UCD Graduate Makes Unconventional CV

flyswatter · 01-08-2012 12:02PM #1

Basically this guy was bored of his job as a Financial Analyst so decided to make a slideshow type CV of his life and ambitions.

He wanted to break into the creative industry and felt he needed to try a different method.

A UCD GRADUATE has attracted interest from employers around the world after his alternative style of CV went viral and accrued over 90,000 views online in little over a week.
Jordan McDonnell currently works as a financial analyst in the Netherlands – but with his contract nearly up, he wanted to change career, getting out of the world of accounting and getting a foothold in a more creative industry.
Because of his lack of experience in such jobs, 26-year-old McDonnell had trouble attracting the attention of employers with a traditional type of CV – so he decided to take an alternative line of action.
“What I’m doing now is very financial, very technical – not what I see myself doing for the long-term,” McDonnell told TheJournal.ie.

Having grown bored in a previous accountancy job, McDonnell spent time travelling around India, and teaching in Nepal – returning to Ireland to complete a Masters in UCD, where he had already done an undergraduate degree in Commerce and Spanish.

From there he secured his current job in the Hague – on a contract which will expire at the end of next month.
“I wanted to use my brain in a creative sense – so this is why I created my not-resume. I just wanted to explore opportunities out there.”

CV below:

http://www.slideshare.net/jmcdcems/this-is-not-my-resume?ref=http://www.thejournal.ie/ucd-graduate-alternative-cv-540136-Jul2012/?utm_source=facebook_self&utm_medium=thejournal&utm_campaign=from_page

Fair play to him, interesting to see where he ends up.

Oranage2 · 01-08-2012 12:06PM

It's no billboard.

Or even this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRHFEDyHIsc

mauzo · 01-08-2012 12:11PM

Wow I actually really enjoyed reading that.

Easy on the eye....so is the CV lol

foxyboxer · 01-08-2012 12:12PM

I took six months off to do some soul-searching in Nepal.

Right-click > Delete :pac:

the groutch · 01-08-2012 12:14PM

probability of getting a job

ZERO

AnonoBoy · 01-08-2012 12:15PM

I know several slide-show companies who should snap that guy right up.

Sea Filly · 01-08-2012 12:18PM

foxyboxer wrote: »

I took six months off to do some soul-searching in Nepal.

Right-click > Delete :pac:

Yeah, sounds like you'd get this guy working for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

Shudder.

01-08-2012 12:21PM

Sea Filly wrote: »

Yeah, sounds like you'd get this guy working for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

Shudder.

Read "Into the Wild" recently and the mind boggles, some hipster soul searching in Nepal has no relevance to McCandless' story.

Sea Filly · 01-08-2012 12:24PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Read "Into the Wild" recently and the mind boggles, some hipster soul searching in Nepal has no relevance to McCandless' story.

McCandless was a knob, I've read about him, not his book but how he went out into the wilderness with NO clue about how to survive there. Well, "wilderness" but actually really close to a highway. And he still died. Knob. Why this person was considered a hero, I'll never know. I've seen the film, which is based on the book, and wishes to paint him in a heroic positive light. FAIL.

Ficheall · 01-08-2012 12:28PM

Meh.

Sleepy · 01-08-2012 12:30PM

It's a creative way to look for a job. I reckon he'll be sorely disappointed however. Marketing must be the least challenging career in the world.

mikemac1 · 01-08-2012 12:33PM

Known as morketing to the types you'll find working in it

HOS 1997 · 01-08-2012 12:34PM

Very impressive.

oddman2 · 01-08-2012 12:35PM

Reminded me of this absolute gem. Although this guy may actually get a job out of it.

davet82 · 01-08-2012 12:36PM

great cv...

we have an opening on the drive-thru for a cashier, its his if he wants it

mikemac1 · 01-08-2012 12:37PM

There was a boardsie on another forum on boards who was looking for marketing jobs with Paddy Power and got a PFO

Did up some witty photos and captions, put them up on a blog.

