Last updated: March 30th, 2026
Have you applied for a few jobs and received lukewarm – or no – responses? It could be your job search strategy (are you applying for the right roles?). But it’s more likely to be your resume.
The best resumes don’t list endless facts about your career.
They are marketing documents that tell the story of your career – while conveying your unique value.
If you find that your resume commits any of the three crimes below, I recommend you enlist the help of a professional resume writer or invest a few weekends into improving it yourself.
1. Hyperbole Gets Ignored.
Recruiters don’t read resumes. They scroll.
Quickly.
Your resume is competing with dozens – potentially hundreds – of others in a recruiter’s inbox.
It’s also competing with deadlines, cognitive load, distractions and political allegiances.
If the recruiter needs to make an effort to understand what you do, you’ve already lost.
The burden is on you to connect the dots of your career in a way that makes commercial sense.
- Does your resume make it unequivocally clear what value you deliver?
- Or does it overwhelm the reader with multiple directions, buzzwords, responsibilities and … noise?
Your potential future boss only cares about one thing – can this person solve my commercial problem?
Above: An example of a terrible resume profile. It’s overloaded with hyperbole and meaningless jargon.
A focused resume answers this question immediately. A vague resume, meanwhile, tells them nothing about where you fit.
Or why you matter.
Take a look at the abomination of a profile summary in the screenshot above.
I see fruit salads like it all the time – even in resumes “crafted” by professional resume writers.
Important!
Hyperbole is the #1 sign of a weak resume. It means the author didn’t have the commercial acumen to explain your value, and instead propped up the resume with drama.
And here, you see “visionary”, “pioneering”, “notable” and “unparalleled”. Quite the buzzword bingo.
Moreover, a profile like this is just a glorified job description.
Instead of selling you, it describes what every single Executive GM in the energy sector is expected to do:
- Lead resource extraction.
- Expand market reach.
- Transform the business.
- Champion innovative tech.
- Improve culture and employee engagement.
- Drive profitability.
- Oversee environmental responsibility.
There’s no focus. No story. No differentiators. No value proposition.
Just a generic introduction that dumbs down your experience and guarantees you get overlooked.
2. Your Resume Is Written For Your Old Self.
The hardest part about writing your own resume is remaining objective.
Unfortunately, most candidates are too close to their own experience – or write resumes for their own ego.
Unfortunately, more detail doesn’t translate to more clarity. When writing your resume, your job isn’t to document your career – it’s to position it.
Expert Tip.
Your resume isn’t a record of your past. It’s a signal about your future.
This becomes particularly problematic once you move into senior roles. By including excessive detail, you create a resume that makes you look more junior than you are.
For example, you may have stepped into a leadership role and are not “doing the doing” any more.
But your resume still reads like it – like your old self.
3. Responsibilities Don’t Sell You.
At least once a week, I still see a resume that is almost entirely responsibility-driven.
It’s OK to mention responsibilities – as long as you also explain what you achieved.
Don’t just say:
Or:
Instead, say:
Or, even better:
Hiring managers are looking for standout, high-performing candidates.
And high performers don’t just keep their seats warm – they exceed expectations, overcome unexpected challenges, and have a tangible impact on the business.
Your resume must prove that – with numbers.
What A Strong Resume Actually Does.
Most job seekers believe that a resume is a comprehensive overview of their past roles.
It’s not.
An excellent resume is a strategic career document that sells your worth to recruiters. It’s a business case for hiring you.
It elevates the aspects of your experience most relevant to your next career step, while putting less relevant details into the background.
Critically, it offers differentiators that answer the question, “Why should I call this candidate – and not one of the 20 others with similar backgrounds?”
Elevate yours today by:
- Killing the hyperbole.
- Showcasing your future self.
- Focusing on your commercial impact – not your responsibilities.
Want a resume that has the power to beat other candidates – and realise that you don’t have the skills (and the time) to do it yourself?
My top-rated resume writing service takes this problem off your hands. You can focus on your work and family, while we take care of your marketing.
Irene
Pat says:
Hi Irene, Amazing article. Really helpful. Thanks.
Martin says:
Helpful reading. Especially for those who just have come to Australia and try to apply for a suitable job.
Karma says:
Nice to go through and understand basic requirements for writing cv
Alex says:
Hello
Could you please help me for for write CV and cover letter thanks
Alex 0472837500
Steven McConnell says:
Alex, a couple of ideas:
– I suggest that you don’t make your mobile public.
– Please refer to our blogs – there are plenty of resume writing guides available.
– If you’d like us to write a resume for you, it’s certainly possible. However, do note that we’re a premium brand and our prices start at $2,500.
– If that’s outside your budget, that’s perfectly understandable. We can refer you to a resume writing service that’s competent and affordable. Simply submit an enquiry via the contact page and we’ll help you out.
Thanks!
Steven