Stop Sounding Like a Job Description

Most engineers I work with are genuinely good at what they do. That is not the problem.

The problem is that their resume reads like it was written by someone describing the job, not someone who did it exceptionally well. Responsible for. Worked on. Assisted with. Participated in. These phrases do not tell anyone anything useful. They describe a function, not a person.

Here is what happens when your resume sounds like a job posting: hiring managers read it and move on. Not because you are underqualified. Because nothing on the page gave them a reason to stop.

The engineers who get calls back are not necessarily more experienced. They are better at answering one question: so what?

So what that you led the testing team? So what that you managed the migration? So what that you redesigned the process? The answer to that question is where your value lives, and most resumes never go there.

A simple way to check your own: read each bullet and ask whether someone could copy it directly into a job description. If the answer is yes, it is not doing its job.

Your resume is not a record of your responsibilities. It is an argument for why you are the right person for this role. Those are two very different documents, and most people are writing the wrong one.

If you are applying and not hearing back, this is usually where I start.

Book a Strategic Career Diagnostic Session and we will identify exactly where your materials are losing momentum. $147. One hour. You leave with a clear picture of what needs to change and why.