A philosophical companion to Resume (Bio, Blurb, Logline…) as Tool
When I ask someone, “What do you want this resume to do for you right now?”—it may sound practical, even blunt. But it opens a door into a deeper tradition of thinking about tools. The resume isn’t just a document. It’s a mirror. A medium. A machine that reshapes the maker.
’m echoing a quiet lineage of thinkers who took tools seriously—not just as instruments, but as reflections of human intention, culture, and even identity.
These thinkers—Martin Heidegger, Marshall McLuhan, Ivan Illich, and Don Norman—weren’t all saying the same thing. Some were elusive (Heidegger), some legendary communicators (McLuhan), others plainspoken critics of modern life (Illich), and still others focused on design and usability (Norman). But all shared a core insight: tools don’t just do what we tell them—they shape us as we use them.
“The hammering itself uncovers the specific ‘manipulability’ of the hammer.”
— Being and Time, Martin Heidegger1
Heidegger said we mostly use tools without noticing them. A hammer is just part of hammering—until it breaks. Then, it becomes an object of scrutiny.
Resumes are often like that. When they work—they land interviews or reflect a coherent self—we don’t think about them. But when they don’t—we get stuck, ghosted, laid off—they suddenly become visible. We scrutinize the format, the story, the gaps.
That discomfort is an opportunity. Heidegger invites us to examine what we've been taking for granted.
“We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.”
— Father John Culkin, SJ, paraphrasing McLuhan2
McLuhan, a media theorist and public intellectual, argued that the form of a tool changes the user.
A resume doesn’t just express your career. It teaches you how to think about your career. Bullet points compress. Metrics dominate. Titles flatten. Identity becomes achievement.