Your article on the CV and the hidden translation document resonated deeply — not just as a reflection on careers, but as a reflection on how we reduce ourselves to fit systems that were never designed for us.
"A CV can only carry a sequence. But your real value is a pattern."
This line stayed with me. It applies not only to careers but to everything we try to document: our identities, our legacies, our testimonies. In a world dominated by algorithms, we are constantly asked to fit ourselves into predefined fields — and what gets left out is precisely what matters most.
I call this the Digital Testament — a collection of testimonies from those who refuse to be silent. Not because they have answers, but because they have patterns that can't be captured in a box.
Your "translation document" is a form of Digital Testament. It is a proof that you tried to leave a trace that goes beyond the chronological list.
Thank you for the reminder that the most useful things about us often have no official name. And that it is our job to name them anyway.
Thank you for this feedback! It's refreshing to hear your perspective as well.' Digital Testament' is an incredibly powerful way to frame this. It’s exactly about refusing to be silent and documenting the patterns that make up who we really are. I so appreciate you taking the time to share this reflection.
Agreed. CVs are so misleading. I understand how they came to be, but we've leaved to far into the CV without considering how to understand the wider person (this is true of both the person writing their CV and the other side of the table reading it). Love the push back on the over-burdened CV.
As someone who is involved in recruiting people into our organisation, and has recruited people who have never done the roles and/or worked in the industry I want to push back on this. A bad recruiter won’t see the whole person and their future potential, a good one will.
Curious how that can be? A 2-page CV could never capture the whole person. I can absolutely imagine a good recruiter would get more from those CV pages than a bad recruiter. But even a good recruiter can't know the whole person from a CV. It's impossible. E.g. I was in the Army part-time for a few years during University. It's not on my CV because it's not part of my employment history. And I can't fit it on the CV even if I tried. But that experience shaped me a little bit and I joined the Army because I come from a family of military folk. Which also shaped me and my outlook. None of which is on my CV. Everyone has details that are not on the CV for one reason or another.
Yeap! Exactly this. CVs can’t hold the whole journey at all. This is kinda also why I advocate for having an actual portfolio website/place to hold all past projects and ventures, in a way that also makes it easier to explain to those in more traditional settings eg HR
Katie, thank you for your thoughtful reply — it means a lot to know that the idea of a 'Digital Testament' resonated with you.
What you wrote about the CV and the 'translation document' is so important. It reminds me that we spend so much time trying to fit into systems that were never designed to capture the full shape of who we are. And yet, it's our job to find ways to leave traces that go beyond the official categories.
If you're interested, I explore this idea further in a piece I wrote called 'A Shell on the Riverbed' — about how we try to understand the universe and end up realizing that the most important thing is what we leave behind.
👉 A Shell on the Riverbed — How we tried to understand the universe and why we missed the most important thing
Thank you again for creating the space for this conversation.
Katie,
Your article on the CV and the hidden translation document resonated deeply — not just as a reflection on careers, but as a reflection on how we reduce ourselves to fit systems that were never designed for us.
"A CV can only carry a sequence. But your real value is a pattern."
This line stayed with me. It applies not only to careers but to everything we try to document: our identities, our legacies, our testimonies. In a world dominated by algorithms, we are constantly asked to fit ourselves into predefined fields — and what gets left out is precisely what matters most.
I call this the Digital Testament — a collection of testimonies from those who refuse to be silent. Not because they have answers, but because they have patterns that can't be captured in a box.
Your "translation document" is a form of Digital Testament. It is a proof that you tried to leave a trace that goes beyond the chronological list.
Thank you for the reminder that the most useful things about us often have no official name. And that it is our job to name them anyway.
— The Modern Lens
Thank you for this feedback! It's refreshing to hear your perspective as well.' Digital Testament' is an incredibly powerful way to frame this. It’s exactly about refusing to be silent and documenting the patterns that make up who we really are. I so appreciate you taking the time to share this reflection.
Agreed. CVs are so misleading. I understand how they came to be, but we've leaved to far into the CV without considering how to understand the wider person (this is true of both the person writing their CV and the other side of the table reading it). Love the push back on the over-burdened CV.
As someone who is involved in recruiting people into our organisation, and has recruited people who have never done the roles and/or worked in the industry I want to push back on this. A bad recruiter won’t see the whole person and their future potential, a good one will.
Curious how that can be? A 2-page CV could never capture the whole person. I can absolutely imagine a good recruiter would get more from those CV pages than a bad recruiter. But even a good recruiter can't know the whole person from a CV. It's impossible. E.g. I was in the Army part-time for a few years during University. It's not on my CV because it's not part of my employment history. And I can't fit it on the CV even if I tried. But that experience shaped me a little bit and I joined the Army because I come from a family of military folk. Which also shaped me and my outlook. None of which is on my CV. Everyone has details that are not on the CV for one reason or another.
Yeap! Exactly this. CVs can’t hold the whole journey at all. This is kinda also why I advocate for having an actual portfolio website/place to hold all past projects and ventures, in a way that also makes it easier to explain to those in more traditional settings eg HR
Spot on! A dedicated portfolio is the best way to showcase your process and life's work, basically everything a traditional CV leaves out.
Katie, thank you for your thoughtful reply — it means a lot to know that the idea of a 'Digital Testament' resonated with you.
What you wrote about the CV and the 'translation document' is so important. It reminds me that we spend so much time trying to fit into systems that were never designed to capture the full shape of who we are. And yet, it's our job to find ways to leave traces that go beyond the official categories.
If you're interested, I explore this idea further in a piece I wrote called 'A Shell on the Riverbed' — about how we try to understand the universe and end up realizing that the most important thing is what we leave behind.
👉 A Shell on the Riverbed — How we tried to understand the universe and why we missed the most important thing
Thank you again for creating the space for this conversation.