How do you act in the face of failure? That, of course, depends on your personality. Some of us become flustered and break down. Others are apathetic and just float on. We humans have also been known to blame other factors for our failures, whether or not it is justifiable. I am of the opinion that under normal circumstances, most individuals take full responsibility for their actions and resolve to do better next time (which makes me an optimist). Unfortunately, job searching really is a whole different ballgame.
When applying for jobs, applicants will focus their resumes on their past successes, ignoring experience that is considered not relevant or not successful. This makes sense—people want to present themselves in the best possible light because, to be a little melodramatic, their futures are actively being shaped by their resumes and the decisions that result from them. Yet, some research suggests that perhaps this is not the best way to go. In his widely read book Influence (2009), social psychologist Robert Cialdini provides a thought-provoking narrative example:
“From a Former CEO of a Fortune 500 Company:
‘In a business school class I developed for aspiring CEOs, I teach the practice of acknowledging failure as a way to advance one’s career. One of my former students has taken the lesson to heart by making his role in a dot-com company failure a prominent part of his resume—detailing on paper what he learned from the experience. Before, he tried to bury the failure, which generated no real career success. Since, he has been selected for multiple prestigious positions (195).’”
While this may seem counterintuitive, Cialdini provides an explanation. According to the author, revealing a small shortcoming that is secondary to, and easily overcome by, significant positive aspects can cause an individual to be viewed more favorably (Cialdini 192-3). In doing so, one does not only present themselves as having positive character traits, but they effectively prove their reliability as a sort of authority on the subject at hand. This phenomenon can be explained in evolutionary terms. Humans have the propensity to obey an authoritative figure, which in the past proved incredibly useful for survival: if confronted with an emergency, a group of people (or what you would classify our ancestors from long ago) could organize more effectively if a single individual was directing them. In order to avoid the possibility of being taken advantage of by a single person, humans are also inherently skeptical about authority (the Jim Jones/People’s Temple incident is a notorious exception). But, if an individual can justify his position of authority, his or her authority status will be reinforced. The above narrative describes an example of this—mentioning your weaknesses portrays you as honest and retracts any doubts another person might have about your authority (or skills, in this case).
So, when you are taking a good look at your resume, you should think about breaking the traditional mold. Talking about your failures and your resulting growth may be the best aspect you can add to your resume.
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