I hear the same story from new clients again and again. It begins differently for different people:

“I ran out of ink”

“I couldn’t find my updated copy” 

“The dog ate it”

It always ends the same way. They come to their first meeting without their resume.

Here’s why that’s both awesome and sad.

It’s awesome because we can learn a bit of their story from where they choose to start it today, in this present moment.

It’s awesome because we can get to what matters without monotonous chronological timelines, font choices, buzz words or bullet points.

It’s awesome because if we can press pause on editing their tools and press play on a conversation, we get to what they want - meaningful work - faster and authentically.

Most people don't like their resume

It’s sad because most people don’t like their resume, and that’s one of the main tools people use to find work.

It’s sad because I often don’t even ask for their resume, but that’s where their head goes when they’re facing transition.

And, it’s sad because clearly, we haven’t yet been able to communicate our worth as Career Professionals to the people that seek us out.

So the dog ate your resume…so what?

Clients so often come to us & say they just need a resume. They don't know that to get what they want, they need to do some clarification and intentional exploration first. Or, they do know, but that feels overwhelming, so all they ask for is the resume.

New clients often ask “what assessments do you use?” and “how fast can you get a resume update for me?”. I turn it around. I ask people to try out just one session, using a narrative framework, before we get to font choice, bullet points and professional profiles. It’s transformative.

At OneLifeTools, our most recent outcome study shows that after a first session using our narrative approach, people feel more hopeful, resilient and able.

That’s how we are helping to change this misconception of our field.

Dear client, the resume is not the main thing that matters. You are.   

So the dog ate your resume…so what?

How do you shift focus in client sessions away from tools like the resume? Leave a comment to tell us about it. 

We have free webinars every month where we share how our narrative approach helps us help others. Join us here. If you're already in our Community of Practice, let's chat about this on our next monthly video call.