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Article:
Sociological Perspective ·
Resume / The First Step ·
Boring Descriptions ·
Talent / Not Skills ·
Distinguishing Example
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AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT By Howard Earle Halpern, MA, CPRW CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL RESUME WRITER Toronto · Ontario · Canada When a student applies for a job and doesn't get hired, many things can be blamed. For example, the candidate didn't have enough experience, the right connections, or a sufficiently impressive GPA. Any of these things could account for rejection. But none of them is the main reason student don't get jobs. The main obstacle is socialization. To understand this, one needs to know why students do get jobs. Most of the time, it's because they distinguish themselves favourably from their competition. There is at least one thing about the successful candidate that the employer likes. It is a quality that is not easily found, and it makes the job-seeker stand out. According to Louise Gorby, a senior human resources consultant for the City of Toronto, "You're trying to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack that's your competitive edge." To get jobs, students must distinguish themselves favourably from others applying for the same position. This requires students to differentiate themselves from their peers. Socialization militates against this, because it is the process whereby young people are conditioned to conform to their peers, in other words, imitate their peers' behaviour. This does not mean socialization is bad. It's necessary in the beginning. An individual is born and, in maturing, develops all kinds of desires, many of which conflict with those of others. Socialization occurs either on purpose or by accident. For example, Johnny sees that Tommy has a piece of candy and wants to take it from him. Johnny's parent does not allow this behaviour. Johnny learns not to steal. This kind of socialization is intentional, and it is in the best interest of all. Another example occurs when a young person violates a cultural norm. I can best describe this phenomenon by referring to my own childhood. I grew up in a family that did not emphasize religion. I developed an atheistic outlook and asserted it in the classroom by refusing to read from the Bible when asked to do so. (I am not saying atheism is good or bad. I have since changed my views. I am merely stating the fact that I was an atheist and chose to assert myself.) This occurred in a small town in the 50s, and I was definitely in violation of a cultural norm. Although my school teacher could not persuade me to alter my belief, she was totally successful in forcing me to get up in front of the class and read from the Bible. I was taught a lesson I never forgot. The example fits, not only because I broke a rule and was coerced to blend in with the rest of the class, but also because I felt peer pressure to conform to the belief held by the general population. You can imagine the horror of young boys and girls when they discovered I did not share a belief that, according to those in authority, was fundamental to human goodness. Socialization starts with one's parents and other authority figures, then devolves to one's peers. As children grow up, parents and other adults carry less and less influence, while the cultural norms of the peer group become increasingly important. This is not surprising when one considers that as children grow up, they spend more and more time with other children, by virtue of their increasing ability to look after themselves, instead of being dependent on adults.
By the time a person has undergone 15 years' worth of education (say, nursery school, kindergarten, and grades 1-13), the student has been rewarded heavily by society for blending, conforming, imitating and emulating. Now, students are told they had better start thinking about supporting themselves financially. To do this, they have to get jobs. The rules change. A 360-degree turnaround is required. The human psyche resists. Job-seekers fail to distinguish themselves. Hiring authorities don't know whom to call to an interview. Capable candidates with a wealth of talent remain unnoticed, unemployed and unemployable not because they can't do the job, but because nobody knows they can.
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