Introduction

Creative uses for Technology

My education and work experience began in the arts. I studied 3d Animation and Graphic Design in college, and ended up working professionally as an animator and graphic designer. I was fortunate enough to work with a talented group of artists (Jen Taylor, Randy Lowenstein, and Sam Taylor), and was able to work on high-profile projects. One of these involved the branding and station identification artwork for the Oxygen cable network in preparation for its launch. This work even garnered a Promax award in 2002.

By chance, I ended up doing some part time work thru a staffing agency that placed me with an up-and-coming technology company in Virginia. This company was Cricket Technologies, and it specialized in Electronic Discovery. This was a far cry from 3D animation. The transition was surprisingly easy, however. The company was small, sophisticated, and had a very laid-back culture. This environment fostered creativity, which is especially important given how new and immature the Electronic Discovery industry was. Combinations of off-the-shelf software, in-house scripts, and a little elbow-grease were blended into workflows of our own design. Anything was fair game as long as it got the job done.

Company Culture

LEX On Demand presented the same culture and the same approach to solving difficult technological challenges. Software was starting to mature, more options became available, and more people started shifting over to the industry. I’ve worked with a lot of people thru the years, and the ones that impressed me the most were the ones that took the unorthodox and creative approach to solving problems. Elegance, simplicity, and speed became the goals to strive for. Use the right tool for the job. Use many tools if you have to, but make sure they are the right ones.

When I work in these environments, the teams tend to be small, focused, and extremely talented. Each person brings a unique offering, but everyone pitches in to take care of business. Nobody gets to say “thats not my job”. We are all there to solve a problem and get things done at the end of the day. Moving thru problems becomes a creative outlet, not a burden.

Die, Resume, Die

When creativity and technology collide, and talented employees are empowered to take control of business decisions, personal growth accelerates. How, then, does one express this growth and experience in the traditional resume format?

I found an interesting post that gives a very interesting viewpoint on the resume itself: its a dead-format.

http://www.bryper.com/2007/10/08/die-resume-die-die-die/

I tend to agree. I have interviewed a lot of people in this business. In fact, for every 10 I interviews I only ended up hiring 2 candidates. And by the third month, 1 ended up being terminated . In all of those interviews, not one resume served any other purpose than a keyword search-hit online. This concept of a “social media resume website” hits the nail on the head. As a creative individual looking for like-minds, what better outlet to find it than in a mixed-media format like a website?

Employers need to not be afraid to look for candidates with unusual hobbies or interests. Look for creative sparks that motivate them. Employees need to not be afraid to go out on a limb and express their individuality. Even if you can’t make a website, put together a portfolio or a folder with content beyond the resume. Make slick, glossy, marketing material for yourself. You are in that interview to sell yourself.

Lets hear your thoughts.