One of the interview questions job seekers most dread is, “Tell me about a time you failed.” In a job interview, it can be hard enough to talk about your failures when trying to impress people with your resume of successes. But how about writing an entire resume of failures? It’s a trend that’s catching on.
Recently I came across a highly entertaining infographic of Elon Musk’s “resume of failures.” Now, I’ve written about failure before, here and in Jump in the Holes (see the essay “Regreats”), but it’s a juicy topic with many angles, so we’ll explore another one of those today.
Regardless of your personal feelings about Musk, you can’t ignore the fact that he’s done some things in his life that most of us only dream about (we’re talking Star Trek-level shit, like space travel). And until recently, he was the wealthiest person in the world. (And no, wealth isn’t the only measure of “success,” but Musk beat out 8 million other people for that title.) Musk has also had some very high-profile failures, much to the delight of those who dislike him. It’s also hilarious to note that Musk’s infographic of failures was updated from when it was first created in 2016 because “Musk managed to fail a few more times since then.”
Princeton Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs Johannes Haushofer once wrote a “CV of Failures” for his students. Others, he said, often got the impression that he succeeded at most things and, as a result, they were more likely to attribute their own failures to themselves. Haushofer wanted to give his students one of the most important lessons–that we all fail on the path to success, even people who appear to be very successful.
While we’ve all experienced our own failures and have seen, firsthand, the failures of friends and family, we often forget that even the most “successful” people most likely have failed just as often, or even more, but because we haven’t seen those failures, we may not realize they happened. That’s why Haushofer put his document online in 2016 in the hopes that a broader audience could embrace the concept. It quickly went viral, no doubt because people found it so relatable.
Many in academia and beyond have started creating–and sharing–their own resumes of failures. It’s a practice that can be a stepping stone to growth. Reflecting on our failures can help us:
Learn how to do better next time.
Pat ourselves on the back for even trying.
Motivate us to keep going until we succeed.
Realize that failing is an inescapable part of life.
Not take ourselves so damn seriously.
I don’t have an official resume of failures, but here are three fun ones:
Auditioned for STOMP in New York. Failed miserably onstage.
Sang terribly in front of a karaoke crowd (after two previous successes).
Cooked one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted: Instant Pot barbecue spare ribs (totally inedible).
You know what? None of those failures destroyed me. In fact, I’m really proud of myself for auditioning for STOMP. I still danced on the STOMP stage (even if it was only for a minute). How many people can say that? And the karaoke failure? I was horrible. I really, really stank. But you know what? The same experience, earlier in my life, would have killed me, but this time I was able to laugh about it–proof that I’d grown a lot. And I feel good about that.
Why not start a resume of failures, or even a simple list? Learn from it. Have fun with it.
Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash