New Blog

I've made a new blog. Really, it's just all the posts on here (plus any new ones) exported to a fancy WordPress blog.

It's here: sarahbakhtiari.wordpress.com

Does Size Matter? The One-Page Resume vs. the Two-Page Resume Dilemma

I'm in this intense career development program that's prepping me for my job search by helping with things like interviewing, networking and developing a marketing plan. During a "bootcamp" class designed to kickstart the program, the instructor says the one-page requirement for a resume is a myth, and he expects a two-page resume from most people.

While the course is filled with lots of great information, I'm not completely convinced that a longer resume is acceptable to many companies. A quick Google search for resume tips in the journalism field says so.

Having more room on my resume would be super convenient for me (especially since I was at a 10.5 size font and half-inch margins for my one-pager). But when I was an editor and journalists would send me their two-page resumes to try to get freelance work, I would roll my eyes and ignore them.

So it begs the question: Does size matter?

Does size matter when it comes to resumes? Credit: Morguefile

A Nugget of Work Advice From April Ludgate of 'Parks and Recreation'

There's a scene from NBC's "Parks and Recreation" that has stuck with me ever since it aired.

During the episode "Filibuster," characters April Ludgate and Andy Dwyer are eating dinner after Andy surprises her with a 19-hour visit to Pawnee. Andy has been working temporarily in London for a rich lord. 

Not the brightest crayon in the box, Andy admits he doesn't want to work there anymore because he feels inadequate, scared and confused, and he has no idea what he's doing. He says he's like Chuck Norris, but in present day: "some old guy with a beard who used to be good at karate but became a dumb has-been."

His wife's advice is one of the best life reminders I've heard in a long time. 

"No one knows what they're doing," she says in a straightforward voice. "Deep down, everyone is just faking it until they figure it out. And you will, too, because you're awesome and everyone else sucks."

While watching the episode on Hulu Plus during my "lunch break" at home the day after it aired, I realized most of my professional career so far has been just that. 

With Patch, everything was so new to everyone who worked there. Even though we were backed by AOL, the veteran corporation that many know as the leader in dial-up Internet in the '90s, Patch was very much a startup. 

And even though none of us knew exactly what we were doing, many of us still ran successful hyperlocal news sites. For the editors in the metro Atlanta area, we almost always met our goals for unique visitors and user engagement, and we always met the quota for producing content. On top of that, we were respected and loved by our communities, who are asking for many of the editors to come back. The only thing that failed was the profitability side, which editors had no control over.

While none of that matters now since the company was reduced by 90 percent, it's still something to consider while I'm searching for my next venture. I gained a lot of experience working for Patch, from video editing to recruiting bloggers, but I'm still a baby when it comes to the writing world. Let's hope I can pull it off just enough for my next career. 

It's back to the books. Credit: Morguefile