Character Resume Project
“Self-awareness is necessary to our survival and success – at work, in our relationships, and in life. There is strong scientific evidence that people who know themselves well are happier. They make smarter decisions,. They have better personal and professional relationships. They raise more mature children. They’re smarter, superior students who choose better careers. They’re more creative, more confident, and better communicators. They’re less aggressive and less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. They’re better performers at work who get more promotions. They’re more effective leaders with more enthusiastic employees. They even lead more profitable companies.” – Tasha Eurich, From “Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think.”
The Character Resume Project!
- Have you ever been on a job interview and were asked the question, “Tell me a little bit about yourself?”
- Do you know – and can you articulate – the most important things in your life right now?
- Do you know what makes you thrive at work? And outside of work?
- Are you at a point in your life where you’re trying to decide “What’s next?”
- Are you dealing with the battle of who you’re suppose to be vs. who you actually are?
- Are you living your truth?
Use the Character Resume Project to answer these questions and more. For the next SIX sessions, you will be provided with various tools and activities to build your Character Resume; each session provides a different aspect of learning about yourself, as follows:
- Session 1: Personality Assessments
- Session 2: Strengths Assessments
- Session 3: Values Assessments
- Session 4: Motivators and Human Needs Assessments
- Session 5: Engagement Assessments
- Session 6: Character Resume Project Instructions
By spending 30-60 minutes each session on the various activities in each category, you will start to recognize words/patterns that consistently show up that describe you best. You may want to use the Character Resume Worksheet (MS Word) to record your answers; click on this link to download the Worksheet: character-resume-worksheet, 4-13-24
Once you complete Sessions 1-5, the last session (Session 6) will have you construct a Character Resume, a document that outlines your attributes and characteristics – in one page (single page and/or front-to-back)! In the past, I have offered the Character Resume Challenge as a:
- Four-day project.
- In-person/online week-long project (6 to 7 days).
- In-person/online project over 6 to 7 weeks.
- In-person/online course over half-semester.
Feel free to set up a format that works for you. For those especially ambitious, I completed the Character Resume Challenge in two days in December 2022, before applying for a position at Davidson-Davie Community College. I completed all of the assessments on the first day, then spent the second day working on my Character Resume!
Think how different you would stand out among candidates by submitting a Character Resume with your Employment Resume. Or imagine receiving a Character Resume as part of an Employment application. In the past, students and employers have share how much the Character Resume was a game-changer in the hiring process.
Click on the link below to see example of my Character Resume; you’ll see two versions: (1) one page front and back, and (2) a single-sided page. It was easier for me to create the two-page (front-to-back) version; I found it much more challenging to create a one-sided one-page version.
- Front and back version: character resume-bill johnson example, 6-15-22
- Single-sided version: character resume (1 page)-bill johnson example, 6-18-22
How to use the Character Resume Challenge:
- Challenge five of your friends and/or colleagues to create a Character Resume, holding each other accountable to complete each of the weekly sessions.
- If you work in Career Services/Career Development, have your clients complete a Character Resume as a way to get to know themselves better.
- Challenge your staff/team to complete a Character Resume as a way for them to get to know themselves and the team members better.
- If you’re teaching a class, have your students to complete a Character Resume, so that they have a tool to help them answer the question, “Who am I?”
For specific instructions for completing your Character Resume, visit this web site: Character Resume Instructions.
If you have a free minute, check out my blog post, “character resume reflection,” sharing what I gained from this process.
If you have any questions about the Character Resume Project, please send me (Bill Johnson) a note at whjohnso@uncg.edu.
I hope you enjoy this journey of learning more about yourself!