"成功戒酒" 是否應該寫入簡歷?
Dear Lucy:
露西您好,
I’m a successful federal employee trying to move in a new direction. I’m applying for jobs that I’m well qualified for and though I keep reaching the top three, I haven’t been offered any positions. The problem is that I’m a reformed alcoholic who has been sober for six years. But before that there were ugly episodes of drunkenness, all well known to people in my (small) field of expertise. I am proud of my sobriety and have virtually no chance of regressing. I feel I should share my history with prospective employers, but where does one enter “reformed alcoholic” on a resume? Under “hobbies”?
我是一名優秀的聯邦員工, 現在正試圖換一份新工作. 如今我正在申請我可以勝任的職位, 可是儘管我都能進入最後三名, 最終我都沒有收到任何錄取通知書. 問題在於, 我是一名戒過酒的人, 已經連續六年滴酒不沾了. 但是在那之前, 我有過多次酗酒成性, 醜態盡展的經歷. 這在我的同行中人盡皆知(這一行並不大). 現在我爲自己的戒酒成功感到自豪, 而且幾乎可以說我不會再回到以前酗酒的生活了. 我覺得我應該將這段經歷告訴我未來的上司. 但是我應該在簡歷的哪個位置填寫 “戒酒成功” 呢? 在 “個人興趣愛好” 一欄裏嗎?
Is there a way I can own up to my dark past and show that I have a bright future?
是否有途徑可以讓我坦白自己的一些 “黑暗史” 的同時也顯示出我會有一個美好的未來?
Manager, male, 40s
經理, 男, 40多歲.
Lucy's Answer:
露西的回覆:
The place where you really ought to put “reformed alcoholic” on your CV is in the section where people brag about what outstanding leadership qualities they have. To have stayed off the bottle for six years gives copper-bottomed proof that you are a) determined b) brave c) focused and d) good at overcoming obstacles. It establishes those things more convincingly than “successfully leading a team through a major global change initiative” – or any of the other twaddle with which people generally pad out CVs.
你應該將 “戒酒成功” 寫在簡歷中人們常常吹噓自己有多強的領導才能的地方. 六年來滴酒不沾足以證明你是一個有毅力非凡, 勇敢專注, 而且擅長克服困難之人. 這比那些 “成功領導一個團隊度過一次全球大變革”或者那些大家習慣放在簡歷裏的廢話更能讓人信服.
Yet even so, you should not put your history with the bottle anywhere on your CV, or bring it up in an interview, unless asked – in which case you say briefly and clearly what you have said to me in your e-mail. Alcoholism is still taboo in corporate life – if you look up the list of teetotallers on Wikipedia you will find creative artists, but not a single business figure. That’s not because they don’t drink, it’s because they keep quiet about it.
然而即便如此, 你最好還是不要將這段酗酒經歷放在簡歷的任何地方, 也不要在面試中講出來, 除非你被問到. 如果你真的被問到了, 那你就言簡意賅地將你在郵件中告訴我的一切告訴給面試你的人. 酗酒仍然是職場中的禁忌. 如果你去查一下維基百科中的戒酒人名單, 你就會發現上面大多數是有創意的藝術家的名字, 找不到一個商人. 這並不是說商人們就不喝酒了, 而是他們對喝酒之事三緘其口.
In hiding your addiction, I don’t think you are being at all deceitful. You say that you should share this with future employers. Why? Because it is a big part of you? But then so are your emotional life and your children (if you have any), but there is no reason why any of that needs to be shared with employers. You intend to go on being sober: therefore your employer doesn’t need to know.
我並不覺得隱瞞你的酗酒史是一種欺騙行爲. 你說你應該將這段經歷告訴未來上司, 爲什麼呢? 因爲這是你人生中的重大事件嗎? 如果這樣的話, 那你也應該將你的感情生活以及你的孩子出生全說出來(如果你有的話). 但是對於這些事情, 你都沒有理由和必要告知你的上司. 因爲你決心要繼續戒酒, 所以你的上司並不需要知道你以前的酗酒史.
You seem convinced that it is your past as a boozer that is spoiling your job chances. I’m not so sure: if people were put off by those ugly scenes of drunkenness, I’m not sure you would have advanced to the top three.
你似乎覺得, 曾經的酗酒史是令你得不到工作機會的原因. 對此我並不十分確定. 試想, 要是有過因酗酒成性而醜態百出的人都會被踢出局, 我不覺得你會有進會晉級到最後三名.
What I think you need to do in order to land another job is exactly what you are doing on the wagon. Be brave and focused and determined and all the rest of it. Keep applying for things. Try to find out why you have been passed over. It may be that there is something you do in interviews that puts people off. Or it may simply be that there’s a recession and there are lots of other good people who want jobs, and so you may have to wait a little longer.
我覺得爲了找到新的工作, 你現在正需要你戒酒時的毅力與衝勁. 你一定要勇敢, 專注, 有決心以及其他方方面面的品質, 繼續你的求職生涯. 試着思考一下你爲什麼會在最後被刷下來了. 這可能是你在面試過程中出了什麼差錯, 令面試者最後把你拒了. 或者說, 現在經濟不景氣, 很多其他優秀的人也在爭着搶工作, 因此你需要再耐心地等久一些。
