CPC Thought Leadership: Getting Noticed Is Only Half the Job
A client naturally approaches their résumé from the inside out. They know what they have done, what they are proud of, and what they hope an employer will notice. Something that feels important to them may seem as though it obviously belongs on the résumé. Once they have worked hard to describe an accomplishment, qualification, or experience, it can be difficult to imagine why anyone would read it differently.
Résumé strategists have to make that shift. At some point, we need to stop reading as the person who knows the client and start reading as someone who doesn’t. What will an employer understand immediately? Where might too much interpretation be required? What might raise a question the client never considered? Which evidence makes a claim believable? And, perhaps most importantly, is the information that matters most to this particular employer easy to recognize?
This ability to change perspectives can affect surprisingly small decisions. A client may want to include more information because it demonstrates everything they have done. An employer may see the same information as clutter, making the strongest evidence harder to find. A client may prefer an impressive-sounding statement. A specific, credible example may persuade an employer more effectively. A client may assume something is obvious because they understand the context. An employer encountering the résumé for the first time may not make the same connection. Neither perspective is unimportant. Effective strategy has to account for both.
Perhaps that is one of the less visible skills in résumé development. We are not simply helping clients tell their stories well. We are helping them see their stories through someone else’s eyes. Getting noticed matters, but the stronger question may be whether the person on the other side of the résumé can quickly understand why this candidate deserves to move forward.
Learn More: Certified Résumé Strategist (CRS)
CPC Thought Leadership. Advancing ideas that shape our profession.
– By Sharon Graham, Founder and Chair of Career Professionals of Canada –
The insights shared are the author’s own, supported by OpenAI and Pictory.
Such a great course! I learned so much from the CRS materials, and I still use what I learned when working with my clients. Working with internationally trained professionals, I usually see how challenging it can be to show their years of experience on a resume, especially when that experience comes from outside Canada. Sometimes, it is not about what they are missing, but how we can help employers see the skills and experience they already have.
Thank you, Eman! It’s wonderful to hear that you’re continuing to apply what you learned through the CRS materials. You’ve highlighted such an important distinction. Sometimes the challenge isn’t a lack of skills or experience, but helping employers recognize their value. Your work with internationally trained professionals is a great example of why this matters!