Scot Herrick is the owner of Cube Rules, LLC. His web site, CubeRules.com, provides support for career-minded individuals who typically work in corporate cubicles, people he describes as "Cubicle Warriors." Scot has a long history of work experience, including management roles in Fortune 500 corporations.
If you work in a large corporation, chances are you'll go through managers like you go through socks. In my 18-year stint at one Fortune 500 company, I never had the same manager for two straight annual reviews.
What happens to you when you get a new manager? Your old manager tells the new manager all about you, whether the information is accurate or not. So his very first impression of you is the impression your old manager has of you. Then your new manager looks at what you deliver and tries to fit that initial impression with the actions you take.
Consider how many times this could happen in a 5-year stay with one company. It can be a vicious cycle. But you can break it by scheduling a short meeting with your new manager to review your resume and show him exactly what you can do. How does this work?
You create a new impression of your work
How many people do you know who voluntarily review their resumes with their new managers? I'll bet none. So right off the bat, you're making a distinct impression of how you operate. You're showing your manager that you're serious about the work you do.
You can discuss your job skills and accomplishments
Most managers won't know the full range of your job skills, especially the ones you acquired through past experiences with previous employers. There's a good chance they won't even know all of your accomplishments. Once, I applied for a new position within my department and no one on my management team thought it was smart to interview me -- until I showed them my resume, which revealed that I had performed all sorts of work at my previous company that fit the job requirements perfectly.
You can make a case for a better position
Remember, the company already hired you! If you've been there for, say, only two years, you most likely have a wide range of accomplishments and capabilities that your new manager has no idea you have. By going through your resume and showing your skills, and you can end up getting better work to do.
You can avoid referencing your previous manager
By covering your skills through a review of your resume, you avoid engaging in any trash talk about your former manager. If your new manager questions some of the former manager's decisions, you can simply say that the manager didn't choose to use all of your job skills.
You can talk about career path
Your resume should show solid progression to more responsibility and bigger accomplishments. And that logically leads to a discussion about your next desired assignment to help your career. If you're working in a department that has a range of work that demands different skills, you can address the ones you want to strengthen and see if your new manager will help you do that.
Now, when you get that new manager as the result of a corporate reorganization, you can create the right impression right away by sharing your resume.
Do you like the idea of sharing your resume with a new manager? Please give us your thoughts.
RELATED LINKS
5 Factors That Can Hurt Your Performance Reviews
When Bosses Make Hotheaded Decisions
Resume Writing Basics: Building Blocks of a Good Resume