The smartest people make this job search mistake

In partnership with

In Case You Missed It…

• ATS resume scanners

• How long should your resume be?

• What size should your resume margins be?

• How to align dates on your resume

Stop fixing your resume (do this instead)

Welcome to the 100th issue of the Launchpad! 🥳

This week’s topic involves some big picture thinking. Let’s dive in.

Want to know the most frustrating thing about working with brilliant job seekers?

They're often their own worst enemy.

A while back, I spent two hours on a call with a young professional who was absolutely obsessing over her resume. Not about the achievements she'd listed. Not about the impact she'd made. Not even about the roles she was targeting.

She was agonizing over whether her bullet points should end with periods.

While rare, I’ve noticed this pattern in two groups of people:

• High achievers

• Students

And they don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

The smarter someone is, the more likely they are to focus on the wrong things in their job search.

And here's the kicker: The very traits that make these people exceptional at their jobs – attention to detail, perfectionism, analytical thinking, expert communicators – are often the same traits that hold them back from a successful job search.

Let me tell you about Sarah (not her real name), a recent client who perfectly illustrates why being too smart can sometimes be a curse in the job search game.

Story time…

Sarah was exactly the kind of person who makes recruiters sit up and take notice.

A soon-to-be graduate who'd already managed to pack more meaningful experience into her college years than most people get in their first two jobs.

While her peers were working retail jobs (nothing wrong with that), she'd somehow landed three competitive internships at Fortune 500 companies. She'd led cross-functional projects. Managed small teams. Even presented to C-suite executives.

Looking at her experience, I could already see her career trajectory: She'd probably make Director before 30. The kind of person who makes everything look effortless.

On paper, she was a recruiter's dream candidate. Smart, driven, and had the track record to prove it.

But there was just one problem.

She was so focused on crafting the "perfect" resume that she was actually making it worse.

And the way she was going about it revealed a bigger problem I see all the time with high-achievers – one that silently kills more job applications than any typo ever could.

When I sent Sarah the first draft of her resume, I expected feedback about the content. Maybe questions about how we positioned her leadership experience. Or suggestions for highlighting different achievements.

Instead, I got a full-page document of editorial comments.

"Can we remove the periods at the end of each bullet point? I read that they're too formal."

"I noticed you're using Oxford commas. Wouldn't AP style be more appropriate for a resume?"

"Should we say 'led' or 'headed'? I've heard 'led' is overused."

Each comment was thoughtful, researched, and completely missing the point.

Here's what Sarah didn't realize – and what most high-achievers get wrong: No hiring manager has ever tossed out an impressive candidate because they used Oxford commas.

But I've seen plenty of candidates sabotage themselves by spending so much time on grammar that they forget about the only three things that actually matter:

The story they're telling.

The impact they've had.

And how clearly they can communicate both.

Reality check…

Want to know how hiring managers really read resumes?

They don't read them at all – at least not in the way you think.

Most hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds on their first pass of your resume. They're not diagramming your sentences or counting your commas. They're scanning for answers to three basic questions:

• Do you have relevant experience?

• Have you made meaningful impact?

• Can you communicate clearly?

I learned this firsthand after helping hundreds of candidates land roles at top companies.

The resumes that performed best often weren't the most polished.

They were the ones that told the clearest story.

Let me say that again: Clear beats clever. Every. Single. Time.

That director at Google who's reviewing your resume? She's probably scanning it on her phone between meetings.

That startup founder? He's looking at it at 11 PM after a 14-hour day.

Neither of them cares whether you used a period or a semicolon.

What they do care about is understanding – in seconds – what you've done and why it matters.

When I finally got Sarah to shift her focus from minutiae to impact, something interesting happened.

Her revised resume landed her three interviews in the first week.

Not because we found the perfect synonym for "led."

Not because we obsessed over punctuation.

But because we focused on what actually moves the needle.

Here's the framework we used – the same one I share with every perfectionist who comes my way:

Give yourself one hour to define your story. Not your grammar. Not your format. Your story. Ask yourself:

• What unique value do I bring?

• What problems do I solve better than most?

• What patterns emerge from my experience?

Then spend two hours proving it. For each role, answer:

• What specific impact did I have?

