The Resume Transformation: What Happens When You Put It All Together
Most people treat resumes as a list of jobs. At best, they add a few accomplishments. The result? A document that looks like everyone else’s. But when you combine the elements I’ve written about — resume mini-stories, clear differentiators, and the story elicitation process — something bigger happens. From Bullets to Stories Instead of duties, […]
How to Elicit Stories for Your Resume
Most people think they don’t have good stories for their resumes. They do — they just haven’t pulled them out yet. That’s where story elicitation comes in. The goal is to capture the raw material of your success stories in a simple story outline: Problem → Solution → Transformation. From there, you can expand or […]
What Is a “Resume Mini-Story”? Let Me Show You
Most resumes are filled with bullets that are really just job descriptions. They tell me what you worked on — not the difference it made. That’s why I coach clients to write mini-stories for their bullets. The Mini-Story Rubric Think of each “bullet” as a compact story: The Problem — the bigger and scarier, the […]
Why “Doing Your Job” on Your Resume Isn’t Enough
When I review resumes, one of the most common problems I see is bullets that simply say: “I did my job.” On the surface, that seems fine. After all, you want to show you can do the role. But here’s the problem: every other qualified candidate can say the same thing. And if they’ve updated […]
Why Most Resumes Fail: 800 Reviews Later
In the past 20 months, I’ve reviewed more than 800 resumes and CVs from product managers, product marketers, product ops people, and others. They’ve come from everywhere — the US, Canada, Europe, India, New Zealand. From people just breaking into product to VPs and C-level leaders. They are impressive people. They’ve had incredible successes. And […]
How to Beat the ATS Myth and Write a Resume That Actually Works
Most job seekers worry about a magic robot rejecting their resume if it doesn’t have the right keywords. But here’s the truth: ATS systems rarely “reject” resumes. Recruiters on LinkedIn confirm: rejection happens when a human decides you’re not a fit, not when a machine scans for missing words. That’s good news. It means your […]
Job Hunting Is a Funnel With Only One Winner
Most people think of job hunting as a numbers game — send enough resumes and eventually something sticks. But the hiring process isn’t designed like a sales funnel. It’s not about pushing as many candidates as possible to the end. It’s about filtering down to one single perfect hire. If you want to be that […]
Your Resume Is a Sales Page, Not a Datasheet
Most resumes fail because they read like datasheets — dense lists of tasks and buzzwords. But a great resume is a sales page. Its job isn’t to catalog your responsibilities; it’s to persuade a hiring manager that you’re the solution to their most urgent problems. Here’s how to make that transformation. Why Your Resume Must […]
A 60-Second Product Manager Resume Checklist To Help You Stay In the To-Be-Interviewed Pile
Before you hit “send” on your resume, stop. Take 60 seconds to think like a hiring manager, not a job seeker. This quick mindset shift can be the difference between landing in the interview pile or getting passed over. Step 1: Get In The Hiring Manager’s Shoes Clear your mind of your own goals and […]
Why 99% of Product Manager Resumes Fail—and What to Do Instead
The Real Problem After reviewing over 750 product manager resumes in 2024 and 2025, I can confidently say:99% fail to tell the hiring manager what they actually need to know. Most resumes skip the essentials: Instead, they’re filled with vague phrases like: Bullets that read like job descriptions instead of impact stories. The Consequences When […]