Would you look over my Dependable Strengths Report?

[kevyn]

Homework from my DVR class. Comments welcome!

DEPENDABLE STRENGTHS report for:

Kevyn “Hagrid” Jacobs
817 25th St. Apt. D3
Bellingham, WA 98225 USA
jobseeker@kevyn.com
Skype: kevynjacobs

(DRAFT)

Description:

Highly Intelligent gentle giant ... ideasmith, lover of knowledge, information, analysis ... problem-solver, troubleshooter, synthesizing creative, imaginative and out-of-the-box solutions ... highly individualistic, envelope-pusher, adventurous risk-taker, fascinated with exploring the edges of consensual reality, done with flair ... technical communicator, background in visual and written communications ... skilled wordsmith, published writer, able to create entertaining stories about experiences and convey complex ideas in an accessible manner ... digital pioneer, trailblazing and creating useful ideas, organizations and informational tools ... articulate public speaker ... compassionate, concerned with justice and the success of the underdog.

Evidence of effectiveness:

• Founded Flint Hills Alliance, a gay & lesbian services nonprofit organization, which continued 10 years after leaving the area, Manhattan, Kansas, 1993.
  
• Early pioneer on WWW, creating first personal web page in 1994.
  
• Web editor for student newspaper, Kansas State University, 1995-1996, supervised a small staff and innovated early newspaper web design.
  
• Weekly columnist, Kansas State Collegian, 1995-1996, educating a university audience on LGBT issues.
  
• Early blogging pioneer, creating first personal online journal in 1996.
  
• Travel columnist, Kansas State Collegian, 1997, sending dispatches back to Kansas while traveling the world as a student on Semester at Sea.
  
• CD-ROM editor, Royal Purple Yearbook, Kansas State University, created first-ever CD-ROM at K-State, 1997.
  
• Web manager, Morris Communications and Juneau Empire, 1999-2003, supervised a staff of 13, responsible for hiring, also shut sites down after dot.com bust of 2000-2001.
  
• Member of Toastmasters International, 2000-2001, successfully honed public speaking skills.
  
• Encyclopedia editor, Wikipedia, 2004-present, regularly contributing to the sum of freely available human knowledge by writing and editing articles.
  
• Spent five months on walkabout, 2003, backpacking 1500km across Northern Canada, living in a tent and journaling the experience.
  
• XML editor, McGraw-Hill, Bothell, WA, helped create computer-readable children's book products.
  
• Self-taught in geography of Canada, México, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
  

Education:

• Extensive university studies in graphic design, journalism, and technical communications.
  
• Semester at Sea international studies student, Fall 1997, lived on shipboard university that circled the globe, studied 12 cultures up close.

Personal data:

Exceptionally well-traveled, raised as a military dependent, lived in Europe as a child, 1974-1979.

Comments

[kadyg.livejournal.com]

Have you mentioned elsewehere what the goal of the DSR is? I ask because some of it seems a little odd for a resume, but would probably be useful in a different context. You might want to mention that the eCollgian was third in the country to go online as part of your digital pioneering.

And aside from "journaling" making me twitchy (which is totally my quirk, I realize) it looks pretty through.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

>Have you mentioned elsewehere what the goal of the DSR is? I ask because some of it seems a little odd for a resume, but would probably be useful in a different context.

Ah, yes, there's the rub. What is a Dependable Strengths Report for? It is emphatically NOT a resume. Rather, it is a networking tool, not aimed at a specific employer or a particular type of job, but rather a recounting of what a person does well, with evidences of those "dependable strengths."

The goal is to get these into circulation, so that people are aware of not what one does, but what one does well, and enjoys doing. It's designed to get people thinking about possible jobs that match up with strengths, as opposed to just targeting specific jobs. It's a different philiosophical mindset than the traditional job-hunting resume.

With a DSR, you try to get these into the hands of as many people as possible, and get referrals to people who might know of jobs you might never have even considered or even been aware of, but which match up with your strengths. Since most decent jobs these days are not advertised (for instance, only 5% of jobs are filled by newspaper want ads), but are filled by word-of-mouth, the resume is reportedly isn't as effective as it used to be. Networking your strengths has become the most effective way to find employment.

> You might want to mention that the eCollgian was third in the country to go online as part of your digital pioneering.
Excellent point! I shall do soo. Thank you!

> And aside from "journaling" making me twitchy (which is totally my quirk, I realize)...
Journaling, as in "...living in a tent and journaling the experience?" What is it about that that makes you twitchy? Your suggestions and input are welcome.