I finally got harsh feedback on my resume and it actually helped

Back in 2019, a recruiter I knew told me my resume was too wordy and had no numbers. She said, "You write like you're telling a story, not showing results." So I cut out all the fluffy descriptions and added specific stats, like how I cut processing time by 15% at my old warehouse job. It felt weird at first, but within 2 months I got 3 callbacks after months of nothing. Has anyone else had to completely rethink their resume after one blunt comment?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancycooper4d ago

Did cutting that story telling style make you feel like you were hiding your actual personality on paper?

jamesf413d ago

Remembered this one time I was telling @nancycooper about my old writing style and how it felt like wearing a costume. Tried to sound all poetic and fancy but it just came off forced. Sometimes you gotta strip it down to feel more like yourself even if it feels awkward at first.

the_grace3d ago

Nah @nancycooper, it was actually the opposite. When I stopped trying to sound all clever and flowery, that's when I started feeling like I had a real voice on the page. Like before, I'd use these big metaphors and fancy sentence structures but it was just me hiding behind words. Stripping it down to simple, direct language felt scary at first because I thought I'd sound boring. But honestly, now when I read my old stuff I cringe because it was like I was wearing a costume the whole time.