• What numbers can back this up?

• What challenges did I overcome?

Only then should you think about the words themselves. And when you do, focus on clarity over cleverness.

The results speak for themselves. Sarah didn't just land interviews – she had her pick of offers.

All because she stopped trying to write the perfect resume and focused instead on telling her true story.

Think about it: When was the last time you heard someone say, "We hired her because her bullet points were perfectly punctuated"?

There's a broader lesson here that goes way beyond resumes.

Success – whether in job searching or career building – rarely comes from perfecting the small stuff.

It comes from having big-picture thinking and focusing on what actually matters.

For Sarah, that meant:

• Shifting her energy from comma placement to story building.

• And from obsessing over periods to owning her achievements.

So here's my challenge to you: Next time you catch yourself obsessing over the small stuff in your career – whether it's a resume, a presentation, or an email – ask yourself:

Am I focusing on what matters, or am I just hiding from what scares me?

Because at the end of the day, your success won't be determined by perfect grammar.

It'll be determined by your willingness to step out of your own way.

What it means to be consistent

Ever notice how everyone's idea of consistency looks like perfection?

You know what I mean – that picture-perfect schedule where you wake up at 5 AM every day, never miss a workout, and maintain inbox zero while crushing your goals.

The problem is, that’s not realistic, and isn’t what most people want.

Wanna know what real consistency actually looks like?

Messy. Uneven. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes barely showing up.

I learned this lesson from learning about the habits of my clients.

The ones who actually stuck to their goals long-term?

They weren't the ones with the perfect track record.

They were the ones who kept coming back after missing a day. Or a week. Or sometimes even a month.

Real consistency isn't about never dropping the ball. It's about how quickly you pick it back up.

Think about it: Would you rather be someone who works out perfectly for three weeks and then quits forever, or someone who shows up roughly three times a week for a year?

Success isn't built on perfect streaks.

It's built on imperfect action, taken consistently over time.

So the next time you miss a day, remember: The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is progress.

The resume template that works

Want to know what separates good resumes from great ones?

It's not the fancy design or creative formatting.

It's the built-in guidance that prevents you from making common mistakes. Let me show you why this template is brilliant in its simplicity.

Look at that Career Overview section. Notice how it explicitly tells you to "think of it as your elevator pitch"?

That's not just a suggestion – it's a guardrail preventing you from writing a novel about your entire career history.

And what about those bullet points?

"Highlight your top achievement in this role to communicate success immediately..."

See what they did there?

We’re not just giving you blank space to fill.

We’re teaching you how to think about your accomplishments.

Each bullet point is essentially a mini-lesson in how to sell yourself effectively.

Even better, it forces you to focus on what hiring managers actually care about: metrics, awards, problems solved, and programs supported.

This isn't just a template – it's a silent career coach, guiding you away from vague statements and toward concrete achievements.

Sometimes the best design isn't about looking pretty.

It's about not letting you get in your own way.

BTW: If you’re a premium subscriber, get this template free at the bottom of this newsletter.

Worst interview question of the week

The Question…

If you were a kitchen appliance, what would you be and why?

What they’re assessing…

Creativity, self-awareness, and ability to think on your feet (Or more likely, they read a "Top 10 Creative Interview Questions" article from 2012)

What candidates think they should say…

I'd be a multi-functional pressure cooker because I work well under pressure, can handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and deliver results efficiently while maintaining high standards..."

What you should say instead…

I'd be a coffee maker because I'm literally running on caffeine right now and this is the 17th time I've had to answer a random personality question in interviews this week.

What this question tells you…

That the interviewer has run out of real questions or is just really passionate about their kitchen renovation project.

Remember folks: No one ever got rejected because they picked the wrong kitchen appliance. Unless you said "garbage disposal" – maybe don't say that one.

Speaking of questions…

On last week’s poll

I asked you whether would you rather milk a cow or shear a sheep?

Over 77% said they’d rather milk a cow.

I see you all chose the path with better health outcomes. Nothing says "questionable life choices" quite like wrestling with an angry sheep wearing a winter coat in summer.

Premium subscribers, don’t forget to get a copy of the resume template below.