Vetting Your Resume
It is better to vet your own resume than to have somebody else vet it for you. I know that it is tempting... you apply for a show and you think that it would look great on the resume... but then you get the reject notice and you go.... "oh darn, I have to wait another year".
It is quite obvious that the law is going to be ramped up on the Internet, all the legal aspects that apply to advertising in writing, television and radio, promotions, libel and slander laws will be enforced on the Internet. So it is just better on the whole to be on the up and up, to not do anything that will put you in a pickle because you could have all sorts of things all over the Internet that people are publishing references to and that Google is caching in its archives. This could put you in a bind trying to figure out how to correct the error without admitting to everyone that you put up something you shouldn't have.
Because resumes are used as promotional materials in the arts, I am recommending that all of the NAPPAP members http://nappap.org read the following article, Seven Rules for Legal Advertising - Be sure you comply with laws against deceptive or misleading advertising at:
Even if you don't know about a law it isn't going to do you any good, because ignorance is no defense.
You have to verify your own stuff. If you can't verify that you are actually in a publication or show, then don't put it down on your resume until you can verify your reference. If you know someone who can verify it for you ask for a xerox of it to be sure that what you are claiming is actually so. If someone who does know of an error and notifies you personally and asks you to remove it, don't argue, fuss and fume, dispute, belittle or denigrate the publication, show or individual and then leave it on your resumes anyway? Verify the shows that you are in and substantiate it. Having referral links on your resume to documentation is good.
The resume is how a collector determines where you are in your career, it is not right to list a credential in your resume that misleads the collector to thinking that you are at the level of someone who has earned that credit. It discredits all resumes in the arts by casting suspicion on everyone's career, collectors don't know what to believe. Collectors, satisfy your curiosity. Ask for specifics and get valid proof of the artist's career. Ask for samples or copies for your file. Any serious professional can provide you with ample examples of materials.
The other half of this is that this is a profession, not a hobby or time filler for those of us earning a living by means of selling paintings. There is no reason why the professionals in this arena shouldn't be held to the same standard of truthfulness in their resume as those in other professions. If you are a doctor or lawyer or accountant, you won't be able to claim it was a typo or error or mix up but you left the reference on your resume anyway? everywhere? because? _ WHY?_ no one in the real world will believe you. Recreational painting does have value but there is no reason why someone who sells paintings as a hobbyist for fun shouldn't be held to the same standard as well if they are in the marketplace.
Finally, all professions have a standard and it is the long term professionals that sets that standard. As professionals we have to draw the limits of what we will and will not allow people to do who participate in the marketplace. We are the guardians of the art profession for the coming generations and we should take that job seriously, as well as our own art, and treat someone life's work as a serious endeavor worthy of respect. I'm pretty sure that we've earned it.
You have to verify your own stuff. If you can't verify that you are actually in a publication or show, then don't put it down on your resume until you can verify your reference. If you know someone who can verify it for you ask for a xerox of it to be sure that what you are claiming is actually so. If someone who does know of an error and notifies you personally and asks you to remove it, don't argue, fuss and fume, dispute, belittle or denigrate the publication, show or individual and then leave it on your resumes anyway? Verify the shows that you are in and substantiate it. Having referral links on your resume to documentation is good.
The resume is how a collector determines where you are in your career, it is not right to list a credential in your resume that misleads the collector to thinking that you are at the level of someone who has earned that credit. It discredits all resumes in the arts by casting suspicion on everyone's career, collectors don't know what to believe. Collectors, satisfy your curiosity. Ask for specifics and get valid proof of the artist's career. Ask for samples or copies for your file. Any serious professional can provide you with ample examples of materials.
The other half of this is that this is a profession, not a hobby or time filler for those of us earning a living by means of selling paintings. There is no reason why the professionals in this arena shouldn't be held to the same standard of truthfulness in their resume as those in other professions. If you are a doctor or lawyer or accountant, you won't be able to claim it was a typo or error or mix up but you left the reference on your resume anyway? everywhere? because? _ WHY?_ no one in the real world will believe you. Recreational painting does have value but there is no reason why someone who sells paintings as a hobbyist for fun shouldn't be held to the same standard as well if they are in the marketplace.
Finally, all professions have a standard and it is the long term professionals that sets that standard. As professionals we have to draw the limits of what we will and will not allow people to do who participate in the marketplace. We are the guardians of the art profession for the coming generations and we should take that job seriously, as well as our own art, and treat someone life's work as a serious endeavor worthy of respect. I'm pretty sure that we've earned it.
American Society of Employers
http://www.aseonline.org/main.cfm?ShowNav=ASEPubs§ion=news2&edition_id=110&article_id=3211
Deborah Chapin
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