293: 5 Biggest Resume Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Does your resume tell the best and most compelling version of your professional accomplishments and story? Joining our show today is top-ranked Executive Resume Writer and Coach, Sarah Johnston, founder of the Briefcase Coach. Sarah is recognized as a LinkedIn “Top Voice” and named one of HR Weekly’s Top 100 Most Influential People in HR and her firm was rated “best” for experienced executives by Balance Careers. A former corporate recruiter and industry insider, Sarah is committed to empowering high-achieving professionals around the world in their job search.

During this candid, revealing conversation, Sarah shares her hard-earned wisdom on the biggest mistakes she sees people making when crafting their resumes, and what you can do instead.

Sarah also shares insights on how resume content should differ from our LinkedIn profiles and the most common resume and LinkedIn mistakes she's encountered. We discuss why relying solely on keywords isn't enough, how networking is evolving, how to effectively disclose gaps in our work experience, and the limitations (and also helpful aspects) of generative AI tools in resume writing.

Finally, Sarah shares how she strikes a key balance between personal and professional identities and sharing on a public platform.

Join us today to learn how to craft the most compelling narratives of your work and career journey and great new ways to uplevel your resume and LinkedIn profile today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Meet Sarah Johnston, Executive Resume Writer and Coach. [02:33]
• Making a distinction between resume content and a LinkedIn profile. [05:14]
• The two biggest resume mistakes that people make and how to counteract them. [10:06]
• Establishing whether or not to share your ‘dirty little secret’ when writing a resume. [17:44]
• How to approach keywords and leverage the power of networking. [21:26]
• Sarah’s thoughts on using AI tools to get a headstart on writing your resume. [30:16]
• Two of the biggest mistakes Sarah sees people making on LinkedIn. [34:42]
• Balancing personal and professional identities and when to communicate a stance. [38:40]
• Sarah’s closing advice: don’t skip the self-reflection piece of finding a job. [41:20]

 

For More Information:

Follow Sarah Johnston on LinkedIn.
Learn more about her services as the Briefcase Coach.

Follow Sarah on X.

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: 

Julie Robinett’s Book, How to Be a Power Connector
Greenhouse applicant tracking software
Zoho Recruit talent acquisition solution

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Quotes: 

“The resume is very KPI (key performance indicator) and result-driven: we’re going to make sure that we highlight the impact that you’ve had on the business and the bottom line. I view the LinkedIn as two-fold: number one, it’s a story.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:05:23]

“When someone opens your LinkedIn profile to view you and read about you, they only see the first three lines. I want to do everything I can to make that reader click ‘See More’.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:06:03]

“Don’t lie on your resume, but also view the resume as a marketing document. You don’t have to put everything out there, but you have to make sure it’s honest.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:20:34]

“I make my money off of writing resumes, but I will say that a resume alone will not get you a job.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:27:56]

“What ChatGPT can’t do is unearth your value proposition, and that’s what a great resume writer does.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:31:24]

“The one takeaway that I would give to listeners today is to not skip the self-reflection phase of the job search.” — @SarahDJohnston [0:41:20]

 

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