything and everything in there. I totally agree with you. The fact that you said about putting on dates of your graduation, I feel like that is something that I stopped doing and something that I've realized not to do as well because you're kind of aging yourself. I think by doing that, it makes you look like, oh, graduated. When, like, okay, well, how old is this? How old is this person? So I think that kind of discriminates in certain situations. I also hear a lot of recruiters talking about, because a lot of people like to put their photo and I hear a lot of recruiters saying, don't do that because I feel like that's a discriminating thing as well. Unfortunately, it is a discriminating thing as well. And I like your one line branding statement because I feel like companies will do a mission vision values on their websites. So if you're doing a one line branding statement, it's something that you are firmly believe in. I feel like if that aligns with the company's values and missions and visions, that could be a good thing as well for, you know, when they see that, they go, oh, yeah, this person might align with what we're looking to do or how our company is growing or going and what direction we're going into. So, you know, this might be somebody that we need to bring in to have an interview with. [00:23:54] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. I was recently working with a client and, you know, we were kind of, we were going through her target organizations. Yeah. Like their mission statement, their value statements, and we just, we kept seeing the word like innovation everywhere and how, and like entrepreneurial spirit. And so when we were creating her branding statement and even in her professional summary, we, like, we sprinkled that in a little bit because that's something that she's also really passionate about. And it just showed alignment with the position that she was applying for. And, yeah, going back to the photo thing, absolutely, I see that a lot as well. And I'd actually had planned to bring that up later on too, so we'll probably circle back to that. [00:24:33] Speaker B: But absolutely, I was figuring that we would get into that a little bit more later, but yes, absolutely. So which resume format do you think is best to use in your opinion? Chronological. Functional. Mixed. What's your thoughts on that? [00:24:48] Speaker A: Yeah, so, you know, when you first asked me this question, I wanted to say chronological, but I guess it's more of a mixed resume because since I usually start the resumes that I write with a professional summary and a skill section, followed then by a list, a chronological list of their professional experience. This kind of takes elements of both the chronological and the functional resume. So I like this format because it allows you to highlight your key skills and accomplishments upfront while also providing a chronological overview of your work history. And it's simply a concise and organized format. So employers only spend, for example, on an average of like 6 seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to kind of, you know, invest in it further or not. So I think it's really important that we keep it concise and organized and just easy to scan. And if we're, if we're putting like, you know, a branding statement, professional summary, quick list of skills, and then the professional experience, that makes it very scannable. [00:25:56] Speaker B: I was just gonna say that when companies post a job, you're getting like 3400 resumes. They don't have time to read like every single word on the resume. They have like a quick few seconds to jot through. And most companies, I would say, would probably put a pile of, okay, this person's interesting. This and this, you know, no pile rate. So. And then from the interesting, then they kind of go through, you know, and figure it who they want to bring in to have an interview. But, so it's just, but it's a quick few seconds of reading it. Obviously, like I said, they just don't have time to read the whole thing. And especially if you have a couple pages long and they got 300 of them to do, they just don't have the time. [00:26:39] Speaker A: Well, exactly. And when I've been on like hiring committees or hiring panels in the past, you know, I see the resumes coming in as soon as I open it. Like I, I kind of know which pilot's going in. Right. And that's why I usually work with my clients on including the most important and impactful resume information, again, above the fold. So the first half or the first page of the resume, that's where we want to wow the employer and really make sure that we're including very impactful achievements in your most recent position, since that's what the employer's probably going to take a look at. And then if they decide they want that they like that, then they might continue reading on, but quite often they don't because like you said, they're getting 300, 400 applications and there just isn't enough hours in the workday for that. [00:27:32] Speaker B: No, there certainly isn't. What's the worst resume mistake ever? [00:27:39] Speaker A: Yeah, so, you know, I have a few. I had a hard time narrowing it down to, to the worst one. I did have photos on there, I think. Let's start out with, like, the most common resume mistake. The most common one that I see when I receive resumes is the applicant has put critical information in areas that cannot be read or cannot be read well by applicant tracking systems. So they'll have this, like, beautiful resume that they've spent hours crafting. And it looks so nice, but then as soon as it, you know, goes through a system, it comes out completely different. So. Yeah. Or it just comes across in like, you know, a difficult, messy format. So, for example, I see a lot of clients include their name and their contact information in like, a header. And, you know, if you do that, there's definitely a chance that information, it might not properly go through when, when you're submitting your application. Or they'll list their skills, let's say, like in a text box instead of just listing them directly on the resume. And then the information, you know, gets, like, jumbled or it somehow gets lost in the application process. So that, like, that's a really common