Did you know that over 90% of resumes are disregarded in 10-15 seconds. If the reader (Company, Hiring Manger, or Recruiter) doesn’t see what they are looking for in those 10 seconds… You Are Done. Finished, Game Over, before you even get started.

Your Resume is the single MOST IMPORTANT component of your job search. Get it right, it will flow through the entire process. Get wrong and you will be looking for a job for a very long time. Too many job seekers just slap information together and call it a resume. Too many companies claim they are expert resume writers only to find out that the resumes they write must be completely rewritten. Too many people think AI software can write the best resume. They can’t. Want to know why? Because it doesn’t know what questions to ask you, A major roadblock or force against having a successful resume is that everyone has an opinion and most giving them are not qualified to provide such opinions.

I have reviewed over 500K resumes and bios, wrote over 1K resumes, applied to 100K plus job applications, and been on hundreds of interviews as an applicant, hiring manager and recruiter). This past month we Global Expansion, Inc (d.b.a. Global Job Search.net) have secured over 100 interviews for our clients (a record). In 6.5 years, we have helped 450 job seekers around the world find new jobs totaling over $53,000,000 in total compensation.

Over my 40-year professional career (18 years in corporate, and then starting 4 companies from scratch), I have also written hundreds of business plans in dozens of industries, each being over 100 pages in length, written portions of business and strategic plans for Fortune 500 companies, investors, boards of directors, lenders, and security analysts which were in the billions of dollars This makes me qualified.

Writing a resume is like writing a business plan. You start out with a recent version, review older historical versions, then ask questions. Lots of questions. Everyone is very good at what they do. They are just not good at communicating what they do in writing and in their online profiles. Everyone has the knowledge. The problem is, it’s in their head. They need someone to ask them the right questions, to pull the information out of them and write a better compelling story. You cannot assume the reader is going to connect the dots. You must connect the dots for them.

I remember a time almost 30 years ago after I left my corporate position at Ryder System, Inc (after 5 years and while getting my MBA part-time on the weekends for almost 3 years) to start my first company. It was a Management Consulting firm specializing in writing business and strategic plans for start-ups and expanding companies. My client was a start-up technology company staffed by all ex-military, (Captains, Majors, and Colonels). I flew to Washington DC to meet with the team in a hotel conference room for 5 days. I walked into this room (I was around 30 years old – but looked like I was 20). They took one look at me and said… Oh My God. Who is this kid?

In order to effectively and accurately put together the business plan, I needed all the information they had in their head. In order to get at that information, I had to ask questions, lots and lots and lots of questions. Then put together assumptions for costs, pricing, equipment, facilities, marketing, staff, competitors, how long it would take until they made a profit, how negative they would be (how negative $), and then how long it would take to breakeven from all the losses, and finally how much money they would need from investors. I built huge financial models, financial statements, charts and graphs (my expertise at the time), that were close to 100 pages and then the narrative portion of the plan, which was another 100 pages. Then I had to condense that into a 2 page Summary, and then condense that into a 2 paragraph Executive Summary. They ended up needing $80M,

It’s also important to remember that everyone interprets data and information differently. Some like paragraphs, some bullet points, while others like charts and graphs. Some are business leaders, some are investors, some are marketing professionals, some are engineers, some are sales executives and some are accountants and analysts. The business plan had to be written taking into account all of these different readers in mind.

This is the same strategy and philosophy of resumes. It has to serve multiple audiences. From 25-year-old HR and Talent Acquisition staff, to department heads, to senior leadership. They are all going to look for and focus on what relates to them. The HR and Talent Acquisition staff has one purpose, to screen the resumes in order to determine whether to forward you on to the hiring manager. They don’t make the decision to hire you. They just decide whether to move you along in the process. Remember, they skim and scan. If they don’t find what they are looking for (remember 10 seconds). You’re done. When the hiring manager gets your resume, most likely he/she will read the whole thing. That’s why it has to tell a story, just like the business plan.

Another important component most job seekers think about… That is, the form and method of delivery of the resume. Back in my day (1984), we saw job posts in newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, etc. We would have to then send a hard copy resume in the mail (yes – the US mail). It could then take a week to get to the right person within an organization. That person would then have a 2-3 page hardcopy of a resume to read. There was no feedback, no confirmation of receipt. You would just wait for a phone call or if you were lucky, a letter of rejection would come in the mail a few weeks later. I had over a hundred.

Today resumes and applications are prepared and submitted digitally. This changes the entire application dynamic. Since people are no longer reading hard copies of resumes, the digital resume that you submit must check all the boxes of the initial screener while on their screen (or through AI or ATS systems). You must think the same way as when you read social media posts – Headline, Summary, Content, Call to Action with the CTA being… I want to interview this person.

Many job seekers also make the mistake of thinking the resume has to be no more than 2 pages – No, No, No. It is better to have more and not have it all read, then to have less and have the reader wonder… Is that all there is? When a resume is being read, you have to make sure two things Don’t Happen. The reader has too many questions, or the reader is confused. And if the position is paying $200K, $300K, or even $500K - $1.0M the reader is going to read the 3rd, 4th or 5th page. So, DO NOT get hung up on the length of the resume.

The information on your resume needs to include information about the companies you worked for, roles and responsibilities, accomplishments and achievements, quantifiable and measurable metrics, education, training, certifications, technology, people and budgets overseen, projects you worked on, the value of the projects, the end users of those projects, and teams you worked with.

You then have to write a Professional Summary That Blows the Reader Away – The Career Professional Summary is the single most important section of the resume. When a company, hiring manager, or recruiter reads that professional summary, it needs to blow the reader away. If it doesn’t, the reader never gets to page 3, 4, or 5. The phrase “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, distinctly applies to a Career Professional Summary.

Conclusion

Your resume isn’t just a document, it’s your personal business plan, your marketing pitch, and your first impression all rolled into one. In a world where attention spans are short and competition is fierce, you simply can’t afford to get it wrong. The truth is, most resumes fail not because the candidate lacks experience or talent, but because the resume fails to communicate it effectively.

Crafting a powerful resume requires more than just listing job titles and responsibilities, it demands strategy, storytelling, and precision. It requires asking the right questions, uncovering the value you’ve delivered, and presenting it in a way that resonates with multiple audiences. Whether it’s a recruiter scanning for keywords or a hiring manager looking for impact, your resume must speak clearly, confidently, and convincingly.

So, stop treating your resume like a formality. Start treating it like the critical business document it is. Because if your resume doesn’t open doors, nothing else will.

Job Search Coaching for Executives

Global Expansion, Inc. (d.b.a. Job Search Coaching) is a Premier Success Fee-Based Job Search and Global Job Search Company helping Executive Level Job Seekers All Around The World find their next job. We have over 7 years of experience helping executive level professionals secure high-paying roles across the globe. We are not recruiters, we are your personal job search strategists.

Unlike traditional recruiting firms, we don’t work for companies. Our clients are individual job seekers, executives like you who are ready to take the next step in their careers. We specialize in Success Fee-Based Job Search Coaching that accelerates your job search and maximizes your results. See Our Full List of Job Search Clients. Need help - Check Out Our Job Search FAQs