Walk Me Through Your Resume
One thing I hear over and over is that people get hung up on the “walk me through your resume” part of the interview. This is the first question that an interviewer asks, so it offers a chance to make a strong first impression.
However, people are unclear about what to highlight and they feel uncomfortable (and a little boring) reading their resume aloud. I hear you. Reading resumes aloud is pretty boring.
I’ll let you in on a secret: as a candidate, I love getting this question. It allows you to add context, depth, and texture to your candidacy. It allows you to uniquely stand out.
Today I offer a few tips as you prepare to answer the “walk me through your resume” question during an interview. With these tips, I hope that I can convert a few of you into loving this question. Let me know if you find any of this helpful and if you try out any of these tips.
1) Tell a story.
Think about your through line and then craft the story of your career. Help your interviewer understand your story by spelling it out for them.
You might say something at the end like: You’ll notice that I’ve devoted my career to social justice work because of X experience (that you outlined at the beginning of your story). Or: I’ve always been behind the scenes supporting a visionary leader. I want to keep being a strong #2 in my next organization.
2) Explain short stints (and other questions).
The reason why this question is great for you, the candidate, is that you can address any concerns that may come up in the mind of the interviewer. For example, if you have a short stint at one or more roles, you can talk about how your partner got a role across the country and you had to move. Also, don’t bash your previous employer but be ready to explain why you left an organization.
If there are any other questions that someone might have: like a move from corporate America to nonprofits or a move from environmental justice to electoral work, this is your chance to share why you made those transitions and add texture to your candidacy for this role.
3) Add context to your resume that shows why you are the perfect hire for this role.
We generally recommend that you keep your resume to 2 pages. If you have been working for a couple of decades, this is difficult. But that’s why this question is fantastic. It sets you up to explain your career in ways that you just can’t do in a resume. See this post for more tips.
For any relevant experiences you want to highlight, raise up the key accomplishments in the role that you're most proud of. Ideally these are things that connect back to the job you're interviewing for. For example, if you are talking about doing major gifts work at an organization for 3 years, mention how many donors they had when you started and how many they had when you left. Use specifics. You want to make sure that someone who isn’t in your line of work can understand what you contributed to the organization.
4) Be genuine.
In any interview, it’s easy to answer questions the way you think they should be answered which can sometimes feel inauthentic or bland. In your story, share your interests and passions, and how that played a role in shaping where you worked and what you've done.
For example, someone on team NRG moonlights as a Gameshow contestant and she always includes that in her resume. It’s a fun ice breaker. Additionally, I remember someone who shared that they can solve a Rubix cube in under 1 minute and it made for a memorable conversation.
Director of Government Affairs @ Americans for Responsible Innovation; DC; $175K-$250K
Executive Director @ Children’s Advocacy Alliance of Nevada; Las Vegas; $100K-$110K
U.S. Oil & Gas Strategic Coordinator @ Oil Change International; Remote; ~$100K
Director of Development @ Only One; Remote (NYC Preferred); $100K-$125K
Director, Corporate Power & Financial Regulation @ Roosevelt Institute; Remote (NYC/DC preferred); $155K-$170K
Part-Time Teacher ‘25-’26 School Year @ Temple Shalom of Newton; Newton, MA; $61/hr
That’s not all! We are hiring for additional jobs and you can see all of our openings on the NRG website.
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Earth Day Giveaway
Calling all NRG Talent Network members! We’re doing an Earth Day Giveaway. Respond to our survey to help us improve our Talent Network, and get entered to win a FREE coaching session with Founder and CEO, Naomi Roth-Gaudette.
Submissions accepted until April 22nd, 9am ET. We will draw the winner at noon on Earth Day.
Follow NRG on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.
If you aren’t currently a member of the NRG Talent Network, consider joining. The questions take 3 minutes to complete and then we’ll send you job announcements when your criteria (salary, location, etc.) matches the position.
Let’s move,
Naomi
P.S. If you’d like a partner to help you with your job search strategy, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you.
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