It worked. They're in.
Real results from real workers, and the peer-reviewed research behind them. We measure, we don't claim.
GOOGLE REVIEWS
Verified reviews from Google Business Profile
Dave Baron
"I have to say, dealing with Troy was an absolute pleasure. I would highly recommend Steel Man Resumes to anyone who is looking to clean up and bring up-to-date their old outdated resumes. Troy's turnaround getting my resume cleaned up and back to me was absolutely astonishing. Not to mention jaw dropping after I saw what he did and how it looked after he completed it. Thank you very much Troy for everything."
Troy's response:
"Thank YOU Dave! It was my pleasure working with you. Don't forget to call me back if you need anything else... I got your back!"
Berto R
"Steel Man Resumes has helped me with The Forge and Refinery settings. Turned my resume from a bland resume and gave it life. They used the Steel Man approach and got me back into the workforce after years of gaps and helped me explain my situation in the best possible way. I recommend it for anybody who wants to upgrade their resume or try to change their future."
Troy's response:
"Berto! My friend! I'm so glad you're happy with the work we did... Really, you did the hard part. I'm very proud of you. Call me directly if you need ANYTHING... My phone's always on for you."
FROM TROY'S RESUME SERVICE
Outcomes from Troy's human resume-writing service -- a decade of direct service. Names changed, everything else is exactly what happened.
Marcus, 34
Warehouse Worker -- Milwaukee
The Challenge
7-year employment gap due to incarceration. Multiple short-term jobs before that.
What We Did
Led with recent temp work and certifications earned inside. Created scripts for addressing background.
The Result
Hired in 3 weeks. Promoted to shift lead 18 months later.
Tammy, 52
Admin/Manufacturing -- Waukesha
The Challenge
5-year gap caring for sick parent. Kept getting told she was "overqualified."
What We Did
Reframed caregiving as project management. Targeted small businesses that value reliability.
The Result
Hired as office manager. They loved that she wasn't going to job-hop.
Jake, 28
Food Service to Trades -- Racine
The Challenge
8 jobs in 4 years. Mix of food service and retail. No formal training.
What We Did
Highlighted transferable skills. Identified apprenticeship programs. Created cover letter emphasizing eagerness.
The Result
Accepted into electrical apprenticeship. Making more than ever before.
THE SCIENCE
The Forge is not a resume scanner with a chatbot bolted on. It is built on peer-reviewed research from six distinct scientific traditions, synthesized into a coherent career development pipeline.
150+ citations. Auditable AI. Built by lived experience.
DESISTANCE THEORY
Maruna (2001), Giordano et al. (2002), and Sampson & Laub (1993) established that successful reentry requires a cognitive shift -- a new narrative identity, not just behavioral change. The Forge's readiness assessment and narrative reconstruction are built directly on this literature.
Maruna (2001): Desistance requires a "redemption script" -- a coherent narrative connecting past, present, and future self
Giordano et al. (2002): Four cognitive transformations predict desistance -- openness to change, exposure to hooks for change, envisioning a replacement self, viewing old behavior as undesirable
Sampson & Laub (1993): Social bonds (employment, marriage) are the primary mechanism for desistance from crime
Farrall (2002): Agency and social capital together predict desistance better than either alone
NARRATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
McAdams (1993, 2001) and Maruna & Ramsden (2004) demonstrated that personal narrative is the mechanism by which individuals make sense of their life course. The Forge's narrative reconstruction pipeline translates this into a professional context.
McAdams (1993): Personal myths -- the stories we tell about ourselves -- shape identity and motivation more reliably than personality traits
Maruna & Ramsden (2004): Redemption narratives -- contamination sequences that turn positive -- are the structural engine of successful reintegration
Pennebaker & Seagal (1999): Writing about one's own experiences produces measurable cognitive reorganization and improved outcomes
MOTIVATIONAL SCIENCE (SDT)
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000, 2017) provides the motivational framework for The Forge's readiness model. The stages of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983) map directly to our four readiness stages.
Deci & Ryan (2000): Autonomous motivation -- doing things because they align with personal values -- produces more durable behavior change than externally regulated motivation
Prochaska et al. (1992): Change follows five stages; interventions matched to stage produce 2-3x better outcomes than stage-mismatched interventions
Vansteenkiste et al. (2004): SDT-based career counseling produces greater persistence and job satisfaction than traditional approaches
LABOR MARKET REALITIES
Pager (2003, 2007) and the SHRM (2021) research ground The Forge's barrier analysis in documented structural reality -- not optimism. Understanding what employers actually do allows for honest, targeted navigation.
Pager (2003): Criminal records reduce callback rates by 50% for white applicants and 64% for Black applicants in audit study
Pager (2007): The Mark of a Criminal Record -- race and record interact to produce compounding disadvantage
SHRM (2021): 85% of HR professionals report that employees with criminal records perform the same or better than employees without; 31% report lower turnover
Western (2006): Incarceration has become a standard feature of the life course for disadvantaged minority men, restructuring labor market inequality
FAIR-CHANCE HIRING
The Forge's employer recommendations draw on documented fair-chance employer behavior, not anecdote. The job board in The Refinery flags employers using criteria grounded in this research.
NELP (2020): 37 states and 150+ localities have enacted Ban the Box legislation; applicants in covered areas have 4% higher employment rates
Doleac & Hansen (2020): Ban the Box reduces conviction-based discrimination but has unintended effects on statistical discrimination -- nuanced policy interpretation required
Granovetter (1973): Weak ties (acquaintances, institutional contacts) are more valuable than strong ties for job placement -- the Refinery's resources hub is built on this
AI GOVERNANCE
Every AI decision in the SMR platform is logged and auditable under a governance framework developed in partnership with Justice Beacon Solutions. The goal: algorithmic accountability in a high-stakes population context.
All AI outputs are logged with model ID, inputs (truncated), outputs, and explanation to decision_log
No AI output is presented to users without a human-readable explanation
The platform explicitly refuses to produce outputs that could constitute a criminal history disclosure
Users own their data; export and deletion are available from account settings at any time
WHAT THIS MEANS IN PRACTICE
The research literature on desistance and reentry is clear: job placement alone does not produce durable outcomes. The mechanism is identity -- whether a person has developed a coherent narrative that positions work as part of who they are becoming, not just what they need to survive.
The Forge operationalizes this. The readiness assessment maps to Prochaska's stages of change. The narrative reconstruction uses McAdams's structure for redemption narratives. The career paths are matched to Giordano's "hooks for change" concept -- specific opportunities that align with an emerging identity.
The result is a career plan that isn't just accurate -- it's clinically grounded. Practitioners who use The Forge with their clients are not outsourcing career counseling to a chatbot. They are using a tool built on the same literature that informs evidence-based reentry practice.
Your story could be next
Start with a free Career Intelligence Report. See where you stand -- and where you could go.