On Friday, Bill Gates created a buzz on social media by sharing with his followers a portion of his nearly five-decade-old undergraduate CV. At the time, the 66-year-old philanthropist and millionaire was a first-year student at Harvard University. Although he claimed differently, the one-page paper reveals his student life was rather full of accomplishments. Sharing the post, Gates wrote: “Whether you’re a recent grad or a college dropout, I’m sure your resume looks a lot better than mine did 48 years ago.”
At the time, Gates had already taken a lot of courses, and “received A” in all of them. While most first-year students have no experience to show, his resume was quite the opposite. To his post, LinkedIn gave a reply that many of those who’re struggling like to hear: “Everyone starts somewhere.”
Gates, who co-founded the tech giant Microsoft as the world knows, and also the non-profit – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – is followed by over 35 million people on LinkedIn, the professional networking site.
Below his tweet was a comment that received a lot of attention: “Greetings, Mr. William H. Gates We appreciate you taking the time to think about working at Microsoft. While we respect your accomplishments and value your interest in applying, we’ve chosen to go on with other candidates after a thorough evaluation. We will retain a record of all of your information, and if the situation changes, we might take you into consideration for any suitable positions that open up. We wish you success in your career.- This is the generic HR response that often triggers disappointment among job seekers.
Some of the users also noticed the reference to height and weight. “Yes, ok…but still a Harvard student! With A in various computer subjects and small (small?) successful experiences! The reference to height and weight makes me smile…here in Italy they are not information that is explicit in a resume. (sic)”
