Prior to popular advice you find online like – “Use a Template!, put a picture!”
The truth is hiring managers and bosses who hire want very different things. And their priority is definitely not looking for a resume with a nice template.
I know, because I’ve hired and I’ve been hired before.
Great hires don’t have resumes.
In 2016, I took up a full-time business marketing role in a tech company. I was still working on my businesses on the side and took the role up because I wanted the experience.
I blurred off my asking pay in the image. Well, you know…privacy. 🙂
But here’s the thing.
I didn’t even have or submitted a resume.
The CEO of the company reached out to me, I did some work for him, and after some casual chatting, I joined the company after his many persuasive convincing. (see image above)
I ended up opening doors to several 6-figure clients for the company during my time. Sure, I’m probably not the best marketer in the world, but I believe I was a valuable hire for the company.
Average hires have a resume. Great ones are sought-after.
Here’s what a suggest. Instead of a resume, what about:
- Having a blog (like this one) or website where potential hirers can see and touch your work.
- Having a reputation in the market that precedes you.
- Having powerful recommendations from high-ranking people you’ve helped.
This might sound like contradicting advice.
But think about non-average people. When Steve Jobs hired Tim Cook, did you think he asked for Tim’s resume and evaluated his value by what he saw on the resume?
OK, but I still need a resume.
It would be impractical if I asked everyone to ditch the resume. At most companies, the hiring managers request it.
So if you’re just starting out, you probably still need a resume.
What I’m merely pointing out (hopefully) is that great hires are usually hired without a resume. And you should work hard to get to that point.
So go build your own website, build up your reputation, help more people. The next time you apply for a job, you won’t be just sending in a resume like everyone else.
At LEAD, we help people become job-ready data scientists. What we learnt about getting a job as a data scientist – is showing recruiters how you fit into the overall success of the company matters more, compared to showing them a nice certificate.
I explain in the video below: