All About Resumes

Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with inventing the resume. As the story goes he sent a letter detailing his skills to the Duke of Milan in 1482, in hopes of securing patronage. It seems that the Duke was in the market for... someone, to do a thing? And our man Da Vinci thought he had the skills.

Here's what you may not know - Da Vinci focused his letter on his expertise in MILITARY ENGINEERING.

Not art. Not inventions. Not painting the freaking Mona Lisa.

"Hi, Duke of Milan. Here's why you should hire me to build weapons" (more or less - read the letter yourself HERE. Fascinating history)

500+ years later, the resume hasn't changed as much as you might think.

Your resume has a single purpose. Secure an interview. That's it. Now that we've cleared that up, how do we do that?

There are a few ways to approach this. Some folks want to have their entire life history on a resume, and that's not necessarily a bad place to start. Having a primary (or master) resume can help you draft application appropriate resumes in the future. Check out my video on primary resumes here - Why You NEED A Primary Resume! (And how to use AI to create one)

Alrighty! I've dumped everything I've ever done into my primary resume. It's 47 pages. WHAT NOW?

Now we get clarity. I get that clarity can mean different things to different people - let's start with career clarity. Your primary resume SHOULD help inform the things you're good at. We should also consider what we enjoy doing, and finally - what we can get paid to do. Not sure? Check out my video on this topic - The Venn diagram EVERY job seeker needs to know! Ok. Now we know what jobs we should go after.

FOUND A JOB! I really want to apply to it and put my best foot forward. But how? Understanding how to READ a job description comes in real handy here. Not sure what to focus on? Check out this video - How to read a job description like a recruiter. Of course not all job descriptions are as clear as we'd like. All we can do is focus on what we as job seekers can control. The information we put on that resume and ultimately the application is fully up to us.

BUT THE ATS! Stop. Just stop. I can't keep talking about this y'all. Regardless of what you heard, there are no foolproof hacks. There is no magic formula or algorithm. In spite of what features may or may not be implemented, whether or not you resume gets looked at is solely at the discretion of the responsible recruiter. You can read my cautionary tale about this on LinkedIn HERE. If you want to learn more about how ATSs actually work (irrelevant but if you're curious, I got you!) check out this playlist - What does the ATS do anyway?

Alrighty - we're now finding the roles we like, tweaking our resume to fit the job description, and ready to hit "submit". One last thing - do NOT get caught up in the mythology that you just need enough keyword matches or secret prompts. These "hacks" cause way more harm than good. Even over reliance on AI to write your resume can be hurtful. If you're doing it, how many other candidates do you think are following the same guidance? Not really "standing out" if everyone is using the same info.

Your resume should reflect YOUR unique skills and accomplishments. At the same time, they need to scratch the hiring manager's itch. How do you do that? Check out How to read a resume like a hiring manager.

Once you've hit submit? Let it go. You'll hear back or you won't. You'll get an interview or you won't. These things are impossible to predict. Focus on what you can control, and shut out the noise. Pro-tip: if you ARE getting responses? IT'S NOT YOUR RESUME. Only take this guidance if your applications and networking efforts are not landing invitations to learn more about you.

I have an entire 25 video playlist ALL ABOUT RESUMES. Just one of the many playlists and tons of free content available to everyone, all the time, no strings attached. If you find this valuable, share! Send it to a struggling friend. Feedback? Shoot me a note! amy@recruitinginyogapants.com. Happy to answer questions or create future videos/posts based on what ails you.

Want to hire someone to do all this? You certainly can! For me, it's up there with hiring a landscaper, or housekeeper, or chef. Can I mow my own yard? Yep. Cook and clean? Sure. Am I an EXPERT in any of this? Not hardly. My own efforts are usually "good enough". But if you find that your efforts are NOT getting the results you need, AND you have the funds to invest, no shame in paid help. Check out my list of coaches and resume writers HERE.

Now back to our friend Leonardo, the OG renaissance man. Even HE knew he needed to tell the hiring manager Ludovico Sforza what Sforza wanted to hear. Still true today.

Finally, please laugh with me at this ridiculous AI generated image of "me" (allegedly) reviewing resumes. Lord have mercy and pass the botox.