NEW YORK, NY - While sifting through a stack of applications this morning, hiring manager Danielle Carin was noticeably confused by a resume spanning two whole pages while containing only part-time internships and myriad, detailed personal interests. Ms. Carin, who is reviewing applicants for Honeywell International’s (HON) Vice President for Financial Operations, North America, found the submission utterly bizarre as typically such positions attract seasoned professional hires.
The resume in question was for a David Mendelson, 26, of New Rochelle, New York, and no less than two single-spaced pages, a length usually reserved for academic CVs or distinguished elder statesmen of industry. Mr. Mendelson chronological experiences include being a research assistant for one semester at college, the founder and CEO of a local booster club, digital marketing “guru” at a startup for unzipped jeans, and a few summer stints as a lifeguard in Newport, RI.
“I guess it’s fine for a young person to bounce around a bit, but he certainly didn’t need to include all of it, or so many interests,” says Ms. Carin, referring to the almost 800 words spent detailing Mr. Mendelson’s extracurricular activities. “‘Fantasy football’, ‘watching Roger Federer’, ‘eating spicy foods’, what’s that have to do with project finance?; there’s even whole sections on his EDM DJ-ing career and his ‘contributions to various internet forums’. I can’t see why he would apply to this position, or even spend the time to create such a dense resume in the first place.”
When asked for comment, Mendelson stated that he had no real intention of finding gainful employment, instead opting to “dick around in Asia for a bit, and then I’ll probs [sic] get my dad to give me a job or something.”