How to Revise Your Resume After a Layoff

With the recent layoffs, here is my top resume advice from having reviewed 10,000+ resumes and conducted 2,500+ interviews. It is all about avoiding 3 simple things: (1) No clear objective. If I have to guess what you want to do or sort through a busy "personal statement", I won’t make it to the end. Also, remove “happy words” like "highly motivated" and "quick learner" from your resume and state clearly what you want to do so I know if you fit the role. (2) No impact / No data. Writing “what you do” inevitably makes you look junior. "Created reports" reads as "paper pusher" and "developed XYZ module" is hardly any better. Tell me why your work mattered with numbers: - How much money did you generate? - How much faster/more reliable/better was the system you developed? “Doers” get hired to take orders and do while people who make an impact get hired to make a difference. The latter pays a whole lot better. This point is another place where it is worth mentioning “Happy Words”. We often feel we must write that we are a "Collaborative, diligent worker" or a "Motivated self-starter", etc. Recruiters skip right past all that to see what you have DONE. Focus on the impact you can deliver and explain it in numbers. SHOWING that you are all of those “happy words” through your clear results is much stronger than claiming it in words. (3) Words. FAR TOO MANY. We feel that if the reader would just understand us and our struggles, they would hire us. But the reader is not there to care about our lives. They are there to answer a simple question: will this person accomplish what I need them to? By using fewer words, you make it easy for the reviewer to quickly see what you want to do and the high-impact things that you have done. If the reviewer wants to know more, they will call. What are some other common resume mistakes? Or what are some good things to include that will make your resume stand out positively? If you are worried about layoffs at your company, I am doing a free "Lightning Lesson" on Maven on Friday, February 23 at 10 AM PST. You can register to join the free 30 minute talk here: https://buff.ly/49xPyXO

A layoff is not the same as a medical emergency. But too many people panic like it is. Over the last few years, I've supported many people in navigating a layoff. Here's what I'd do if I faced a layoff: 1️⃣ Pause and get clear ↳ Reflect on recent accomplishments and write down specific wins with measurable outcomes. This becomes the foundation of your story. ↳ Identify what drained you in your last role, whether it was tasks, communication styles, or team dynamics. These patterns matter more than job titles. ↳ List 2–3 non-negotiables for your next role. These will become your filter moving forward. 2️⃣ Update my positioning ↳ Rework your LinkedIn headline and resume to match the roles you actually want, using keywords from the job descriptions you're excited about. ↳ Update your “About” section to reflect who you help, how you help them, and what kind of challenges you solve. ↳ Make sure your target job titles show up on your resume, LinkedIn, and “Open to Work” settings so you show up in the right searches. 3️⃣ Start real conversations ↳ Make a list of 10 people in your network who are close to the function or industry you're targeting. Reach out with the goal of learning, not pitching. ↳ Ask thoughtful questions about their path, what they’ve noticed in the market, and what they’ve seen work. ↳ These conversations won’t just open doors, they’ll give you language, clarity, and momentum. When everything feels uncertain, clarity is your power. Use it to rebuild on your terms.

Lately, my feed has been full of green banners. Every week, people reach out—former colleagues, friends of friends, folks I’ve never even met. All asking the same thing: “How do I tell my story in a way that actually gets attention?” Not just attention. Traction. Because a résumé doesn’t always cut it. A list of job titles can’t explain how you’ve grown. And in a market like this, where qualified people are getting ghosted, the only way to stand out is to show how you’ve changed. That’s why I use the C.O.R.E. Framework when helping others rewrite their narrative. At the center of every great story is change. This helps you tell yours with more clarity, confidence, and connection. ⸻ 🖼 Context What did life look like before the shift? What were you focused on? What did success mean to you back then? 💥 Obstacle What disrupted that world? A layoff. A restructure. Burnout. This is the moment that forced you to rethink your path. 🧗 Rebuild What did you do next? The messy middle. The experiments. The reflection. This is where the growth lives—and where most people give up. 🌱 Emerge What did you learn? What changed in you? And how does that change make you more valuable now? Here’s a quick example: Context: I was leading an L&D team focused on completions and compliance. Training was seen as a checkbox, not a business driver. Obstacle: A company reorg forced us to tie learning to performance outcomes. Our usual metrics didn’t hold up anymore. Rebuild: I shifted gears—interviewed stakeholders, aligned programs to behavioral goals, and embedded learning into the flow of work. Emerge: Now, I approach learning as a lever for change, not just knowledge transfer. That mindset shift transformed how I lead—and how I deliver results. You don’t need a perfect résumé. You need a clear story. One that starts with change, and ends with purpose. #CareerStorytelling #Reinvention #JobSearchStrategy #ProfessionalBranding #OpenToWork #LearningDesign #CareerGrowth

Two weeks ago, my mom got laid off after 19 years in the same job. This weekend, she emailed me asking if I could fix her resume.  We ended up staying on a 4-hour call and completely revamped it. It had been decades since her job search–she was completely unfamiliar with things like ATS systems, keywords, and resume formats. Instead of gatekeeping the advice I gave her, I figured it’d be helpful for people in a similar situation. Here’s exactly what I told her to improve her resume: 👇 • Use a vetted, ATS-optimized template Her old resume was super cluttered and outdated. I recommended her “Jake’s resume” instead (link in comments). • Quantify every bullet point We rewrote most of her experience bullets using the XYZ format. It goes: "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]." As a ground rule, I told her to include a number / quantifiable result in two-thirds of her bullets. • Include a “Career Highlights” section My mom has over 20 years of experience and a PhD. Instead of making this hard to see, we wrote a 4-5 bullet point section at the top called “Career Highlights” (also a great tip for anyone who wants to highlight their strengths). With all that said, hoping to celebrate her first interview soon. P.S. This is the free AI resume builder that we used to make all these changes. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gd9xgfDF