As a member of a new community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective, this post is one of many responses to the question, "Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?" I encourage you to visit other members' responses, linked at the end of my post! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.
Do you face each situation like the same cookie cutter? Sometimes you need a different shape to best utilize the dough.
Do you only search for one job title, like making a batch of all the same cut out cookie?
Do you decorate your cookies or eat 'em plain?
My boys love making cookies at Christmas because the get to put their individual mark on each one. Loads of "sprinklers" (that's what they call them) are put on top of these cookies that make them uniquely theirs so that when we finally get to eat them, they recognize their decorated cookies like a long lost friend.
I hope that you put the joy of cooking into your job search and make it a creation!
Here are other wonderful posts answering this question from their perspectives!
Career By Choice's Expat Success Tips -Ongoing Career management is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today's New World of Work
CAREEREALISM: Cookie Cutters are for Baking...Not Job Searching!
Sterling Career Concepts: Job seekers: Break out of the mold!
Dawn Bugni The Write Solution: Dawn's Blog Is your job search "cookie-cutter" or "hand-dropped"?
Rosa Vargas, Creating Prints Resume-Writing Blog: Being a Cookie-Cutter Job Seeker is a Misfortune
Heather Mundell, life@work: How Not to Be a Cookie Cutter Job Seeker
Sweet Careers:Passive Job Seeker=Cookie Cutter Job
Barbara Safani Career Solvers Blog Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager's Mouth
Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: Break the Mold: Don't Be a Cookie Cutter
A very optimistic and kind article! Suppose if everyone treated their job search witt the same respect and responsibility, their results would improve at once.
Posted by: job search | October 23, 2009 at 05:46 AM
Hannah,
The emotions stirred by individually decorated cookies mimic the emotions that can be generated by a genuinely tailored resume (one that communicates a job seeker's value and individuality).
Stir the hiring manager's interest with your custom-sprinkled resume and job search strategy! It works!
Nice job, Hannah! We look forward to many more of your Career Collective contributions!
Jacqui
Posted by: Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter | October 12, 2009 at 08:17 AM
Love the take on this. Why not make this a tasty experience? And that's part of our job. To help clients see the process from a different lens. Thanks for your contribution
Posted by: Rosalind Joffe | October 11, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Hannah,
Home baked cookies always taste better than store bought. And original, well thought out presentations of a candidate's value are always better than a rushed template job. Nice post!
Posted by: Barbara Safani | October 10, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Hannah,
I wore a smile the entire time I read your post. What a delightful way to make your point. Great cookie analogies. How clever; your clients are in good hands if you approach their job search problem with such creativity.
Personally, I prefer "sprinklers" too....:-)
Posted by: Rosa Elizabeth Vargas | October 10, 2009 at 07:13 PM