What is a failure resume and should you have one?
The following is a response to a question I received on Quora regarding a failure resume. What is a failure resume and is it a good idea to have one? A failure resume is one that lists all of a person’s failures with high emphasis on “lessons learned” from failures. It is supposed to highlight the candidate’s ability to overcome obstacles while being “interesting.” I don’t recommend anyone to submit one to a company unless it matches the company culture from a creative standpoint. The risk is too high. The key to a great resume is to emphasize “ What’s in it for the company .” While there’s something to be said about a failure resume; transparency, honesty, and humility, how would the company benefit and accomplish their goals? The candidate may have learned their lesson, but what action caused them to actually accomplish a goal? What is the action besides learning a lesson? A company wants to know what a candidate can do and has done , not what the candidate has proven t