The fears we place onto our resumes

Here are the top-10 resume fears from which I beg careerists to release their grip:

1. Fear of a resume that is too long. Even recruiters know that 1-2 pages is no longer the ‘norm.’ Amy Miller, Senior Technical Recruiter at Amazon Lab126, asserts, “I haven’t thought about page length since the last time I printed a resume, which was probably 2007.” [Miller’s insights do not necessarily represent those of Amazon.]

2. Fear of using words uncommon to your industry or among your peers. Your reader has an intellect that expands beyond the buzzwords that bog down your industry. Surprise the reader with something that sizzles or makes them think.

Own YOUR Story!

3. Fear of being too soft. Soft skills matter, and despite some naysayers who believe you must save such narrative for the interview, you should use the resume platform to illustrate your soft skills.

4. Fear of taking credit. Weighing down the limited space by explaining all the moving parts and people involved in an initiative can be exhaustive to the reader, and is unnecessary.

5. Fear of being too detailed. You think no one will read your resume if it has too many words. This isn’t a billboard. Your resume is a story and must provide nuance. Properly done, including headlines for glimpseability, a well-developed resume will be skimmable while also offering greater depth, breadth and context for those who want to know more.

6. Fear of being different. Because a mentor, executive recruiter, friend in the industry, colleague, wife/husband, advertising pro friend, etc., recommends that you should write and design a resume using certain rules, doesn’t mean you should heed their advice. Ask 10 people and get 10 opinions.

As my friend, Olympic Gold Medalist + Performance Coach, Joe Jacobi, wisely shared on Twitter, “We forfeit three-quarters of ourselves in order to be like other people.” (quote via Arthur Schopenhauer)

Release the Fear!

7. Fear of not being yourself. You say,“I don’t talk like that.” A resume story is marketing, and you may not naturally, in your everyday conversation, speak about your value in this marketing-focused tone. Selling your value should be uncomfortable. Embrace the discomfort. It can be empowering.

8. Fear of charts and graphs. If you fear that an ATS won’t like your chart or that a human will think it’s too much, then you probably are over-thinking things. At the executive level, your search should be less dependent upon AI, machine-learning, ATS and more about what will appeal to a human reader. Moreover, tech rapidly is advancing, and many resume sifters can pull data from charts, etc. vs. being repelled by the resume artistry.

9. Fear of being too narrow in your approach. Embrace the constraints of a focus. It will guide you to your destination.

10. Fear of listing earlier career experience. While you don’t need to put dates on experience earlier than say, 15+ years, including it is invaluable, providing context around your story trajectory – the experiences that have shaped you.