Experimenting with Delegating

Sacha wrote a lovely post recently about delegating. It’s been sitting open on my computer since, because I need to delegate more if I want to do more – because I’m hitting capacity. I do want to do more, so I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what I can delegate and even toying with the thought of a virtual PA (this, of course, was before my scholarship go cut).

First up, delegating more at WISE. Status: on-going, but making significant progress.

Now I need a resume. This is an ideal thing for me to delegate, because it’s the kind of thing I hate doing and someone else will do it better. They can focus on the macro level, rather than the micro level where I live day to day.

I started thinking about this when I read this post from Penelope Trunk.

“Look, you have to hire someone to help you with your resume. This should not even be a conversation any more. Would you cut your own bangs? If you were in sixth grade, yes, because the only thing you know about bangs in sixth grade is that they hang on your forehead. Once you learn that bangs need to be even, you go to someone who cuts even bangs. When you get older, and you really understand the intricacies of hair, you realize that great bangs are uneven in a highly skilled way, and you don’t even have the right scissors. That’s when you pay a lot of money for someone to “do” your bangs.”

Honestly, this is a very similar argument that I used to use to explain why I drive an automatic and not a manual (this is actually an argument in the UK, thankfully not in North America).

Incidentally, I am aware that the university has a careers center where they can help with this kind of thing, but I asked around and they are apparently not that great. OK if you’ve got no clue, but not that helpful if you have a clue and you’re trying to take your CV to the next level.

So I sat down and thought about what I’m trying to achieve here and I made a list of questions that I asked myself, and my responses to them.

What do I want to delegate?

• The resume writing process.
• Also, feedback on my LinkedIn would be helpful.

What do I want to achieve?

• Better resume than I could create myself.
• Ultimate goal – get a great job.

What constitutes a good resume?

• Send it to people I know and respect for feedback.

What constitutes a great job?

• Innovating, not reacting.
• Speaking human and programmer
• Making a difference, even if small. Don’t necessarily need to change the world (would be nice, though), but want to make applications that improve people’s lives (usability and utility very important).

Why am I delegating?

• Time, or lack thereof.
• Resume writing does not work to my strengths – I prefer to be making stuff than selling myself.

Finding a Professional Resume Writer

This was really easy, I sent out a question on Twitter and @AskAroundOttawa sent me a really positive recommendation of Maureen McCann at MyPromotion. So I gave her a call and voila – she even has a student rate, so I’m happy! Now I have some homework, maybe you can help – if you have any insight into the following questions please leave it in the comments or email me, or tell me in person – whatever works for you:

1. What do employers need to know about me?
2. What value does my online presence bring?

I also need to find job descriptions of the kind of jobs I’m looking for. I’ll keep you posted!