What Killed the Resume’s Soul?

Author

Ed Clementi
April 21, 2025

“Can you take a look at my resume?”

I get asked that all the time. And I’m always happy to help — but I’ll be honest, something about the whole thing feels different these days.

Because what I often see isn’t just a document that needs tweaking —
It’s a document that needs soul.

Once upon a time, the resume was it.
Your shot.
Your way in the door.
One page to make the case. One chance to stand out.
You’d obsess over every word —

How do I differentiate?
How do I get to the top of the pile?
How do I make them want to know more?

Because it mattered.
Because it was personal.
Because it was the first glimpse of you.

But somewhere along the way… the resume stopped being a story.
And started becoming a template.

Fonts. Formats. Bullet points. Keyword stuffing.
A checklist of duties and achievements —

And in the process, we lost something.

Yes, we made it cleaner.
But we also made it colder.

We’ve stripped resumes of the very thing that once made them stand out:
The human behind it.

The Overlooked Opportunity

The Professional Summary.

The one place where you could shape how someone should think about you — before they scanned the bullets. And yet today, it's usually gone. Or worse — written like a job description.

Why?

Have we forgotten how to talk about ourselves?
Or, have we decided no one really cares?
Both are dangerous places to be.

As someone who’s reviewed hundreds of resumes and made some incredibly hard hiring decisions, I’ll tell you this: the paper can still open the door.

And the ones that stand out?
They don’t just summarize experience.
They shape your story.
They reinforce what matters.
And they create intrigue.

Great Hiring Isn’t Just a Gut Call

Hiring is one of the most important responsibilities any leader has.
Get it right, and everything clicks.
Get it wrong, and it costs you — time, energy, money, culture, credibility.

So what does a great leader do?

They start with the resumes — am I intrigued enough to meet?
They bring them in.
They involve trusted colleagues.
They dig.
And — at least I hope this is still happening — they check references, too.

But today, we can go further.
We can do more homework.

Before I’d make a call or extend an offer, I‘d go deeper.
I’d check how you show up online — especially on LinkedIn.

I’m not looking for perfection.
I’m looking for alignment.

Do your values show up in your bio, posts, likes, shares, comments, and conversations?
Is your story consistent with the one on your resume?
Are you living what you claim to be about?

Because today, your online presence is your narrative in motion —
or lack thereof.

And I Know, I Know… “But What About AI?”

Some of you are probably thinking,
“Isn’t most of this irrelevant with Artificial Intelligence in the mix?”

Fair question.

Show up anyway.

AI might be scanning first — but the good news?
It’s not just scanning for buzzwords anymore.
Modern systems are using Natural Language Processing to evaluate tone, clarity, and alignment. They’re reading between the lines. They’re gauging voice and fit.

So that summary you were about to skip?

It matters.

And eventually — a human makes the call.

What I Actually Look For

When I’m reviewing a resume — or coaching someone on theirs — here’s what I want to see and feel:

1. Positioning.
Right up top. Give me your headline. Not a role, not a list — you.
Tell me what you’re about, what matters to you, and how I should be thinking about you. It should feel intentional. Grounded. Human.

2. Reinforcement.
Don’t just tell me you build great teams. Prove it.
I want to see that theme echoed through your bullet points — in your results, in the scope of your work, in the ripple effect of your leadership. That’s how a resume stops being a list — and starts being a story.

3. Spark.
I want to feel something reading it.
Not drama — just heart.
Let me see the problems you’ve solved, what you loved building, the moments that lit you up. Show me you’re not just chasing a title. You’re bringing energy to the table.

Oh — and make sure your LinkedIn tells the same story.
That’s where I usually go next.

Final Thought

There’s a quote from William Zinsser:

“People don’t want to be written at. They want to be written to.”

And that’s exactly what your resume — and your online presence — should do.

They shouldn’t just present information.
They should create connection.

Let your summary speak for you.
Let your story come through.
Let them feel who you are — not just what you’ve done.

Sure, some people still hire the bullet points.
But the leaders you want to work for?
They don’t hire the document.
They hire the person.

Your job… is to Differentiate!

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi, Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

Make an Impact and Feel an Impact.