Resume

The poem’s title adds to the irony of the overall work, as it twists the conventional meaning of résumé. Typically, a résumé is a document in which a person lists their qualifications for a job. To get hired, a person tries to present themselves in the best possible way. The poem isn’t a list of admirable traits but a compendium of ways to die by suicide. Thus, the résumé represents an absence of accomplishment. Dying by suicide isn’t an activity that a person should publicize—there’s nothing positive about it. The harm and stress caused by attempting to die by suicide only generate negatives.

Arguably, the symbolism transforms the act of attempting to die by suicide into a person with a toxic résumé. The noxious document pushes the reader not to hire or choose them. The “you” (Lines 1, 3, 8) shouldn’t employ death by suicide and the associated harms: They should choose life. Life doesn't come with any accomplishments, but, unlike, dying by suicide, the speaker doesn't bond life to a firm negative.