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Hey There!

Welcome to Issue #175 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today's issue is brought to you by HubSpot! If you're a free subscriber and value our content, it costs $0 to support us by clicking the ad and checking out the service. Show our sponsor some love for supporting Jobseeking is Hard! Thanks!

Happy Wednesday!

I’ve noticed a few conversations lately (mostly from non-recruiters, often hiring managers) questioning whether focusing your resume is “dishonest.” The argument seems to be that tailoring your experience to a specific role crosses some ethical line, or that condensing your background to highlight what’s most relevant is misrepresentation.

I understand why that makes people uneasy. No one wants to be accused of being something they're not. Most jobseekers are trying to present themselves accurately and in good faith.

But from a recruiter’s POV, focusing your resume isn’t lying. It isn’t fabricating experience, inflating your seniority, or rewriting your history.

It’s prioritizing.

Recruiters evaluate fit for a specific role. When you apply, we’re asking one question: can this person do this job?

This week, I’ll walk through the difference between focusing and falsifying and explain why clarity isn’t dishonesty.

I’ll also share how an Edit Bundle client moved from a Manager-level role to a VP-level role, with a $45K raise and additional perks, once their experience was framed in a way that made their scope and impact unmistakable.

This week we’re talking about:

• Why focusing your resume isn’t dishonest

• How clarifying scope on your resume shifts how recruiters interpret you

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking the idea that recruiters are lurking in LinkedIn comment sections

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about reapplying with a more focused resume. I’ll explain what would need to change for it to actually matter.

Let’s get to it!

PRIORITIZING ISN’T MISREPRESENTING

If you’ve spent any time in hiring, you know this debate usually comes from a place of suspicion. There’s an assumption that if someone rearranges or emphasizes parts of their background, they must be trying to get away with something.

I’ve been recruiting since 2003. I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes across industries and levels. I can tell you this with confidence: recruiters aren’t looking for reasons to catch you in a lie. We’re looking for reasons to say yes.

We want to be educated. We want to understand quickly why you’re relevant. We want to see how your experience maps to the problem we’re trying to solve.

What we don’t want is to work harder than we have to.

When people hear “focus your resume,” they often interpret it as hiding information or manipulating the experience. That’s not what it is. Focusing is prioritization, not fabrication.

Lying is inflating your seniority and claiming ownership you didn’t have…representing yourself as operating at a level you’ve never actually held. Fabricating metrics. That’s dishonesty.

Focusing is deciding what deserves the most space and emphasis for the role in front of you.

If you’ve done operational execution and long-term strategy, and you’re applying to a strategic role, leading with strategy isn’t deceptive. It’s relevant. If you’ve managed a small team and collaborated across a much larger organization, and the job requires cross-functional influence, highlighting that influence isn’t misrepresentation. It’s alignment.

Recruiters don’t evaluate resumes as complete career histories…we evaluate them against a defined scope (the job description we’re recruiting for). We’re asking whether this person can do this job. Not whether they can do every job they’ve ever had and what was involved in each role.

When everything on a resume is presented, all of the skills and experience look equal and nothing stands out. In a crowded hiring market, that lack of prioritization hurts you more than anything else.

There’s a difference between omission and distortion. You’re allowed to condense. You’re allowed to reorder. You’re allowed to elevate what matters most for the opportunity you’re pursuing. What you’re not allowed to do is invent.

The same logic applies to job titles. If your official title was vague, internal, or company-specific, clarifying it so a recruiter understands what you actually did isn’t deception. As long as you’re not exaggerating your level or claiming a title you didn’t operate at, aligning your title to industry language helps recruiters understand you faster.

From the recruiter’s side of the table, a focused resume doesn’t feel dishonest. It feels thoughtful and that you understand the job enough to make alignment obvious. If your goal is to help us make an informed decision, focusing your resume achieves that.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows…maybe you’ll land a $45K raise like this client 🤷‍♂️

So how did I help this Edit Bundle client move from a Manager-level role to a VP, with a huge raise?

Scope.

If you’re targeting senior roles, your resume has to reflect the level you’re operating at…not just the tasks you’re performing.

A lot of professionals aiming for Director, Head of, or VP roles undersell themselves without realizing it. They list everything they’re responsible for. They describe programs they manage. They outline compliance, training, reporting, and execution. All of it is accurate. All of it matters. But when everything is presented with equal weight, the reader defaults to the safest interpretation.

Senior-level resumes should signal scope immediately. That means clarifying ownership. Making it obvious when you’re setting strategy, not just executing it. Showing enterprise impact, not just site-level activity. Demonstrating influence across functions, not just within a team. It also means separating hands-on work from strategic accountability. If you’re responsible for long-term direction, budget decisions, regulatory exposure, cross-functional alignment, or cultural transformation, that needs to be obvious…not buried halfway down a bullet list.

That’s what determines how recruiters interpret you.

In this case, the experience was already there. The leadership scope, strategic impact, and enterprise visibility. It just wasn’t framed in a way that made the operating level easily recognizable and understandable.

That’s the difference between “qualified” and “positioned.” And yes…that positioning helped lead to a VP title, a $45K raise, and additional perks.

If you’re feeling like your resume isn’t telling your story the way it should and don’t know how to frame your experience, our services can help. 

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

6 years of school to qualify for $21/hr is crazy work

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

Today's issue is also brought to you by Marketing Against The Grain! C’mon give it a click…it costs $0 and helps support your favorite job search newsletter 🙂

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PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

“I applied for a role a few weeks ago and didn’t hear back. After reading your last issue, I realized my resume wasn’t very focused and probably undersold my credentials. The job is still posted. Can I reapply with my updated resume, or does that just look desperate?”

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

Why upgrade? For less than $0.63/day, you get:

• Subscriber-Only Discounts: Get exclusive promo codes for Karpiak Consulting services, available only to Premium subscribers. Whether you're updating your resume, need a LinkedIn profile review, or want expert help tailoring your applications, these occasional discounts make expert support more accessible.

• Extra Tips & Advice: Gain exclusive insights, strategies, and advice from a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field. Discover what hiring managers truly value and how to stand out at every step of your job search.

• Access to Previous Issues: Explore a library of knowledge with all 100+ past issues of the newsletter. Each edition is packed with proven strategies, practical advice, and real-world jobseeking stories to give you an edge in today’s competitive job market. From resume tips to handling tough interview questions, you’ll find answers to every challenge.

• Exclusive Q&A: Have questions about your job search? Premium subscribers can ask Adam directly! Questions will be featured in upcoming issues, with detailed answers tailored to real-world scenarios, ensuring you get the guidance you need.

• Bonus Content: As part of your Premium subscription, you’ll receive 20 additional job search tips delivered to your inbox over the next 20 days. This includes advice on avoiding common mistakes and maximizing your job search strategy to land interviews faster.

Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

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