LOTR: Frodo's Resume Refresh

I’d like to introduce a regular segment I’ll be doing where I highlight a different client I’ve worked with and what their arc has been. Folks often come to me thinking they can’t switch career paths, or even jobs within the same industry. They’re afraid they don’t have the skills, don’t have the experience, don’t have the right resume. The goal here is to show just how varied a background can be, and where your story might take you.

I call it: Life’s Opportunities To Rethink (LOTR)

For the first installment of LOTR, I want to highlight Frodo. He started his career split between home care services and working in local government, but found his passions lay elsewhere. As luck would have it, a friend encouraged him to apply to join a motivated team of nine at a mission-oriented startup; they each had a unique skillset, allowing them to achieve goals larger than the sum of their parts.

At first, Frodo figured he wouldn’t pass the interview. He had a couple close friends on the team, but felt that his experience wasn’t “resume” material. He and I ironed out the details of his resume to give him the best shot - check out some of the changes we made (all years in the Third Age time period):

Assistant to the Mayor of Hobbiton (TA 2987 - TA 2993)Assisted the Mayor with his day-to-day duties, such as meeting with constituents and attending town council meetings

Member of the Shire's Home Guard (TA 2990 - TA 2992)Trained in the use of weapons and participated in drills and exercises

Caretaker of Bag End (TA 2984 - Present)Oversaw the maintenance and upkeep of Bilbo Baggins's hobbit-hole

to

Assistant to the Mayor of Hobbiton (Third Age 2987 - TA 2993)Assisted the Mayor with his day-to-day duties, such as meeting with constituents and attending town council meetingsManaged an initiative to institute Hobbiton’s event planning and permitting process, increasing the number of festivals held in the town square by 68% and reducing the lead time needed for each festival from four weeks down to one

Caretaker of Bag End (TA 2984 - Present)Oversaw the maintenance and upkeep of Bilbo Baggins's hobbit-holeApplied for and utilized a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make much-needed repairs to the structural supports of the building, enabling Bag End’s owner to continue building equity even in poorer economic conditions

Know Your Worth

Off the bat, Frodo sold himself short: he listed his general duties in each role, but didn’t consider the real impact he had through his work. For example, Frodo made Hobbiton more efficient, and gave the folks that live there a formalized process to plan and hold festivals. That is huge! Not only does that speak to Frodo’s ability to introduce operational improvements, it also shows that Frodo’s head is in the right place: he knows what initiatives to prioritize to make the places we call home better.

Frodo had difficulty identifying the aspects of his work that employers are looking for. Living in it and working in it can make you habituated to the compelling aspects of what you do and what you accomplish every day. But I am confident when I say this: Frodo does (and you do!) things every day that are compellingly complex, difficult, and valuable.

Relevant Experience

You likely noticed one omission from the final draft: we removed the note on Frodo’s time in the Home Guard. Given the role Frodo is looking to take on (ring bearer and hero), Frodo primarily needs to demonstrate that he has an ability to work crossfunctionally, resist the temptations of The Dark Lord Sauron, and keep morale high through extended project timelines.

It is less relevant that Frodo has basic combat skills, and more important that he highlights how he will create and maintain boundaries with clients like the Nazgul. Key to his role will be keeping a level head when the all-seeing eye gets particularly finicky – it’s easy to get wrapped up in the whispers from the One Ring early on in your career, so showing you have the wherewithal to navigate difficult conversations that can feel one-sided is crucial.

The Interview

All that being said, the resume is just the entry point. Its purpose is to get you past the review stage and on the phone with someone at the organization. If you can get the fellowship’s recruiter or hiring manager on the phone, then you get to show you have your head on straight. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there’s little more compelling than showing that not only are the lights on, but somebody’s home.