THE WAY I SEE IT: Stressing over the modern career search

So you have completed your spotless résumé; you have carefully constructed a format that succeeds in limiting your life to one page but gives the impression that you, the well-rounded student in question, have done it all. You are proud of your numbers but know that the words are just as important, and they must be perfect. They must convey your involvement in academics, volunteer work and athletics, as well as your abilities in the interpersonal, and they must showcase your "special skills." You must approach your interview with a pre-selected list of questions, prepared for any and all awkward lulls or that ambiguous pitfall, "Well, do you have any questions for me?" You are armed with appropriate attire and hopefully a wealth of knowledge at your disposal. The next day, you will mail a thank you note expressing your gratitude over their interest in you and their time taken to speak with you.    

Yet, the question will linger in your mind: "Did I impress?" As a generation, we have learned over time that to be self-deprecating is to be well-liked, that to seem gracious at the gift of a compliment is often to negate the compliment or brush it off so as not to seem conceited.  We might take credit where credit is due, but this so-called self-deprecation has made its way into American humor, and while the ability to laugh at ourselves makes us endearing, our unwillingness to boast about our personal strengths — that which we bring to the table as an employee — is what can keep us from success.  Over the summer I visited a good friend of mine, who is a barista at the coffee shop in town, and two of us went in to visit during her break. A regular customer came in, and after a brief introduction, asked us what we did at school. My friend explained her decidedly difficult double major, a few clubs and the recreational water polo club she had joined. At the mention of water polo he paused and asked if she was a good player.  She laughed it off and said she was only "okay." The older gentleman seemed to find this answer unsatisfactory.  

"Well?" he prompted.  "Aren't you good, or are you not?" 

It is an off-putting question. When personally confronted with it, I tend to downplay as well.  An element of likeability is your understanding of your own good fortune. Yet, no one likes someone who cannot take a compliment, and no one wants to employ someone who does not have an idea of, "This is what I am especially good at, and this is where I know I personally can make a difference," no matter what area you are heading into.  

Furthermore, the wrong attitude can only make trouble later on.  To brush off a coworker's props on a project can make it seem like, indeed, you did nothing at all. As a result, will you be first in anyone's mind for a new challenge, for a new responsibility, a promotion or a transfer to a more interesting department? Will you be surpassed by equally talented coworkers who, when presented with an exceptional compliment, simply nod and say a warm thank you?  I acknowledge there is a fine line between being humble as you accept praise and being uncomfortably outright about those "special skills" that résumés are supposed to include. I just believe that as we enter the real world, the work world, we should make it a goal to know our strengths — and our weaknesses too.

Caity Donohue is a junior English and secondary education major from Northbrook, Ill. She can be reached at caitlin.donohue@villanova.edu.