mistake that I see. So when you're writing your resume, you really want to make sure that it's what we say is like, ats friendly. So applicant tracking system friendly. Another really common mistake that I see is people including their photos. So photos on resumes just are not common practice in Canada or the United States. And some companies actually won't accept resumes with photos. And, like, you were kind of mentioning earlier because of potential discrimination. And I. I think some companies are maybe worried about also being, like, accused of, you know, discrimination. So they just don't even, like, want to go there. And then, you know, I know that that can get confusing because photos are common in other parts of the world. So when you're looking up, like, a resume template, let's say, online, quite often, people will see, like, a lot of resumes that have photos included, but it's just not common practice in Canada or the states. So, yeah. And then, of course, another mistake that I see is clients including everything on the resume that they've ever done. So, again, we want to show alignment with the position and tailor the resume for what the specific employer is looking for. So, for example, I'll see clients listing every single responsibility jobs from, like, over 15 years ago that are no longer relevant. Coursework that is, like, in no way relevant. But, you know, they want to include it because they worked hard on it. And I get that. But every section of the resume should be thought of as, like, valuable real estate. So we don't want to include information if it's not relevant to the job that the applicant is applying for. And it's just better to keep it concise. And again, like, easy to scan. [00:30:57] Speaker B: And, yeah, I agree with you on the fund photos thing. Like we said a few minutes ago, I know a lot of companies are actually even doing video interviews as well. So they're sending a question to the applicant, and the applicant is sending a video with response to the questions. And as much as the photo, I don't like that at all. I feel like you're, you know, you see that person, and. I don't know, I feel like it could be a little bit of a discriminating thing to me. I just feel like there's so many different laws, and I'm not an employment law professional, but I feel like there's so many different things that could come of that by doing it that way. So, yeah, I would say no to photos and anything with photos or video. Uh, or anything like that. So, no, I think. [00:31:56] Speaker A: Exactly. I think the resume should be an opportunity to put just, like, your value on paper, and you as a professional before, um. Yeah, before feeling like, you know, I don't know. Yeah, it's. It's just exactly like what you said. It's, um. It can lead to discrimination, and it's nice to have the opportunity to just show how you are as a professional before having to also showcase yourself on a more personal level. Maybe. Maybe. That's what I'm trying to say. Yeah. [00:32:31] Speaker B: Because you might be a good fit. Right. It's a assuming it's that assumption thing. Right. So you might be a perfect fit for that, for that organization, but, you know, they just might go by the photo and they just. I don't know, it just, I don't. I'd rather. I'd rather somebody go by what I have on the resume, written, what my experiences are, and then, you know, when. If they do want to do an interview with me, then they get to meet me face to face and see who I am and what I'm all about. And. And see at that point if they think I'd be a fit or not. [00:33:05] Speaker A: Totally. Like, I've heard of people, um, you know, saying, oh, I think I didn't get hired because I have, like, pink hair or something. Right. Like, people, it's really easy to quickly judge and, yeah, it's. It's. It's great to be able to just put your, your skills down and your education and your unique value before getting to that more personal level, for sure. [00:33:29] Speaker B: What do you see the future? Look for resume rating. What do you. How do you see it going? Or where do you see it progressing in the future? [00:33:37] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Well, there's been so many advancements and changes recently, especially with artificial intelligence. Of course. It's like what everybody's talking about. But, you know, I think we're going to see. I think we're going to see a lot more emphasis on LinkedIn. So resumes will still, of course, be used in the application process to show how you specifically align with that specific role. But I do think recruiters and hiring managers will also be checking, like, your LinkedIn profile more. So it's important to make sure that the information that you have on your LinkedIn profile is consistent with the information on your resume. In no way does it have to be, like, exactly the same writing tone or anything. Actually, it shouldn't be. LinkedIn should be a little bit more personal, I think, but just things like your dates of employment should match up. That's a common mistake I see, is somebody will submit a resume to me, I will go to the LinkedIn profile just to kind of cross reference information, and the employment dates will be different, usually by mistake. Like, even for myself, I've made that mistake. So I'm like, oh, my gosh. My resume says I finished that job in May 2021. When my LinkedIn says July, like, how did I mess that up? So that's, you know, I think that'll be just really important to me, more mindful of, like, your online presence. And then, of course, with artificial intelligence, we've already seen such a big impact on resume writing. I'm seeing all these, like, posts on LinkedIn about prompts for platforms such as chat, GPT. So that's becoming quite common now. But I'm seeing a lot of resumes come through that look and feel the same. Like, the writing style feels the same. And I think it's because so many people are using AI to write their resumes. So, like, a lot of the resumes are just kind of starting to, like, sound very similar. The tone of writing all kind of sounds similar. So I think it's going to be more important than ever to make sure that you're finding a way to use your unique voice and tone in your resume and looking for ways to make it come across, you know, authentic