Sunday Reading: Résumé Building

Generally, we use the phrase “résumé building” to talk ourselves into doing a job or activity we don’t particularly want to do but know in the long-run it will look good to someone. Many graduates today (i.e. at Wharton) are realizing, however, that most of their résumé building was for nothing in this current economic climate and they’re ditching 60+ hrs/week Wall Street career dreams for rabbinical school. For this week’s reading, I give you a list of some résumé builders celebrities have turned to in the last week, some failed, some idiotic, some noteworthy and others just audacious enough to get the world’s attention.

• ELIOT SPITZER: The ex-NY governor has added dog-walker, Newsweek front page feature and Slate columnist next to scumbag on his list of accomplishments, all most likely with the deft help of unwavering wife Silda.
• JAY BYBEE: Former Assistant Attorney General finally gets to list all of the torture techniques he was responsible for under the Bush Administration…and possibly impeachment as well.
• PIRATE BAY: Four Swedish men are going to have to explain their jail time to all future employers due to their recent conviction for copyright infringement for popular file sharing website The Pirate Bay.
• REAL PIRATES: Somali fisherman make a career change to pirates.
• ASHTON KUTCHER: In a battle with a battle with CNN, actor Ashton Kutcher raced to be the first person with 1 million Twitter followers, and won.
• BO OBAMA: The First Dog is now more popular than the Taco Bell chihuahua.
• SOME LUCKY RANDO: Hillary Clinton still has campaign debt and is auctioning off her husband for a day in order to help clear away some of it. Who will be the lucky person?
• BOB BARKER: Former “The Price is Right Host” pens Priceless Memories.
• JOHN MADDEN: I suppose after 30 years of sports résumé building and video games in your name, it’s Ok to retire.

Website of the Week: Susan-Boyle.com. It was just last Sunday night that middle-aged British spinster Susan Boyle wowed the world (and Simon Cowel) with her performance on Britain’s Got Talent yet her fan site already appears to be averaging half a million page views a day and she already has a new recording coming out. How’s that for a career change?