Lose the Resume, Land the Job

Chapter SixYour Resume: The Story You Tell

1. The Resume—In Perspective
2. The “Calling Card”
3. First Steps: Marketing Yourself
4. Constructing Your Resume
5. Professional Summary
6. No Objectives, Please!
7. Professional Experience and Accomplishments
8. From a Military to a Civilian Career
9. The Creative Resume
10. Your Education
11. How to Sharpen Your Resume
12. Final Notes for Your Resume
13. A Living Document

I've seen it all: long, short, interesting, boring. Every background imaginable: astronaut, prime minister, Navy SEAL. Every hobby under the sun: world-class sushi chef, axe-throwing champion, ice carver. I have received resumes with pop-up art and videos, and one was delivered with a singing telegram.

Among the most memorable resumes, though, was the one that listed an eighteen-month “community-service assignment” that involved working on a “Friends of the Freeway” project. As it turned out, the assignment was actually eighteen months of prison time. (The candidate didn't get the job.) Then there was the person who was incredibly honest and listed “convicted felon” on her resume. She had been convicted of manslaughter after killing her horribly abusive spouse. I'll never forget the story: She called the hiring manager and asked, “Would you hire an ex-convict?” After asking many questions and conducting ...