Reading resumes ranks right up there with interpreting the fine print on the back of your credit card statement. You know it's important but it's oh, so painful.

After 30 years of reading resumes, I know I'm going to find just one or two nuggets of useful information in any resume. I don't care about the rest. I know a resume is so over-edited that it's just a faint representation of the person it's about. That's why so few resumes yield interviews.

On the other hand, I love talking with prospective job candidates to find out what their stories are. Few have one to tell, and that makes it easy to move on to the next without hesitation or guilt. The one who has a story--well, now we're getting somewhere.

A person with a story to tell knows the importance of having a beginning, a middle, and an end. (Can you say, "project management?") The best of them know it's also important to have a plot, a conflict, and a resolution. The rare resume has a distinct theme that reveals itself; I don't have to try to figure it out. That's the person with insight and motivation. That's the person whose aspirations I care about. People with credible aspirations will work hard to deliver what a manager needs so they can get what they need.

How do you craft a resume that tells a compelling story? Don't. Toss your resume in the trash.

Just tell your story. Fast Company provides examples in every issue. The first section of Fast Company I turn to is Fast Talk. It's the stories I look forward to. Check out these stories about Fresh & Easy's chief marketing officer Simon Uwins and Logo Viacom's executive vice president Lisa Sherman.

I want to meet the subject of almost every story in Fast Talk. Many of them have a theme. Almost all have a stimulating beginning, an engaging middle, and a provocative ending that leaves me wanting to know more.

Consider:

• Few resumes leave the reader wanting to know more.
• Most jobs are found and filled through personal contacts.

Q: What's the big difference between a resume and personal contact?

A: One of these is actually an interview-in-progress.

Make your resume read like a Fast Talk interview. That's where job interviews come from.

So, does your resume tell a story? Notice I said, "Tell a story," not "Hope the manager can piece together a story from all the facts."

Nick Corcodilos is the author of How to Work with Headhunters . He also writes the free weekly Ask The Headhunter Newsletter. Ask The Headhunter is a registered trademark.