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Between researching work history, talking about accomplishments, and struggling with formatting, updating your resume is definitely among the most stressful chores in your career.
But what if resumes asked different questions? Would it be more attractive – or useful – if we arrived at a new job armed with information about how we work, our strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps some hobbies and quirks to boot?
That's the thinking behind Personal User Guides – accessible documents packed with detail about what people are actually like in the workplace, from stressors to communication styles. An increasing number of companies are adopting it as a way to introduce newcomers to the team and to improve cohesion among existing employees.
A parent may notice that it may take longer to respond to emails after school hours. A new entrant can write that they like the tentative deadlines that allow for comments before the final submission. Others (me) might say they focus better when listening to white noise, so if you're plugged into my headphones, please tap me on the shoulder if you need to chat.
At startup marketing agency AMA, where freelancers and employees from creative, operational, and technology fields are brought together into new teams, playbooks help new projects get started. “We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible that make it difficult for people to work together effectively,” says Katie Day, global human resources director. “One of the most obvious things is how to communicate effectively.”
Independent strategist Matt Knight has also started using guides to quickly identify new teams. The idea spread, and he created the My Guide platform, which contains templates and workshops for using personal guides.
“Over the years, we've seen more companies inviting employees to fill out documents with information like: 'These are the hours I work, this is what frustrates me, and this is what interests me,'” he says. “But I found that if you give people a blank sheet of paper asking them how you work, you are often met with blank faces. . . . We wanted to help people find ways to think about it.”
Knight is the first to admit that the idea wasn't his: The first reference he found, in the mid-2000s, was by consultant Ben Dattner for a “management user's manual” in which new leaders explain to employees how they work.
The guide “significantly reduces the likelihood that a misunderstanding will lead your new employees to view you as a ‘toxic’ boss,” Dattner wrote. For example, if a manager communicates that he or she is not a morning person, employees are less likely to take it personally if their approach before lunchtime is treated with disinterest.
These preferences reveal one of the obvious problems with personal evidence. If everyone is asked to detail their idiosyncrasies in the workplace, does that mean we have to tailor our behavior to meet the different whims of each colleague — or, worse yet, a capricious boss? It seems demanding, more focused on individual requirements than working as a team.
In fact, these user manuals are not bloodless instruction manuals. Most advocates see it, first, as a basis for discussion. Staff often write their handbooks in private workshops, where they discuss answers and explore needs and personalities together.
David Berkus, an independent consultant, says he rarely sees it used merely as a reference. Instead, they facilitate conversation, help teams get to know each other, stay vulnerable, and build trust. “It helps teams find uncommon commonalities,” he says. This can lead to better work as well.
At Deloitte, which uses this technique on a regular basis, discussion is also the most important element. “A piece of paper is just an incentive,” says Kate Sweeney, head of human capital consulting. “If you set it up right it creates a space for people to share.”
Knight is somewhat prescriptive on this subject. “The document is almost worse, in a way, because it removes humanity,” he says. “It's about building stronger relationships.”
However, this discussion and collaboration results in the creation of a file of sorts, which can be sent, shared with teams, and used for applications. Ultimately, Knight says, it may replace the CV.
“When you're hiring, you care about what someone brings and what they're like when they're working,” he says. “A resume is a list of dates and things you've done. This is about how you did it.”
