How to Rewrite Your Resume in One Weekend
“Adrian, I’ll be honest,” the email said. “Your resume is boring.”
Staring at Sherry’s reply felt like finding out my newborn baby was ugly.
“It has lots of information and your experience is very impressive,” Sherry continued, “but it looks like everyone else’s and doesn’t reflect the work you’ve done.”
Days earlier I had asked a mentor for feedback on my resume as I jumped back into the job hunt. The truth hurt but I knew she was right.
I was updating my resume based on the jobs I had before. I should have been writing a new one for the role I wanted next.
Not only did I take Sherry’s feedback, I also used her resume as a template. One week later I had an entirely new resume. A few months later I had a new career.
Do Resumes Still Matter?
That was 15 years ago. Since then I’ve done full rewrites of my resume at least 5 times. For better or worse, the resume remains a must-have tool for gaining attention and approval during most hiring processes.
The steps required to convert the resume you have into the resume you need can feel less like an HR process and more like open-heart surgery. It can be a painful, invasive and messy part of getting the interviews you want but it’s worth it.
With the right questions - and a little patience - you can up-level your resume for broader, newer, different roles by rethinking the work you’ve already done. I’ll share how.
The Challenge
Confirmation bias often blinds us to all the ways our current resume falls short. Does the scenario below sound similar?
You have a great reputation inside your company and really strong experience across a variety of projects.
Your previous success has resulted in awards, promotions, raises and some potential job opportunities.
Recruiters admire you. But you can’t seal the deal and convince new hiring managers of why you’d be a perfect fit for their team.
Frustrated, you add more responsibilities, skills and hobbies into your resume, hoping it tips the talent scale in your favor.
You network your butt off. You play “the game.”
Nothing happens. Everyone agrees you’re a good manager but they won’t hire you to be their director. They’re convinced you’re a great leader but not quite ready to be a senior leader. You just need more time to be VP or C-suite ready.
The Opportunity
While some of the critiques might be correct, they also point to a bigger gap. You need to shift the "frame" of your old resume to highlight your leadership skills, management results & strategic contributions in a new way.
You need a resume that says: "I'm already working at the next level."
Your current resume is screaming: “I’m a really good worker at this level.”
Most resumes are laundry lists of duties & responsibilities. They describe what you are doing and communicate accomplishments at the level you are today instead of the one you’re moving into. It’s time to level-up.
So how do you reassemble past achievements into views of future value? Show what you did. Tell how you did it. Sell what sets you apart.
8 Steps to Rewriting Your Resume For the Role You Want
I deserve a bonus because ________. Write & position your resume as if you're filling in the blank to this statement: "I deserve a bonus because ________." Go beyond stating facts and "lists of duties" by replacing every bullet with the "I deserve a bonus" version of your deliverables.
Talk about big wins, key competitors, major challenges and unexpected results. Stop burying the lead. Spotlight your highlights so readers can clearly see how you solve their problems. Be specific and even consider linking to awards, videos or other digital artifacts of your awesomeness.
Lose the acronyms and insider corporate language for clear, energetic descriptions. Replace jargon with substance. Choose your adjectives wisely and consider removing hyperbole. Some of the most powerful resumes I’ve ever seen let the results do the talking. This is almost impossible for us marketers but it’s worth a try.
Speak like a leader of leaders. Share more than how many people report to you and focus on the organizational, cultural and commercial value you helped create. Read your current company’s annual report or your CEO’s latest presentation. What did you contribute to? Include it.
Be a workhorse that knows how to put on a show. Your hustle and grit will only get you so far. Your resume is one of the first indicators of your ability to lead at a new altitude. Showcase relevant associations, global projects, language proficiency, certifications and training that demonstrate your growth potential.
Clarity is context. Brag on yourself by providing quick, qualitative information on what you were facing in each job, company or category. Explain the size, scale and reach of your team in words that connect to the issues facing a prospective employer. This helps with the "so what?" of your story and allows you to speak as an expert, not an applicant.
Ignore the page count police. I’ve hired people with 1-page resumes and others with 3-page resumes. Make every word count towards the story you are telling. Answering the magic prompt (why I deserve a big, fat bonus…) might mean you need 2 - 3 pages. Or perhaps it clarifies your value and condenses the substance to 1 page. Both are equally awesome. Bad resumes come in all page counts and so do great ones.
Outsource your research to AI, not your writing. There are brilliant AI prompts that help perform much of the analytical heavy lifting. ChatGPT can compile descriptions of your previous companies, align experiences with job requirements, edit target skillsets and help your resume get past the applicant tracking systems (ATS). But it’s only as good as the inputs. It won’t “know” your career story. Use AI as an instrument for improving your writing, not a replacement for your writing.
Questions to Ask Before You Start
Since everyone interviewing for your next role will have the same functional experience, what makes you special?
What values drive you to do what you so well? So consistently?
What's the common thread of what you have done over & over again, no matter the job or company?
As your skills & experience become less important, how do you motivate, lead & create environments of success?
These are inspired by Patty Azzarello in the book RISE. Also read my article 5 Career-Changing Books To Read At Your Own Risk
Yes, this sucks
I know what you're thinking. ;)
This will take an entire day to re-write & no one really writes a resume like that.
Actually it will take you a good weekend to get a decent draft and you’ll continue to refine & edit for months.
Isn't my current resume good enough?
Maybe, if you just rewrote it. But if you’ve read this far down you should just rewrite it.
My resume is better than the other ones I’ve seen.
Only because you haven’t seen enough good ones.
Your current resume might be sufficient to get you noticed as a good candidate. But is it working as hard as it can to communicate why you're the obvious candidate?
This one rewrite will last you several years and open several more doors. I know it because I’ve lived it. I’m grateful for mentors and friends who have taught me more than they realize. Each time, it was hard to hear my resume needed improving. But being ignored is harder.
Sell Your Story
Do it. Make it a long weekend project. Rewrite. Edit. Rewrite again. Send it out for feedback.
It will not only improve how you appear on paper, but also how you interview in person. You need to get your scope right to speak to the new position you are capable of doing. That means letting go of thinking only in skills & duties at the job level and more in terms of change and value at the company level.
Obviously, there are tons of caveats related to skills you need to include for various types of roles that require technical or domain training. But remember, you’re crafting a career story not writing a life novel. Don’t lose the plot.
You’re the only one who can tell and sell your story.
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Your current resume might be sufficient to get you noticed as a good candidate. But is it working hard enough to communicate why you're the obvious candidate?