ATS Shouldn’t Dictate Your Messaging: A Contrarian Approach to Resume Writing

By: Amanda Traugutt | Co-Owner of Elevated Resumes

In today's job market, it's not uncommon for individuals to feel a sense of frustration or disconnect between their career aspirations and their current professional reality. Many job seekers find themselves tailoring their resumes to fit specific job descriptions, hoping to secure a position that will bring them closer to that dream job. But are we looking at this all wrong? 

If you are someone who has a job but is actively looking for something that works better with your lifestyle, aligns more closely with your values, or brings you a deeper sense of fulfillment, it may be better to start first with you and not a job description. 

There is an alternative approach—one that requires you to focus on your desires, gain the confidence to communicate your value, and explore how you want work to play a role in your life. This contrarian approach involves creating a resume that aligns with your ideal career rather than fitting a predetermined job description. 

1. Reflect on Your Ideal Life and Career:

Start by reflecting on what you truly desire in your life and career. Consider the skills, experiences, and work environments that bring you joy, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose. Think beyond job titles and focus on the elements that you want to take with you to your next role. 

Also, reflect on the experience or skills that you do not want to continue to use or develop in the future. Knowing what you do want and what you don’t want is key to crafting value-based messaging. 

Ask yourself:

• What activities make you lose track of time because you enjoy them so much?
• What skills do you possess that you want to continue developing and utilizing?
• What kind of work environment and company culture would enable you to thrive?
• How does your ideal career align with your personal values and long-term goals?
• What gives you energy and what drains your energy? 

Once you have these answers, audit your resume. If there are activities that you dread doing and drain your energy, why would you include them on your resume? Your resume is your opportunity to shine. Your place to highlight everything you are great at and enjoy about work. Yet, most of us just write what we see on a job description. If you are ready to leave that approach behind, what you’ll find is the freedom to be honest, show up authentically, and feel confident in the message you’re conveying. 

This isn’t to say there will never be parts of your job that are more tedious or that are required but not your favorite. But overall, if your resume focuses on your strengths and the skills you’d like to use in your next role, that position will be much more aligned with your preferences and invoice more energy-boosting activities and less energy-draining activities. 

2. Identify Useful Skills and Relevant Experiences:

Once you have a clear understanding of what you want, identify the transferable skills and relevant experiences that align with your ideal work. Think broadly and consider experiences from various areas of your life, such as volunteer work, hobbies, or personal projects, in addition to your professional background. Highlight the skills and experiences that showcase your ability to contribute to your desired field or industry rather than a set job description. 

Remember, this approach is about emphasizing the skills and experiences you want to bring with you, rather than focusing solely on matching the requirements of a specific job description. By showcasing your unique abilities, you're more likely to attract employers who value your strengths and align with your aspirations.

3. Craft Your Resume Story:

 Your resume is your personal marketing tool, it should tell a compelling story about your journey and strengths. Focus on presenting your experiences and skills in a way that highlights how they contribute to your desired future, rather than adhering strictly to a pre-determined format. If volunteer experience is critical to your transition, find a way to move it toward the top of the first page. Use a two-column approach to highlight relevant experience without diminishing your work history. Get creative with how you tell your story and know exactly how you’d like the reader to consume the information. 

Use a summary statement at the beginning of your resume to clearly communicate your career goals and the value you bring. This statement should demonstrate your passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to pursuing work that aligns with your ideal life. Be authentic and showcase the skills and experiences that excite you and set you apart. If the reader only reads the summary section, they should know your top 3 skills that are perfectly aligned with the type of work you’re looking to do. 

4. Be Okay with "No" and Seek the Right Fit:

It may seem counterintuitive, but you don’t want to end up in the “maybe” pile. Your resume should be an easy “yes” or “no” for the decision maker. If the answer is an immediate yes, you know your core values and skills are exactly what the company is looking for. If it’s an immediate “no,” know that the position or company doesn’t value the same things as you, and if you were to go into that role, you may be looking to start another job search in 6-12 months. 

Understand that not every opportunity will be the right fit for you. Embrace the idea that rejection can lead you closer to finding the perfect match. By remaining true to your values, you increase the chances of landing a job that aligns with your ideal life.

Remember that rejection is not a reflection of your worth or abilities—it's simply a sign that the particular opportunity was not the right fit for you.

5. Explore Work-Life Integration: 

Lastly, when crafting your resume to land a job that aligns with your ideal life, consider how work fits into the broader context of your life. Explore the concept of work-life integration, where work and personal life are seen as complementary and mutually supportive. 

If work travel has been a strain on your personal life and you’d like to leave that part of your career behind, don’t highlight that specific experience on your resume. There are likely skills that you gained through that experience that you can highlight rather than making travel a key part of your story.

Taking a contrarian approach to resume writing involves focusing on your desires, getting clear on what you do and do not want your day-to-day to look like, and exploring how you want work to play a role in your life. By emphasizing the skills and experiences you want to take with you, you increase the likelihood of attracting opportunities that align with your ideal life and career aspirations. Remember, finding the perfect job is about more than just a job description—it's about finding a role that allows you to tap into your strengths and enables you to live the life you truly desire.