I’ve had people say that, but when I ask them to just tell me about the job, and then ask questions about this point or that one, we usually find something. Maybe you improved a form to make it easier, or got a nice letter from a customer, or helped quell some sort of unnecessary drama…there’s almost always something. For some people, it’s much easier to find something if they’re just talking through the experience with someone rather than sitting in front of a computer with a blinking cursor.

Sometimes, though, it’s just a job. We’ve all seen those resumes from people who worked at Subway and were called “Sandwich Artists.” I mean, you make sandwiches. That’s the job. If it’s a job like that, where there’s very little room to be individually fabulous, people will understand. Something like, “Custom made tasty sandwiches for customers,” and “Balanced cash register and handled nightly closing duties” is fine. Entry level folks have a lot more leeway on this type of thing. In fact, for fresh-out-of-college types, I look for alternative experience…volunteer work, student organizations, balancing work and school…anything that tells me that you’re smart and responsible.

This is why it’s good to keep track of your little victories while you’re in the job, on a regular basis. Once you’re leaving, it’s hard to remember them (and if it’s the sort of job where you’re proud mostly of not killing anyone, it’s even harder, because when you’re fleeing a sucky situation, pride isn’t one of your emotions).

Sabrina’s last blog post..Protected: Well that was short lived