The Molecular CV - how to present a portfolio career

I've been so busy doing it (or reading books about it) recently that I have lost the habit of writing about work, PR planning etc in this blog.  Paraphrasing Terry Wogan's old joke, I apologise to my reader.

But inspired by John Grant's wonderful book and his "brand molecule" idea  I thought I'd offer the "Molecular CV" up to the world, shamelessly stolen from his crystal maze of a mind. Forgive me if this is all rather self-centred but attached is a Download molecular_cv_for_jon_leach.ppt  of my "career" arranged as a Grant-esque brand molecule rather than a list.

Perhaps other people with "portfolio careers" may find an organic molecule a useful way of depicting themselves. In drawing, rather than listing, my Curriculum Vitae (literally "list of life") it seems to avoid a few problems of the standard version :

• having to present your life as one clear logical flow where each step builds on the previous (when life isn't like that, nor does is capture what makes you "interesting")
• having to arrive at a point where you are doing just one thing (not only is that just not true of portfolio workers but part of their value is their multiplicity)
• not being able to put new, incomplete ventures, aspirations and "work in progress" projects on your list (when these may be exactly the sort of thing that are of interest to potential partners, employers etc.)

Clearly there is a touch of the "mind map" in all this.  But as John seems to point out, the world is less interested in hazy ideas, values, features and all the soup that surrounds brand onions.  Coming up with your own "brand essence" really would be solipsistic!  So this is less of a mind map and more of a factual account of real events, outcomes and stuff people (can) talk about.

However, I'm not sure if the world is quite ready for "CV 2.0".  I sketched this idea out a few weeks ago and only wrote it up as the organisers of  the WARC conference I'm speaking at in June wanted a CV.  I sent the above picture off to them, only to receive this by reply :

"Thanks Jon, different!

I don't suppose you've got a word version have you, only we have a normal format that gets printed into the conference booklet?

Kind regards

Clare"

My old mentor Steve Henry taught me to ask "first is it different, then is it better".  So I think I'll stick to my guns, inspired by the awesome opening line of Steve's CV which, from memory, stated :

"Steve Henry was born in Hong Kong in the middle of a typhoon"

Comments

[Will]

Great post. Liked the 'CV 2.0'.

Now.. all I have to do is come up with a great opening line.

What's yours Jon?

[jon leach]

Jon Leach was taught by a man who was born in Hon Kong in the middle of a typhoon.

[Will]

Hah. Great.

I don't know about mine - maybe starting it like a famous novel.

'Will Humphrey was born. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'.

[David Fitz]

Hi,

I am a regular reader of your blog and some time ago you wrote a post about the 'high tide mark for individualism'.

Although I am not an ad-man, it made me think and I have a post about it on my blog. If you are interested, you can read it here - http://eyebrows71.blogspot.com/2007/06/sailing-on-waters-of-free-enterprise.html

I have linked to your post in the article, I hope you don't mind.

Cheers

David