My name is Lorie and I'm twenty-nine years old as I write this. I've been part of Yojoa's operations team as Communications Manager since mid-November 2021, and I was hired without a CV. I don't think so (my boss confirmed this), so let me explain.
I've had an atypical career. I've evolved along the way, with detours, twists and turns - you could say meanderings. I studied photography; imagine me at twenty-one, leaving school and having to "launch myself". To start, you need money and you need to be brave. I stopped at the first statement and added the stress of paying rent at a very young age: you had to work and work fast. And I won't lie to you, not having to face the second statement, which was fear, suited me perfectly - so I won't dwell on it, as the subject is no longer relevant.
You're probably wondering what I'm getting at - I'm getting there.
Working has always been a necessity. I began my journey in a hairdressing salon, I embraced the sizzling aromas of a fast-food burger joint and honed my culinary skills. My nurturing side came to life in a nursery and I worked up a sweat as a waitress, shedding several kilos in the process. Later, I challenged my intellect by 'managing' a food truck. Finally, I returned to the world of sizzling, this time in an environmentally responsible kebab shop.
"Still no connection with communications, you might say, and you'd be right. However, I didn't mention that I was responsible for the communications of the aforementioned kebab. But I'll get to that later. For now, try to imagine my CV. Ready? I bet you can't see much coherence in it. I wouldn't blame you.
As I like to say, the interest of my career lies in my "extracurricular activities".
Alongside these activities, which I'd describe as food-related, I've been involved in the voluntary sector, mainly through a multidisciplinary collective with which we organised a number of events and festivals. I was mainly responsible for visual communication and then communication in general - that's it!
So I trained informally, by talking to people who had diplomas, by observing the workings of various associations, by asking the help of a kind friend who ran a communications agency, and by talking to a number of cultural players in Geneva. In short, on the job! Seven years of experience, discussion, coordination, teamwork and questioning.
Imagine my CV right now; how could I fit it all on one page? I've included a 'work' section and a 'community involvement' section. But the skills I've acquired over the last seven years are hard to put on a piece of paper - hence the advantage of a CV-less recruitment!
I went into the interview with a bit of a knot in my stomach - I have to admit, I was worried that I wouldn't be up to the job. That fear disappeared as soon as I set foot in the office. We had a great exchange and a real interview, during which I did a lot of talking - as you can imagine; explaining my career to them in person allowed them to see me for themselves.
And guess what? I got the job - but you already knew that!
