Telling Your Story: Your Resume is Just a Table of Contents

“I just don’t get it.”  A CEO once said this to me in an interview, while scanning my resume.

“You've got a lot of interesting experiences here but nothing seems to connect….what’s your value?  What do you bring to the table?” 

Wow.  It took me a moment to regroup and then I recovered by saying,

“I’m a builder.  What you can’t see in my resume, is that I was the first person to step into any of those roles.  There was no job description, only a goal and very small budget. I like the challenge of building things from scratch and figuring out how to do it with very few resources. I’m kind of like MacGyver, the TV character who solves problems with a piece of string and paperclip.” 

That was my story and that’s how I got the job with a start-up that needed my skills and creativity.  And, it’s how I learned that no matter how cool my individual experiences were, they had no value for my next role until I could shore them up in a compelling account.

Now, a recruiter myself, I realize how critical telling a unique tale of one’s career can be to closing any opportunity.  Many people simply focus their energy on job titles, key words, skills and accomplishment bullets, which are just the bones of your story and the start of a conversation. The details are what provide the richness of your experience and clues hiring managers need to determine if you are a fit for the role they are filling.  The questions they are asking themselves are:

·       What problems can you solve?

·       What themes can be found throughout your story?

·       What choices have you made and why?

·       And, what are you going to do next? 

·       Why you and why now?

Every good story needs a plot.   You can start by answering the questions above using the bullets in your resume as chapter heads and proof points while you explain who you are and where you are going with your career.  In doing so, you need to connect the dots. When you do this, the story adds context to the chapter heads and enriches your value.

As you craft your career story, include subplots that show how you grew, lessons you’ve learned and how you have refined your skills and perspectives along the way.  Your plot development will also allow you to answer difficult questions about why you pivoted or changed direction.  Every character must have a learning curve, challenges to face and even antagonists to navigate.  Everyone loves a hero who can overcome trials and emerge stronger as a result.

No one has the same story to tell.  Yours makes you special and knowing how to tell it will set you apart from other job seekers.

If you  are struggling to find the throughline in your own career, I’d love to be your sounding board.  Sometimes the person living a story has the most difficulty recognizing its main theme.

Together, we can uncover your plot and build a path to your next chapter.  We can also make sure the next person who interviews you will see it too!