and have unique aspects to it. So again, this is where instead of just listing, like, the responsibilities that you've had in your past jobs, because that can come across very, like, very generic and easy for AI to write, you know, you want to showcase the, your unique accomplishments, like, what has made you different, what makes you stand out. I think that'll be more important than ever. And, like, other ways to include, you know, make your resume more unique is like I was saying, you could include like a snippet from your LinkedIn, a LinkedIn testimonial or something like that, just. Just looking for ways to make your application unique and set you apart from, from the rest. And then the other thing I think that become maybe like that'll change the world of resume writing is that we're starting to shift to more of like a gig, a gig economy. And more and more people are pursuing, like, portfolio careers where they're kind of doing like, a little bit of everything that's becoming more common. So we might have to come up with, like, more creative ways of presenting a candidate's employment history. So perhaps, like, a more tailored and customized approach to resume writing will be needed, since, you know, careers just aren't as clear cut as they used to be. People aren't staying in the same career for 2030 years anymore. Quite often they have a job here, a job there. They're doing sometimes, like, a full time job and a part time job and a consulting job all at once. So we're going to have to come up with just unique ways and creative ways of presenting that information in a concise, easy to scan format. Yeah. [00:37:43] Speaker B: The one thing that scares me, AI is great, but one thing that scares me is, and I've talked to a few people about this in the last week or so, is that, you know, when you're writing a specifically or writing a resume, I think you can use AI. But I feel like with our conversation earlier, we were talking about storytelling, I'm scared that people will fully use it with AI, and I feel like you can use it, but I feel like it might be missing some of your story just by doing it that way, if that makes sense. [00:38:16] Speaker A: Well, yeah, exactly. That's. That's exactly it. It's very clear to me which resumes have been written using AI. And I'm not saying it's, like, bad to use AI, but maybe just use it as a way to, like, build your. Build out, like, the structure of how you want your resume to look, and then maybe use it to do some final editing, like check for spelling errors or grammar errors, or, like, use it for things like that. But for the actual content itself, I recommend try to write that yourself and then use AI to maybe polish it up. But. But we can't rely completely on AI, and I don't. I don't think we ever will be able to if. If we want to stand out and be unique. [00:39:02] Speaker B: Right. I agree with you 100%. I'm not saying that AI is bad, but I always use this as an example. I'm fully bilingual, so I speak French and English, like, so I can read and write and speak it. So I always tell people who are trying to translate from French to English or English to French, there are all kinds of tools online that you can use and you can plug stuff in, but to actually get the full conveying of what you're looking to say, like, they're not the most accurate, is where I'm going with this. So, yeah, you can't get the full picture of what you're trying to say by just plugging in your words and translating it to another language, as is where I'm going. [00:39:46] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. No, I agree. There's, you know, there's things to consider, like the. Maybe, like, the tone of the emotions or, like, again, so the storytelling. So much information can just get lost through AI, so. [00:40:02] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:40:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:05] Speaker B: How do you think your hometown or city that you grew up in molded you into individual that you are today? [00:40:13] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think that is just such a fun question. And to be honest, I hadn't really, like ever reflected too much on that. So I kind of had fun trying to reflect on that, on that question, but, yeah. So since I just moved back to my hometown. So I lived in Calgary for ten years, but I grew up in a small, like, resort city in the Okanagan, Vernon, specifically. Since I just moved back, I feel like I have a pretty, like, fresh lens on this. So again, I grew up in Vernon, British Columbia, which is like a small resort city. I say town, but I think technically it's a city. I think it has, like, I think there's maybe 50 to 70,000 people. But I was not exposed to a lot of different career paths. So, for example, I didn't really know anybody who worked at, like, headquarter offices or large corporations. I didn't really know too many people that had, like, unique or, like, non traditional career paths. And because of that, I feel like my view of work and career was actually, like, quite limited. Growing up, a lot of people that I knew in my hometown worked in really traditional roles, such as, like, teacher or nurse or accountant or, like, management positions at local stores, which are all really great career options, but there just wasn't a lot of, like, diversity. So I feel like growing up in a smaller area, it gave me maybe a bit more of, like, a sheltered view on the. What career paths could look like. So when I moved to Calgary, a city that's. I think it's at least 25 times the size of my hometown, like, it's well over a million, I was exposed to a much more expansive idea of what work and career development could look like. And. And I got excited about it, and I was fascinated with it. So I started really exploring different pathways, and I became so intrigued to hear about, like, people's career stories. And I think if I hadn't grown up in a smaller community, I wouldn't have been so fascinated and interested in people's careers and their life stories. But it was also new to me, so it was a really exciting and interesting experience. So, simply put, I just. I love learning about people, and I. I think that that was further fueled by kind of going from growing up in this small resort area to being