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On Today’s Menu

Today’s newsletter is about marketing, and how you can take advantage of a basic marketing principle to improve your resume.

Let’s dive in…

But before you dive in, if you like our content, I’d really appreciate it if you took 2 seconds to click the ad above. It supports us while costing you nothing. Thanks fam!

Marketing 101…

While reading a marketing book recently, I realized something fascinating about writing powerful resumes.

Think about it: resumes are marketing tools—they're ads designed to capture recruiters' and hiring managers' attention.

The book discussed headlines—those attention-grabbing lines you see in email subject lines, blog posts, and social media—and how they make readers stop scrolling.

Consider your own behavior on Reddit, X, or LinkedIn. What makes you click on a post? It's usually the title, right? The content might be great or terrible, but it's the title that first catches your eye.

In marketing, headlines are crucial because they make audiences pause and pay attention. Even mediocre content can succeed with a compelling headline.

Conversely, brilliant content with a weak headline often goes unnoticed.

You've experienced this yourself. Every day, you're bombarded with ads competing for your attention—Google ads, social media posts, YouTube thumbnails.

Which ones stand out?

Which ones make you stop scrolling?

Take a moment to consider this.

Usually, it's the ones with headlines that address your specific needs or desires.

So how does this tie into resumes?

Remember, your resume is an advertisement.

Its sole purpose is to capture recruiters' interest and generate interviews.

If your headline doesn't address recruiters' needs, it likely won't accomplish this mission.

Where’s the headline on a resume?

Below is a resume I recently wrote for a client in retail operations leadership.

For his lateral move (same job title, same industry), here's how the top section looked.

The profile section, shown in the orange rectangle, functions as your headline.

Pay attention to these three key components:

1. The tagline: A quick description of your professional identity that should align with the target job title.

2. The wins: Three brief but impactful achievements relevant to the role you're pursuing.

3. The Summary: A concise 30-60 word overview highlighting key qualifications like experience and expertise.

Together, these elements create your headline.

This profile section is the first thing recruiters see when opening your resume.

A weak headline will likely cause recruiters to move on to the next candidate.

They have limited time to review applications.

Make their job difficult, and you'll lose your chance.

• Bad headline = unspecific (example: You fail to mention your title, years of experience, which industries you've been in, what kind of projects/initiatives you've been involved in etc.)

• Bad headline = Too many words (example: You bury relevant data in lots of text, which makes it hard for the recruiter to extract)

• Bad headline = Not tailored to the job (example: You fail to speak directly to the needs of the job you're applying to. Maybe you're advertising yourself as an operations leader but are applying to project management roles ≠ no alignment)

Take away…

Think of resumes as ads.

For your ad to succeed, you need a headline that is:

• Specific

• Brief

• Customized

Master these elements, and your resume will stand out.

I would know, because I've helped my clients land job interviews by sticking to these principles.

And that’s a wrap for this week. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have questions you’d like me to answer, be sure to connect with me at [email protected].

Last week’s poll results…

Last week, I asked you whether you’d ever found a job via networking/referrals.

75% of respondents said yes, they had.

That’s a testament to how important this method is to finding your next job.

If you’re struggling in that department, check out this guide for finding jobs online without applying.