Flipping the Script on the Job Search

I’ll say something that might sound controversial:

The traditional résumé is basically worthless.

Not because people aren’t accomplished.
Not because experience doesn’t matter.

But because the language of résumés has become generic to the point of emptiness.

“Results-oriented leader.”
“Cross-functional collaboration.”
“Proven track record of success.”

If everyone is saying the same things, then nothing meaningful is actually being communicated.

Here’s the shift I encourage, especially for senior operators and executives:

Stop thinking of yourself as a job seeker.

Start thinking of yourself as the CEO of You, Inc..

You are not applying for jobs.
You’re identifying the organizations where you can create disproportionate impact.

That means your real work is to:

• Clearly articulate the specific value you have created in past roles

• Understand the problems companies in your domain are trying to solve

• Position yourself as the answer to those problems

I’m often asked, “Where are the opportunities for someone like me?”

My answer is always the same:

They’re everywhere.

But you don’t find them.

You create them.

This isn’t a job search.

This is a sales process.

You are the product.

Organizations are your prospective clients.
Your experience is proof.
Your impact is your differentiator.
Your conversations are your pipeline.

So ask yourself:

• Who am I best positioned to help?

• What challenges do they actually have?

• How can I make those challenges smaller, faster, cheaper, or less painful?

Because the future doesn’t belong to the people with the prettiest résumé.

It belongs to the people who know how to frame and communicate their impact.

And that’s not about applying.

That’s about leading.