This is a story about the resume that I am most proud of.  It illustrates the importance of recognizing the strategic role a resume can fulfill by resolving potential problems before they become an issue in the job search process. One becomes empowered and has a positive interaction with prospective employers, removing any need to hedge or flinch over difficult past issues during an interview.

The resume my client had initially written and brought into my office was a classical chronological resume that, under normal circumstances, was very good to excellent. I asked him why he thought he needed my help, as his existing resume looked quite presentable. He was surprised that I hadn't heard. This individual had been tarred and feathered by local groups and in the local press for the conditions at the public service organization where he was the top executive.

When speaking with him, he gave me some confidential information that proved conclusively that it was not his fault but that he was not at liberty to publicize, even in his own defense. He was very concerned that he would not be able to find a similar job unless he moved out of the area.

While writing the resume, I visualized the scenario of someone receiving his resume who decided to interview him who was unfamiliar with the press coverage. I then imagined that individual talking with a crony who said "him!? Do you know about him?" and then proceeding to tell the whole condemning story as it was presented in the press. My goal was to write a resume so solid that, even after disclosure, he would still be a viable candidate and maybe even be perceived as a better candidate than before.

As such, without apology, I presented his perspective on what he had been trying to accomplish to turn the situation around and then went into detail about his activities (when he listed them to me, I asked "do you sleep?" and he replied "not very much.") My goal was to show that, even if someone disagreed with his decisions, he was decisive and he had a vision. I also wanted to show that he had actively been trying to fix the situation with a focus "on providing a sense of stability and purpose to the organization and the community."

The resume was conservative but it wasn't a boilerplate-traditional looking resume. I made sure it was not so avant garde as to alienate the reader but I knew a template resume would not do. When I first faxed the draft over to him, he didn't have time to talk and I could tell from his voice he was uncomfortable with it. One week later, I hadn't heard back so I called him again and he made time to talk - "you know, that resume kind of grows on you," he said. I noted that when we had spoke before I could tell he hadn't been thrilled with the design and asked how he felt about it now. He explained that while it had taken a bit of time for him to throw out some of his old ideas of what a resume should look like, he really liked it. We made a few minor changes and then the resume was ready to send out.

Three months later I called him to see how things had turned out. He said that because the resume was a different style he was getting a lot of comments, mostly positive. Also, he said, the format was easy to work with to make changes.

He had already been offered two positions locally within those three months. He declined those two offers. Later, he accepted a third offer for a job that made him very happy.

Karen Baird-Eaton, CPRW