dropped in, like, a big city. Yeah. [00:43:00] Speaker B: Victoria, I love your answer. It makes me think of when someone's working for a particular company or. And it might even be like, you know, a small company or what have you. There's just a certain level of where they can go, and after that certain point, they feel like, okay, well, where am I gonna go? Either I gonna stay doing this job for the next 510 15 years, or am I gonna look at doing something else? So it kind of made me think of that when you said that, that they're, you know, limited and it's not. And again, not that it's a bad thing. Being a manager of a small business is not a bad thing. I know a lot of people in my life that have been doing that for years and love it, and not if they're happy, then I'm happy. But there are people who look for more, and so they look for either in a smaller town. So far you can go certain jobs. So far, you can go. Even in some companies, bigger companies in a department, there's just so far you can go. So it's amazing how that makes everybody think a little bit differently as far as what they want and what they desire as far as careers in life. And it's super cool. [00:44:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, no, absolute. Absolutely. Um, and, you know, it's important to note that, like, this was, you know, way before COVID So nowadays, I don't think that, like, I think if you were to be growing up in a. In a smaller town, that might not be same story anymore. Like, because you'll. You'll meet people who are working remotely for different companies. But, yeah, back then, it was, you know, very traditional career paths, and. And it, you know, the. The area that. That we grew up in in British Columbia, like, just as a province overall, it has a higher cost of living. So, you know, I think that kind of played a role in it as well. It's like, you know, finding secure careers, like, that will pay pretty well. And, you know, having that consistency is really important. Not that it's not important in a bigger city, but I just think that in bigger cities, like, you know, if one job isn't going well, you know, that there's maybe, like, a hundred other jobs that you could do, right? So you don't feel as maybe, like, scared to job hop and to maybe, like, move on from the role that you've had for ten years. [00:45:22] Speaker B: Right. So it makes me think of a story that I'll share with you that I heard this week. The story is called the man on an escalator. So this story is that this gentleman is going up an escalator, and the escalator, halfway up, stops, and then they're like, oh, my God, the escalator stop. And they feel like they're stuck, right? They feel like, you know, like, what do. What do I do? And then somebody walks by them and said, are you okay, sir? And they're like, oh, I know. Yeah, this. The escalator stopped, and, you know, I don't know what to do. So they're like, oh, I said, you're. They said, you're okay, sir. You can actually walk up or walk down it to get off of it. So once he realized that, he felt, like, free. So it is an interesting story because, like you said, it just fits what you're. What we're talking about here is that, you know, when you're in a small city or when you're working for a company, in certain instances, you feel like you're stuck. You feel like you can't move forward. You can't. There's no way out where there is a way out, you know, once you realize that there is a way out, then you can move forward and do what you'd like to do. So it. [00:46:45] Speaker A: Totally. So much mindset. There's so much, like, mindset work there, right? [00:46:49] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [00:46:50] Speaker A: Opportunity for mindset work. [00:46:52] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [00:46:53] Speaker A: Oh, I love that. I have to remember that story. [00:46:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:56] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. [00:46:58] Speaker B: Any final thoughts today? [00:47:02] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. You know, I think we covered a lot. I think we covered a lot. You know, I think it's, um. It's funny because, like, resume writing, I think initially, when it first comes up, it can seem like a bit of a dry topic. But honestly, I could talk about it for. For hours because, you know, there's so many little details that go into it, and it's. It kind of like there's spillover into other areas. Like, you know, okay, if we're going to write this on the resume, how are you going to present that in the interview if they ask about it? There's, you know, a lot. There's a lot that needs to be discussed with the COVID letter as well. Like, we talked about consistency with LinkedIn a little bit. So, you know, I think it seems like a topic that, you know, would seem, like, pretty, you know, to the point, but it's not like we could probably cover a lot more information, and maybe they'll need to be a part two. [00:48:02] Speaker B: Maybe. Maybe. Victoria, I wanted to take the time to thank you for coming on today. This has gone exactly how I thought it was going to go times ten. You are a remarkable individual. Your ideas are very authentic, genuine, and innovative. And I just love how you explained everything in a generous and thoughtful manner. And I just feel like you are a true gem. Like, you are pure gold. And I really feel like this was such a great conversation, and I want to take the time to thank you for coming on today. [00:48:42] Speaker A: Well, thank you, Andrew. That's, like, really kind words. And, and likewise, it was such, so great interviewing with you and being on your podcast. And I just, I love how your podcast is showcasing diversity and inclusion, and I really get that. That feeling from speaking with you. So thank you so much for having me on. I'm honored. [00:49:07] Speaker B: You are super welcome. On behalf of myself and my guest, Victoria, I would like to thank you all for listening today. And until next time, be safe. And remember, everyone, that if we all work together, you can accomplish, or we can accomplish anything. [00:49:34] Speaker A: You have been listening to. Let's be diverse with Andrew Stout. To stay up to date with future content, hit subscribe.