When you’re in the middle of a job search, it can feel like your whole purpose is to impress people.

It’s almost like you’re auditioning for your target roles.

There is some truth to that, of course. Ultimately, you do need to be selected.

But it’s also more complicated than that - because you also need to do the choosing!

Instead of focusing on auditioning or performing during the job search, I like to encourage our clients to look for resonance.

(Not coincidentally, the name of our resume writing service is not impress, but rather, Resonate.)

To land a job that aligns with your goals, needs, and values, you need to both convey your value (your relevant skills, experience, and qualifications for the role) and your values (what matters most to you.)

Our clients often worry that they will come across as too self-promotional.

But there are so many ways to do this that can feel good and help us work toward the goal of landing something that’s a good fit.

Here are some ways to practice conveying our value and values: 

1. Review job postings and pay particular attention to the qualification section. We consider the qualifications of a job posting as an indication of the hiring team’s needs - and we prioritize responding to them as a way of demonstrating our understanding AND to help make it easy to see how qualified our clients are. 

Let’s use that top ⅓ of your resume to demonstrate that we’re “listening” and respond accordingly. (If you need help with this, we teach a Summary of Qualifications strategy to all of our resume and job search clients but you can also learn how to do this by purchasing our digital products here.)

2. Practice telling your stories out loud like you were going through the interview process. I know I am not the only one who talks to myself. Right?! Writing first - and then storytelling out loud is such a good way to get comfortable with our experience and sharing it in different ways. 

We can also position the same example differently depending on the question or the needs of the role so the goal is to become familiar and confident with your experience so you can respond comfortably in interviews and conversations. Practicing out loud can help!

3. Pay attention to what you’re learning as a candidate. Each touchpoint is an opportunity to learn more about the organization and team you’ll be working with. 

Instead of just assessing your performance, reflect on your experience. What did you learn during the interview? How were you treated by the people you met? You’ll want to take note of that so that you can be responsive!

4. Consider leaving experience that matters to you. About half of my resume writing clients have already paid another professional resume writer to create a resume for them - and they often come to me having barely used the template that they paid for.

Why? Because it’s too generic and it doesn’t feel like them.

The trick is not just to have a resume that generates interviews. It’s to have a resume that generates aligned opportunities!

To get those, you often need to feel connected to your resume and that it communicates your values and unique experiences.

This can include things like breaks, caretaking, volunteering for political or social causes. Don’t try to be a blank slate!

Remember, using our resumes to be responsive is a way to connect. Its step is not about twisting ourselves into knots and saying yes to everything and shifting into performance mode. 

Secondly, we have to acknowledge that, yes, there may be a cost to claiming that we’ve taken a sabbatical or that we have twenty years of work experience or by sharing the political or social issues near and dear to us. Part of this experience is to learn that rejection is sometimes a good thing. What would your resume look like if it represented your values even 15% more than it does now?

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