Dean Carter
September 21st, 2023
I grew up on a small farm outside of Houston, Texas. We had pigs, chickens, cows, goats, turkeys, geese, and more. When I was young, my job was to slop the pigs and collect the eggs from the chickens — and study in my spare time.
It wasn’t the most glamorous entry into the working world, but my time on the farm — along with a few other early jobs like a waiter at Lone Star Cafe — had a profound impact on my appreciation for service work, the importance of playing your role on a team, and building a strong work ethic.
In that sense, I think my story is pretty similar to a lot of other people’s. Our first jobs are incredible incubators for foundational skills that we’ll often rely upon for the rest of our careers and lives.
And yet, we consistently leave these early experiences off of our professional resumes and fail to recognize the significance of these first steps in the career and skills journeys of the employees we serve.
I’ve come to believe that’s a mistake — both for employers and employees.
These jobs often instill skills that provide value in and of themselves, while also serving as a launching pad for people’s growth and development.
I have often said, resumes are best read from the bottom up.
So — join me in a movement to list your first jobs on your LinkedIn profile — because they matter.
Early job skills power our future
At a time when so many CHROs are focused on retaining workers and identifying the skills that the business needs, it’s critical for HR leaders to build cultures of opportunity and recognize that the skills learned early in people’s careers can become powerful indicators and accelerators for the career and skills pathways of their employees.
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) conducted a survey of roughly 1,000 adults to ask about the benefits that come from first jobs, such as the ones they are close to like lifeguards and camp counselors.
The overwhelming majority — 96% — agreed there are important benefits that teenagers and young adults gain from their first jobs and volunteer opportunities, and some of the most frequently cited were developing skills and building confidence.
That’s significant because we know how important it is to gain not just competence but also confidence in one’s skills to grow and continue down a pathway toward greater career mobility and advancement.
They’re not the only ones recognizing the value of early job skills.
In her interview with Guild CEO Rachel Romer for Guild’s Opportunity Divide podcast, renowned professor and best-selling author Brené Brown said that after working retail, bartending, waiting tables, and working as a customer service representative, she rarely hires people who are going to be working with her directly who don’t have some significant frontline experience.
Far from being jobs and experiences to sweep under the rug, Brown’s example suggests that more of us could honor what we’ve learned early in our careers and tap into those skills to guide us as we develop our skills and careers.
Bringing visibility to first jobs stories
To celebrate the value and importance of first jobs, I updated my LinkedIn profile to share my first jobs.
I’m also inviting friends and colleagues from Guild and elsewhere to join me and add their own experiences on their profiles as well.
I’d love for you to take part as well, so we can all reflect on our own journeys and perhaps increase our level of awareness and appreciation for the skills in those around us.
If you want to join in, please visit my LinkedIn profile and let me know your thoughts — either by leaving a comment on my post or by reposting it and adding your own story:
1) What was your first job?
2) What skills did you learn that have shaped the growth of your career?
3) What do you think about listing those jobs on your resume and LinkedIn profile?
With peace and purpose,
Dean
Dean’s list
- Disney celebrated 5 years of the Disney Aspire program, which has helped 3,100 employees and cast members receive at least one promotion within the company.
- Candidly collected insights and perspectives from borrowers about the return of federal student loan repayments this fall.
- Guild’s Chief Opportunity Officer, Terrence Cummings, lays out 5 ways organizations and leaders can build a culture of opportunity.
- The Wall Street Journal describes the unusual RTO approach that J.M. Smucker is taking, along with its promising response so far from employees.
To read more insights about the evolving role of purpose-driven HR leaders from Dean Carter and his CHRO Compass community, sign up here.
About the author
Dean Carter
With over 15 years of experience leading global people and culture functions, Dean is passionate about creating and sustaining purpose-driven organizations that empower their employees, communites and customers to grow, thrive, and make a positive impact in the world.