Resumes: A Story About You
Share your narrative, not your facts
Most people treat their resume like a legal document, a record of employment with dates, job titles, and bullet points as proof points. They list their responsibilities and activities with hopes that a hiring manager will effortlessly connect the dots to recognize how amazing they are.
Don’t take it personally, but hiring managers rarely see your sparkle because it’s not visible in the sea of mundane facts about you.
While your resume provides evidence of your work history, it’s not fair to expect the hiring manager to be a detective (unless you’re applying for a job as a detective). Instead, be intentional in communicating a story about you through the progression of your career experience, the measurable value you created, and your potential to achieve more.
The resume isn't just about the past — it's about the future
Most people write their resume looking backward, cataloging everything they've done, accounting for every year. But the person reading it is in a dilemma about how to deliver for the future, potentially with your help. They want to know: Are you capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of the role we need? Can we depend on you? Do we want you on our team?
Your resume does not need to be a complete historical record of your career. Make it a carefully curated argument for why you're the right person for this opportunity. Minimalism and readability are virtues for your resume because they bring focus while removing noise.
Career changers, people returning after a gap, people who've moved across industries often feel like their history works against them. It doesn't have to. You can reframe it so that it flows meaningfully into your narrative. For example, “Expanded my skills by taking on a challenging role in a new functional area” tells me you are not scared of growth, you are curious, and you have grit, not that you switched jobs opportunistically or out of desperation.
Lead with who you are, not just what you've done
The summary at the top of your resume is the most underused space in the document. Most people skip it entirely, or fill it with phrases like “results-driven professional” and “passionate about excellence,” generic terms that convey nothing specific about you.
Instead, try leading with a two-part statement: First, who you are, grounded in your years of experience and the industries or companies that shaped you. Then who you want to be, described by the kind of role, company, or impact you're looking to create next.
Here's one example of how that can read: “As a design leader with 15 years of experience across enterprise software, healthcare, and fintech, I am looking to bring my cross-industry perspective to a product organization where design is a catalyst for transformation.”
This two-part structure establishes credibility and depth from your past, and shows the reader where your ambitions lie ahead. For career changers especially, this approach allows you to cleanly reframe your career pivot. State the transition directly and tailor the case for why your background is an asset. Don't soften it.
Every point should be intentional and efficient
Each line (or bullet point) in your experience section is a decision about what to include and how to frame it. Here are a few principles worth keeping in mind:
Lead with impact, not activity. “Managed a team of six” tells a reader what you did. “Built a team that reduced customer churn by 30% in eighteen months” tells them the value your team delivered under your leadership. Quantifying your results shows ownership and accountability, not just action.
Use the language of the reader, not your last employer. Strip out internal vocabulary like product names, process terms, organizational language that means nothing outside those walls. Write in the language of the role you’re pursuing, not the one you’re leaving.
Be compelling, not comprehensive. A resume that accounts for everything usually communicates nothing clearly. Choose the experiences that build your argument and leave the rest out. Excessive word count hurts your credibility and communication style.
And remember: the most recent isn't always the most relevant. If you're changing directions, punctuating an older role may tell a more persuasive story. Highlight relevant experience in your summary, don’t be boxed in by chronology.
Addressing the unconventional path
Left unexplained, gaps and career pivots generate doubt. When addressed directly in your summary or in how you frame individual roles, they become part of an interesting story about you as a unique individual.
Someone who spent twenty years in engineering before moving into product strategy knows how things actually get built. Someone who worked across five industries has pattern recognition that specialists don't. Someone who left to run a small business and came back brings operational ownership that most employees never develop. Someone who took time off from work to get new perspectives on a sabbatical, or start a family, brings more life experience and inner strength to the job than most.
The gap isn't a problem if you express a compelling story about it. Don’t defend the gap, make it interesting and relevant.
What your resume says on its own
Your resume is actually your representative, making the first connection with others on your behalf. First, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan and interpret your words, filtering you in or out before recruiters consider reviewing. If you’re a match for the job, a hiring manager will read your resume alone, rarely word-for-word, spending less time than you spent writing it. They quickly form an impression of your qualifications, how you think, and how hungry you are for the opportunity.
Hiring managers want positive sentiments to their core questions to build trust in your: Can I count on this person? Do they have a track record of creating value? Will they be a likeable team member? Will they stick around? Do they take feedback well? Will they grow?
And they implicitly assess if you can communicate well to any audience, with strong attention to detail. Errors, inconsistency, and verbosity signal a lack of care to your reader, which often tips their decisions in favor of or against you.
Yet, a resume tailored to the role signals you understand it, you are audience-aware, and took time to align the story of who you are to who they need. A professionally designed resume signals that you present well and will be a good representative for the team.
Those are the people that get the call.
Before you send it
Read it out loud. If a sentence sounds robotic or incoherent, rewrite it until it is approachable, confident, professional, and authentic. That will convey who you are better than a list of hobbies or awards.
Ask a friend outside your industry to read it and give you honest feedback. If they can't tell you who you are and why they’d hire you within 30 seconds, it isn't clear enough.
Cut anything that doesn't build the argument about your capability and desirability. Be honest with yourself and your reader about what you want next. Then paint a picture that makes them want you on their team.
Shine, and be patient
Nowadays, job openings routinely have hundreds of applicants vying for a single position. For that reason, every bit of your effort to present the best story of you is valuable. To differentiate yourself from a crowd of other excellent candidates, be authentic and distinctly you. That is memorable.
Be patient with the process. Hiring managers are desperate to fill positions, but also to get it right. A bad hire is a high cost to an employer. Very often, when you’ve made it through many steps of the process and don’t get the offer you hoped for, it’s not a reflection on you. Our natural reflex is to make a new story about how we are unworthy or unhireable. Don’t lose focus of the inspiring story you’ve created about yourself. Ask for feedback, make refinements, and keep at it. Your next opportunity is around the corner.
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