“Heeyyy! How’s it going?” My sister said to me over the phone.
“Good, good! Listen. You have to read Harry Potter again. And this time, pretend he’s clinically insane. Pretend he’s either been abused so badly by Uncle Vernon that he’s lost his mind OR… better yet… pretend Harry is the bad guy and Hogwarts is a mental institution for clinically insane children! And he has schizophrenia and Voldemort is just a facet of his personality! And he kills people he doesn’t like!”
“What…? Why would I do that? That’s a fantastic way to ruin a perfectly good story. I hate it when fan theories get out of hand.”
“But that’s the beauty of literature, right? That’s why people read books over and over again because you can change your interpretation each time you look at it? It’s actually true of all art if you think about it.”
“Yeah, I guess. I just don’t think I like that interpretation very much…”
“But DUDE! It makes so much sense this way.”
I love Harry Potter. Each time I read the books, I discovered new things about the way I saw the world of Harry Potter and its characters.
The first time I read them, I was in high school and casually skimmed through the books, reading them for what they were and not much more.
The second time, I sympathized with Lord Voldemort, the primary antagonist. I felt bad for him, his cold intelligence, and his inability to form true friendships. I saw him as an unloved child, twisted by his upbringing.
The last time I read the books, about three weeks ago, I saw everything in a new light — what if Harry is clinically insane? What if the entire series is just a way for him to cope with all the things he has to go through?
In her books, J.K. Rowling can’t just say “Harry isn’t insane, you guys! He really is a wizard. Also, Voldemort is pure evil.”
If she did, her books would be less entertaining because there wouldn’t be much room for interpretation.
Just like any other piece of writing, your resume can be “interpreted.” But UNLIKE other pieces of writing, you can clearly spell out bits and pieces that can be interpreted as red flags.
For instance, if you have an employment gap in your resume, readers might wonder why you have such a big gap. “What was she doing all this time? Was she fired from her past job? Was she in jail?”
Quick side note: If you’re looking for a fool-proof way to get recruiters to slow down and thoroughly read through your resume instead of just skimming through it, use my quick, two-page salary doubling resume cheat sheet to help you build a resume that gets the right kind of attention. Get your copy by submitting your information below:
If you’re unemployed, sign up for a few courses, volunteer, and try to be as active as possible. Not only will this open up countless networking opportunities, but you can also explain away your employment gap like this:
Used maternity leave to brush up on Project Management skills by taking several courses and achieving the following certifications:
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification (2015)
Certification in Prince2 (Foundation & Practitioner) (2013)
Oracle R12 Procure to Pay Course (2013)
Is your resume being “interpreted” in a way that’s hurting you? Submit it here for a free critique and I’ll let you know my thoughts.
For more information on optimizing your resume, check out these links:
- Entrepreneurial Experience on Resume – How to List It?
- “Should I hire a professional resume writer?” Yes, and here’s why.
- Resume After Demotion – Here’s how to tackle it
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