Being laid off from a company can be a difficult and uncertain time. It can be hard to know where to start when crafting a résumé, especially when you're in a reflective state. While jumping to the résumé can be hard, engaging in a reflective writing about the past work experiences is easier - if not necessary. In this article, we'll explore how to use a combination of reflective writing and an AI tool like ChatGPT to advance the process of crafting a résumé.
Reflective writing - a public letter of the work journey
Reflecting on the work journey like a narrative is not difficult: We can think of what we did in chronological order, we are likely to recollect memories of what we did with our friends, and so on. To a certain degree, this process involves deductive thinking, which is what we can do naturally. On the other hand, if you switch to the outcome - the résumé - the process can become difficult as the conscious mode of polishing sets in. And if you move across these modes, the process can become even harder.
That is why a reflective writing session is a good start. Reflecting on your past work can help you identify your strengths, accomplishments, what you loved, challenges, how past experiences have changed you, and more.
This session can take forms such as journaling or writing a letter to yourself. You can bring experiences, including what you've learned from past projects, and consider what can be highlighted that signals your interests for the future.
During this exercise - and considering the desired outcome where you can feed your letter to an AI system - it's good to consider the next phase. The key to this exercise is to recollect and reflect in the first place - not to write step-by-step instructions for the AI system. Consider writing a public letter about your journey - a letter that makes your future manager enjoy it.
Organizing Reflective Writing into a Résumé
Once you've written your work journey, the next step is to use an AI tool, like ChatGPT, asking it to read your reflections and write a résumé. It's important to remember that an AI tool like ChatGPT will likely guess a lot. It's up to you to review the output, iterate with the tool, and ensure that it accurately reflects the experiences and aligns with your future work goals.
Here is an example of what I have typed to ChatGPT:
I will paste a letter from a friend, that he wrote after leaving his employer. Then, after you read it, I would like you to come up with a résumé:
Eventually, after a few interactions with ChatGPT, I was able to get the following result which brought a lot of incorrect assumptions. Therefore, a takeaway for us is not to celebrate the joy of what these AI tools can do - although that is amazing. In fact, I have checked with the professional and he agreed that a lot in the following is incorrect. On the other hand, it is a starting point that helps us to provide additional guidance to the tool, to edit, or to come up with a new reflection that leads to action steps.
Summary:
Experienced software engineer and machine learning professional with 19 years of tenure at Google, including roles in software development, energy engineering, and data processing. Skilled in troubleshooting, problem-solving, and project management.
Work Experience:
Linux Helpdesk Technician, Google (2003-2009)
Software Engineer, Google (2009-2015)
Worked on GUTS (Google Unified Ticket System)
Contributed to the communication software behind a research demonstration of demand dispatch for the electric grid
Developed PowerMeter at Google.org
Engineer, Google X (2015-2019)
Worked on Indoor Maps and Localization, and Google Maps
Software Engineer, Google (2019-2023)
Worked on experimental mobile Search apps in San Francisco
Skills:
Software development and engineering
Energy engineering
Machine learning
Project management
Problem-solving
Troubleshooting
Data processing
Education:
Not specified in the letter
Certifications:
Not specified in the letter
Conclusion
After engaging in the draft interaction to organize the reflective writing into a résumé, it's important to review the document and make sure that it aligns with your goal. This means looking at the skills and accomplishments highlighted in the résumé and making sure that they are relevant to the job you're applying for.
It also means making sure that the résumé reflects your unique voice and tells a compelling story about your experiences, such as to highlight qualifications and outcomes.
Crafting a résumé is challenging, as one has to deal with reflecting on past experiences and, at the same time, presenting effectively. The challenge in this situation is not different from a product creation process where a divergence-convergence process sets in. Consider, first, the effort of looking at one’s experiences from a broader perspective - which is quite divergent as one does recollections and reflections about their past work life. And then, as the interaction shifts to the résumé, the convergent mode sets in where inductive thinking can help to adapt the information to the solutions-oriented audience - your hiring manager. In essence, you are using the tool to navigate the complexity of the process.
