Create Your Own Resume of Failures

I love the mindset of Johannes Haushofer.

Searching for a job requires developing an outstanding resume - or, what is called in the academic world, a Curriculum Vitae (meaning “course of life.”) – or CV for short. Just like on a resume, on a CV you list your accomplishments, skills, experience, education, awards, and any specific recognition you’ve received in your field. If there's one thing you never see listed on a resume or a CV  it’s your failures.

But listing his failures is exactly what Haushofer did. He wrote a 'CV of Failures' for his students. Here were the categories he listed on his CV of Failures.

·       Degree programs I did not get into

·       Academic positions and fellowships I did not get

·       Awards and scholarships I did not get

·       Paper rejections from academic journals

·       Research funding I did not get

In April 2016 he posted it online in hopes of destigmatizing failure – and it went viral.

The last line of his CV reads: “Meta-Failures: This darn CV of failures has received way more attention than my entire body of academic work.” You can read more about him here.

Ironically, Haushofer is not some lowly instructor at some no-name community college. He’s an economist and esteemed professor of economics at Stockholm University, and formerly a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton. Even his Wikipedia page reflects his success in failure.

Inspired by Haushofer, a few years ago I developed my own CV of Failures. Not only was it cathartic, it was also fun. (I highly recommend the exercise).

Imagine if we saw failure not as a curse, but as a gift and a tool – and maybe even a blessing.