A narrative resume is a stylistic departure from a traditional chronology of work experience and education. For some professions--and particularly those in the arts--a narrative resume doubles as an opportunity to show off your writing skills as well as draw attention away from gaps in your job history (i.e., raising a family), account for dual employment activities (i.e., waiter by day, actor by night) or justify a succession of short "hops" in which you were trying on different career hats to find the best fit.

Identify what type of job you're applying for. Resumes are not a one-size-fits-all product; the most effective ones are those that are tailored to fit the specific search needs of a company and put the strongest attributes/experiences in a prominent position.

Go through the job specs and circle all of the action-oriented duties (i.e., manage, direct, analyze, create and supervise). Transfer these to a separate page as subheadings under which you will list (from either your current resume or your memory) the employment and volunteer activities you have that apply to each of those actions.

Draft a short paragraph for each module that summarizes in a professional but conversational way how your experiences relate to the scope of duty. For instance, if the header is "Management," you might write something along the lines of, "My ability to motivate others to do their best was honed during the 16 years I managed and directed a touring theater company composed of 10 to 30 actors. The demands and diplomacy required to successfully launch new productions every season--as well as maintain positive liaisons with the media--proved a strong foundation when I was appointed chairman of the Catalina Arts Commission in 2005."

Keep each summary roughly the same length and only include information that is directly pertinent. A good way to do this is to use the word count feature on your computer to determine the length of the summary you feel is the most concise. Edit the rest of your summaries so that they match this count. Like a traditional resume, a narrative format should be able to be contained in one page. If it splashes over to two, you may be rambling.

Incorporate your volunteer experience in these summaries, especially insofar as they demonstrate your ability to be a good leader, a team player, an effective organizer of events and campaigns, a tireless fund-raiser and a skilled wordsmith who can turn out press releases, create newsletters, design websites or write public service announcements. Review some of the samples in Resources below to get a feel for how other job applicants have described themselves in a narrative context.

Draft a career objective statement. Unlike a traditional resume, a narrative resume opens (after the header contact information) with a statement about the type of position being sought and why you are well suited to perform the duties associated with it. It can be something as simple as a one-line declaration of who you are (i.e., "Award-winning playwright, instructor, script consultant and published author with substantial credits in multiple genres") to a story-style explanation of what has brought you to this juncture of job seeking (i.e., "As the parent of a son with autism, I'm sensitive to the demands, frustrations and anxieties a special needs child can place on a family. Having recently acquired my degree in Early Childhood Education, I believe my background would be a strong fit in your facility's current search for an assistant program director.").

Show your career statement and your experience summaries to a trusted friend to evaluate how you come across in this style of resume.

Write the finished product. Your narrative resume should be on high-quality white, beige or light gray bond and utilize a 12-point font in Times New Roman, Courier, Bookman or Palatino. Set your margins for 1 inch on all sides. Center your name at the top of the page. Your contact information (single spaced) goes directly below this. Drop down two lines and enter your career objective statement. Drop down two more lines and put your first subheading in all caps (this can either be at the left margin or centered, but be consistent throughout). Drop down two lines and (single-spaced, starting at the left margin) type your first entry. Repeat this step until you have addressed all of the subheadings for which you wrote content. Drop down two lines and type "Education" in all caps. Two lines below this will be the colleges you attended and the degree(s) you earned. Drop down two more lines and type "References" in all caps. Most applicants simply type "Available upon request." You may, however, want to list three to four references, especially if they hold significant positions that might impress the evaluator.

Proofread your resume thoroughly before you send it anywhere. Better yet, recruit extra pairs of eyes to review it for you.