Realy funny ones, deserted football grounds and how you must bet on the Danish 2nd division football, there were others

Got spotted by Betfair who contacted him

And got a contracter job out of it

PK2008 · 01-08-2012 12:43PM

It is interesting, though Im pretty sure design students have been doing this for a long time.

Unfortunately a lot of companies are now using candidate application tools on their websites which aggregate data and filter candidates automatically through set criteria before even reaching a HR rep (who probably has little to do with the creativity aspect fo the business)..

later12 · 01-08-2012 12:44PM

I hate to rain on his parade, but I thought it was a bit vague & light on detail concerning employment.

On any C.V, you really ought to substantiate claims of creativity and 'making beautiful decisions' with reference to previous roles and achievements.

Sea Filly · 01-08-2012 12:55PM

mikemac1 wrote: »

Known as morketing to the types you'll find working in it

It's morkeshing, I think you'll find.

frozenfrozen · 01-08-2012 12:56PM

"so in the beginning the heavens and the earth were created"

right click > delete

flyswatter · 01-08-2012 12:58PM

frozenfrozen wrote: »

"so in the beginning the heavens and the earth were created"

right click > delete

Jeez, in hindsight some of it is fairly pretentious.

Dave! · 01-08-2012 01:01PM

PK2008 wrote: »

It is interesting, though Im pretty sure design students have been doing this for a long time.

This occured to me too

Most people who work in creative industries should/do have portfolio websites, etc., and the better ones go to great lengths to make theirs unique and personal. I don't understand why this one has gone viral.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/30/50-fresh-portfolio-websites-for-your-inspiration/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/05/30-fresh-and-inspirational-portfolios-with-a-twist/

There are some awesome creative examples in there. The one in the OP just looks like a sh*tter, less technically impressive, less creative and imaginative version of the above. What am I missing?

Proxy · 01-08-2012 01:04PM

McDonnell spent time travelling around India, and teaching in Nepal

Instant reaction: TL;DR

Sleepy · 01-08-2012 01:06PM

Has it gone viral? Or is the OP the chap looking for the job?

ejmaztec · 01-08-2012 01:07PM

I prefer the "walking naked through the local mart carrying a sandwich board and sobbing uncontrollably" CV technique.

Zab · 01-08-2012 01:13PM

That was incredibly mediocre.

AnonoBoy · 01-08-2012 01:17PM

It's not really clever or different enough to go viral is it?

stovelid · 01-08-2012 01:18PM

foxyboxer wrote: »

I took six months off to do some soul-searching in Nepal.

It might be a little short-sighted and cynical but any CV that landed in front of me with that in it would go in the bin.

AnonoBoy · 01-08-2012 01:21PM

stovelid wrote: »

It might be a little short-sighted and cynical but any CV that landed in front of me with that in it would go in the bin.

Even if he isn't, it makes him sound like the sort of annoying lad who'd constantly be regaling people with all the "life lessons" he learned from Sherpas etc. etc.

Nobody wants to work with someone like that.

stovelid · 01-08-2012 01:26PM

Should do well in marketing, but.

Puts me in mind of that Kit-Kat ad in the 80s where the band are trying to get a record deal from the impassive record company executive.

/runs slide show.

Let's take a break, shall we?

/pained silence

/pained silence

You've no experience.

Your CV is fatally light on content.

You're a pretentious cunt that sticks pencils under your lip in photos.

AND you've got a stupid haircut.

/crestfallen silence

/snaps KIT-KAT

You'll go a long way.

HURRAH!

Paddycrumlinman · 01-08-2012 01:50PM

Some folks moaning about this, I think it's very good, different, stylish and in the times we live in. He is thinking outside of the box here and for the fact it had 90,000 views to date and we are talking about it, he has succeed.

CV's are all about marketing yourself, again, success in 90,000 views, newspapers talking about him. He has reached out to the world and got noticed, that's half the battle.

Fair play to him, very impressed with his attitude and innovation, best of luck to him.

UCD Graduate Makes Unconventional CV

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