The 5 Resume & Interview Mistakes Even Great Candidates Make
The Ultimate Tip: Be Memorable by Being Authentically You
At the end of the day, the reason you'll get hired or promoted is because you stand out and leave a lasting impression, not because you had the best story on paper that was told poorly…If that wasn’t the case why are the below true…
A good resume won’t get you the job.
Neither will a good connection.
Maybe a great interview… but even that isn’t guaranteed.
You’ve probably done and learned more than you appreciate, but you downplay your experiences, thinking they were basic and simple. Most of the time, I find that to be wrong and totally due to self-deprecating tendencies… I challenge that through this process, through which you’ll realize just how much value you already bring to the table and how to convince others of the same. Then you will watch your confidence, compared to where it is now, soar (I would know).
Convincing somebody to hire you comes down to your understanding and your ability to tell your compelling story, one filled with genuine emotion and real experiences that people can relate to. Also, being you and talking about your actual non-inflated work you’ve done, is enough, it always was, you just weren’t telling the story right (not even to yourself).
Which stories? The stories that truly resonate, the ones straight from the heart- those moments of joy, frustration, or triumph that you remember vividly without needing notes. So please stop trying to sound robotically professional and smart, overly rehearsed, and dry, trying to impress the person across from you with your impressive “corporate” accomplishments and jargon… Ask yourself, do you like working with those fake people?
By sharing your stories authentically- whether on your resume or in an interview- you demonstrate who you truly are and how much you care. People want to work with those who bring not just skills and technical expertise but genuine humanity and enthusiasm to the table. A good work friend.
So, embrace your unique story, and let it shine!
Tip #2: Know Your Two Themes
Before you write a resume, deliver an elevator pitch, or prep for an interview, you need to know what you’re selling. If you don’t know what you’re selling, it doesn’t matter how well you pitch it.
That starts with identifying the two core themes that define who you are professionally.
These themes should feel natural, like they’ve followed you from job to job, whether or not you had the language for them.
They might sound like:
Connecting and Advising
Teaching and Simplifying
Energizing Others and Driving Momentum
Protecting the Process and Building Trust
These aren’t just buzzwords, they’re a foundation. Once you have them, they become your north star.
You’ll use them to write your resume, choose your stories, answer interview questions, follow up after a meeting, even negotiate your offer.
Everything else flows from here.
Tip #3: Align Your Resume with Your Themes
When crafting your resume, don’t try to tell your whole story, tell the right story.
This could be your first impression, which does matter, so focus on your most impactful, emotionally resonant accomplishments.
Choose the stories you cannot tell out loud without getting angry… sad… regretful… or positively through the moon… the ones you remember.
That way, in every part of the hiring process, from resume submission or networking call, through interview #3, even in a quick scan at the end of the 2-month hiring period, that hiring manager will remember the key takeaways you brought to life in the interview, and choose you.
“It’s not about listing everything you’ve done. It’s about making your highest- impact contributions impossible to forget.”
Tip #4: Build a Strong Elevator Pitch
Once you know your themes, your elevator pitch becomes the thread that ties everything together.
Think of it as your professional introduction- short, focused, and rooted in what you actually do well.
Overly Generic Example:
My two core strengths are connecting and advising people. Over the last four years, first in the military and then in financial services, I’ve had the chance to lead complex, cross-functional projects and guide teams through high-pressure decisions.Along the way, I’ve learned that personal relationships are the most powerful driver of progress and collaboration and I am at my best when I’m building trust, simplifying complexity, and helping people move forward with clarity.
As I step into my next role, I’m looking for a dynamic environment where I can apply my core strengths and skills to help individuals and organizations thrive.
Keep it conversational but energetic. Memorize the core idea, not the script. Add some flare, get excited!
This pitch should show up everywhere: in interviews, networking calls, even follow-up emails. Remind them of who you are with two simple themes.
If you say nothing else, make sure they walk away remembering this. Because first impressions do matter…
Tip #5: Answer Questions with STAR and with EMOTION
The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a powerful way to structure your interview answers. It is a common and expected technique to structure responses, but I believe that’s part of the problem. It has become robotic and unmemorable; every interviewee uses STAR…
So what sets you apart is adding a human touch, being EMOTIONAL. Displaying how that project, team, failure, or success truly emotionally impacted you is 99% of the storytelling effort; let the interviewer fill in the plot with their company’s problems and let them SEE you as part of THEIR solution. By the way, this is where your follow-up questions come from… the plot they fill in for you…
Take a moment to think. Smile. Use names. Be real.
The stories people BELIEVE are the ones told with emotion, frustration, joy, surprise, even humor.
Share how the experience made you feel, the good the bad and the ugly. You think I haven’t gotten emotional about my past in an interview??
What you learned from it. Especially from your failures, even the really big ones (I will tell you mine if we meet- circa 2021-2022).
How have you proactively cut it off from happening again? Use their examples as yours, what would you do? Tell them that. That’s why they’re hiring you, right? Stop being nervous and compliant. Be bold. Be EMOTIONAL, with the STAR method.
