UCD Graduate Makes Unconventional CV

flyswatter

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

It's no billboard.






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

mauzo

Wow I actually really enjoyed reading that.

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

foxyboxer

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

Right-click > Delete :pac:

the groutch

probability of getting a job


ZERO

AnonoBoy

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

Sea Filly

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.

Sea Filly

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

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

Meh.

Sleepy

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

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

HOS 1997

Very impressive.

oddman2

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

davet82

great cv...

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

mikemac1

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

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

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

mikemac1 wrote: »

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

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

frozenfrozen

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




right click > delete

flyswatter

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!

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

McDonnell spent time travelling around India, and teaching in Nepal

Instant reaction: TL;DR

Sleepy

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

ejmaztec

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

Zab

That was incredibly mediocre.

AnonoBoy

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

stovelid

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

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

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

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.

Easy Rod

I'm more impressed with the fact that it's been viewed so much and has it's own thread on Boards than the actual content of the 'not cv'. That's probably the thing that is more likely to get him a job in marketing.

Useless tidbit- I went to school with him and this popped up on my linkedIn about a week ago.

Sugar Free

I know him personally (as do several hundred others by this stage too) and while the 'soul searching in Nepal' may not have been the best description, I still think the method is a great idea.

Remember it's not part of a design student's portfolio, it's someone from a business and accountancy background using what seems to be a creative approach to changing career paths.

I'm sure he has more thorough and prepared answers regarding his career to date for those companies who do wish to interview him.

Dave!

Sugar Free wrote: »

I know him personally (as do several hundred others by this stage too) and while the 'soul searching in Nepal' may not have been the best description, I still think the method is a great idea.

Remember it's not part of a design student's portfolio, it's someone from a business and accountancy background using what seems to be a creative approach to changing career paths.

I'm sure he has more thorough and prepared answers regarding his career to date for those companies who do wish to interview him.

But it shows pretty much no technical ability at all... He's just doing what design students have done for time immemorial, except not as well! I suppose he can be congratulated for trying to do the same thing with no background in it, but there's nothing in this CV that makes me want to employ him (and a few things that make me think he's unprofessional, and so I wouldn't want to hire him). If he wants to work in a creative industry, he should spend time acquiring the skills to do so, and then build a proper portfolio. This is the equivalent of me (a programmer) grabbing a paintbrush and smearing some blotches around a canvas, and then looking for work as an artist...

And BTW the fact that this thing has gotten such attention is not an indication that it's in any way good! That video of a cat playing the keyboard got about a billion views on YouTube, these thing just grow legs and spread out of luck and other reasons. Wouldn't surprise me if he got a job out of it too, there's always bound to be some unskilled manager type who sees this kind of story in the paper and has their hair blown back.

Incidentally I found the stunt involving the billboard more impressive. Shows creativity, balls, thinking outside the box, etc.

LiamoSail

I thought it was quality, fair play to the lad

AnonoBoy

I'm thinking of getting an incontinent flash mob to assemble in Stephen's Green and sh*t my CV onto the grass. I will video the spectacle and the finished result from a hot air balloon powered my own self-importance.

Reckon I'll be off the dole in no time.

PK2008

Google 'Creative CVs' ....

...this stuff has been knocking around for years

opinion guy

My only problem with all this is that he wants he wants to get out of accountancy/finance stuff in order to do something more 'meaningful'.....


......and he chooses....morkeshing ?!?!?!?!?:eek:

AnonoBoy

opinion guy wrote: »

My only problem with all this is that he wants he wants to get out of accountancy/finance stuff in order to do something more 'meaningful'.....


......and he chooses....morkeshing ?!?!?!?!?:eek:

People who work in PR, marketing and advertising love thinking they're doing something worthwhile.

They call themselves 'creatives' when they're making ads and they call the ads 'films'.

:rolleyes:

Shryke

Sea Filly wrote: »

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.

He wasn't a knob which you would know if you had read the book. He more than likely did know how to survive. There was a certain root that was noted as edible in the materials he had but which was actually poisonous. He died a horrible death concurrent with what you would expect from ingesting it and there was evidence that he had been eating these roots.
He was naive sure but he was just a kid. Young and idealistic and smart. He never made himself out to be a hero. If you want to find fault there then look toward the film makers.
I'll never understand the mindless repulsion some people display for the guy.

