During interviews, it’s common for resumeSTORY.builders clients to hear, ‘This is the best resume I’ve ever seen’. Maybe you’ll agree after perusing these before & after resume examples.

The purpose of a resume is to secure you an interview. The purpose of an interview is for recruiters, line managers and executives to gain insight into a) your interpersonal skills, b) your ability to lead/persuade others, c) how you think and tackle issues (your cognitive abilities) and d) your capacity to think laterally/creatively and finally e) whether you’ll add value to their team or organization. The great thing about a story-based resume is that, even before you set foot in the interview, the resume has already given the reader insight into points a→e. That makes the decision to interview you an easy one.

Consider a story-based resume if:

1. You’d like to land more interviews. Hiring managers want to know how a candidate thinks and acts. Normally they have to invest time in interviewing a candidate to get answers to their questions. With a story-based resume, hiring managers glean answers to their fundamental questions up front (by reading your resume!). That makes the decision to interview you an easy one.
2. You’ll perform better in interview. Talking through your stories with your consultant will help you better articulate them when the pressure is on. Many clients find that seeing their stories filtered through the lens of an outside observer and rendered on paper allows them to view their career from the outside→in for the first time.
3. You need a resume that goes on impressing stakeholders once you’ve left the interview. Not everyone who weighs in on hiring decisions will have a chance to meet you in person (and not everyone who interviews you will remember the conversation in detail days or weeks later). The story-based resume looks good, reads well and stands out because it’s built using relatable stories rather than mindless buzzwords or job description excerpts.

Please take a moment to review some before & after resumes from past clients.

Deliverable: The Story-based Resume Service includes a) fresh, story-based content and bullet points and b) the Fresh Resume Design Service (a new resume design and a rethinking of your resume’s layout/structure). Story-based resumes are between 1 and 1.25 pages long with 90% being 1-page long. At the end of this service you’ll receive a PDF version of your resume as well as a modular Word document which you can edit and build on in the future.

Process: Client emails consultant: Current resume, 3 job postings (optional) and their completed brainstorming document (optional) → (STUDENT/STANDARD resume = 1 hour on phone) (EXTENDED resume = 3 hours on phone, 2 Phone Calls (1.5 hours each)) → 1st Resume Draft → Feedback → Subsequent Resume Edits

Prior to your resume call, you’ll email your consultant a maximum of three job postings that you’re interested in (optional). You’ll also receive and complete a brainstorming document (optional). Depending on the service you choose (STUDENT/STANDARD or EXTENDED) you’ll spend between one and three hours on the phone with your consultant going over your career, education, community involvement and personal interests. After the second call, you’ll receive the first draft of your story-based resume. The first draft will feature fresh story-based content/bullet points, a new design and an improved structure/layout. You’ll review the first draft and make any comments or changes using the track change functionality in Word. Depending on your feedback, either additional edits to your resume will follow or a phone call will be set up to discuss questions and concerns. The process continues until everyone is 100% satisfied. (Accommodations available for clients with dyslexia).

Turnaround Time: Each service contains several deliverables. The turnaround time for any one deliverable (like new edits to a document based on client feedback) is a maximum of two business days (see the FAQs for more information). Total turnaround time is a function of a) the client’s availability to schedule calls and b) the amount of time the client requires to complete the brainstorming document or provide feedback on resume drafts. A typical timeline follows.

• Day 1: Client receives the brainstorming document (note: completing the brainstorming document is optional).
• Day 3: Client returns the brainstorming document and shares their current resume and a maximum of three job postings with their consultant (optional).
• Day 4: Resume Call #1 (STUDENT/STANDARD and EXTENDED resume rewrite)
• Days 5-6: Client’s resume is partially drafted based on Call #1
• Day 7: Resume Call #2 (EXTENDED resume rewrite only)
• Day 9: Client receives a first draft of their resume.
• Days 10-13: Client spends some time reviewing the resume – possibly sharing it with a few contacts. Client uses the track change functionality in Word to insert comments, feedback and changes into the document.
• Day 14: Client’s feedback is received. Either a call will be scheduled in the next day or two or the client will receive an updated resume draft based on their feedback.
• Day 15+: Additional rounds of review and resume drafting as necessary. Generally though, resumes are completed after one or two rounds.

VIEW ADDITIONAL RESUME EXAMPLES