Sappa

The folks here who are putting this fella down haven't a clue what they are talking about and are just being negative for negatives sake.
This is x amount times better than a regular two page cv where an employer hasn't a clue about the candidate,here he is presenting himself to potential employers with a visual display that is entertaining and gives a clear idea of who he is.
Well done to him and I hope he gets a break from it,his bit on soul searching is perfectly fine inmo as the vast majority of people have fecked off for 6mths traveling or yearn to do it.

Sea Filly

Shryke wrote: »

He wasn't a knob which you would know if you had read the book. He more than likely did know how to survive.

He actually didn't. He caught animals but didn't know what to do with them. He starved to death near an Alaskan highway in Summer. Summer in Alaska isn't cold.

The film was supposed to be sympathetic but it didn't come across that way for me at all. Why? Because the protagonist was a self-indulgent, foolhardy, self-righteous eejit.

I'll never understand the admiration some people have for him.

AnonoBoy

Sappa wrote: »

Well done to him and I hope he gets a break from it,his bit on soul searching is perfectly fine inmo as the vast majority of people have fecked off for 6mths traveling or yearn to do it.

Nothing wrong with doing it. Including it on a CV is irritating though. At least to me it is.

And I know everything.

So there.

Harumph.

Seanchai

Fair play to him. At least he's trying. Far too many people don't even try and instead sit on their arses putting down people who do. That's crap.

AnonoBoy

Seanchai wrote: »

Fair play to him. At least he's trying. Far too many people don't even try and instead sit on their arses putting down people who do. That's crap.

I do try, did you not read my incontient flash mob idea?

So am I ok to sit on my arse and put people down too?

foxyboxer

*sidenote* If I wanted to 'find myself' then I'd just look in a mirror.

If I was the head of a Morkeshing deportment and looking for 'creative' types then I'd do well to look at the Cool Vids Photoshop competition and pm a few of the regular contributers imo.

It's a fancy powerpoint presentation.

Wompa1

What I enjoy about this story is the fact he did a Masters to get his current job and has just publicly said he's lost interest in what he's qualified to do. All employers Google potential hires now, so after he does a 6 month stint in a crappy Marketing job in an attempt for a company to cash in like Paddy Power did with the other idiot (Billboard guy) , he won't be able to find another accounting job.

Shryke

Sea Filly wrote: »

Shryke wrote: »

He wasn't a knob which you would know if you had read the book. He more than likely did know how to survive.

He actually didn't. He caught animals but didn't know what to do with them. He starved to death near an Alaskan highway in Summer. Summer in Alaska isn't cold.

The film was supposed to be sympathetic but it didn't come across that way for me at all. Why? Because the protagonist was a self-indulgent, foolhardy, self-righteous eejit.

I'll never understand the admiration some people have for him.

I have no admiration for him if that's what you're implying. He wasn't a protagonist, he was a real person. You're not an expert for watching a film and it doesn't bode well you would call him a protagonist.
As I've already said his death was consistent with poisoning. It doesn't matter what season it is when you are poisoned. He didn't like killing animals and he didn't do any kind of job with them but he did eat and what he ate killed him. The information he had was wrong. The roots were poisonous and left him too weak and sick to seek help, however far away it was.
And there you go again with a tirade of abuse against some poor dead kid. Wtf.

Princess Peach

That's not creative, he stole the idea from an Episode of How I Met Your Mother, right down to some of the images he used!

AnonoBoy

Princess Peach wrote: »

That's not creative, he stole the idea from an Episode of How I Met Your Mother, right down to some of the images he used!

Really?

That's f*cking brilliant.

Unoriginal and watching sh*te TV.

If Prohibition is ever introduced I'm going to start bootlegging and call myself the Beer Baron! Hello fame!

Sea Filly

Shryke wrote: »

I have no admiration for him if that's what you're implying. He wasn't a protagonist, he was a real person. You're not an expert for watching a film and it doesn't bode well you would call him a protagonist.
As I've already said his death was consistent with poisoning. It doesn't matter what season it is when you are poisoned. He didn't like killing animals and he didn't do any kind of job with them but he did eat and what he ate killed him. The information he had was wrong. The roots were poisonous and left him too weak and sick to seek help, however far away it was.
And there you go again with a tirade of abuse against some poor dead kid. Wtf.

He did kill animals. And even if he didn't, what you say only backs up how ill-prepared he was, because he didn't know what was ok to eat.

The word 'protagonist' can refer to real life figures too. Look it up. And you say I'm ill-informed?