Truth Cuts Both Ways
The Story:
Nisha was great at her job. She led projects, trained new hires, and even stepped in for her manager on more than one occasion. But when she started applying for new roles, her resume told a very different story.
It was clean. It was honest. But it was incomplete.
She didn’t lie — far from it. But in trying to appear modest, she left out achievements that truly reflected her capabilities. The result? She got responses for roles beneath her skill level.
One recruiter even asked: “Have you ever led a team?”
She had. Multiple times. Just never wrote it down.
What Went Wrong?
We often talk about the dangers of resume inflation — and rightly so. But rarely do we discuss the quiet killer: underrepresentation.
You might be guilty of it if:
- You think “team player” is more humble than “led a cross-functional team.”
- You leave out side projects because they “don’t count.”
- You skip quantifying impact because “everyone says that stuff.”
Here’s the truth:
- If you don’t own your story, no one else will.
- If your resume doesn’t reflect your value, it will be overlooked.
The Other Side of the Coin:
Of course, the temptation to oversell is real.
AI-generated resumes, bullet points loaded with jargon, or taking a 3-month internship and calling it “strategic consulting” — that too, doesn’t help.
It breaks trust, leads to mismatched interviews, and can derail an offer even late in the game.
So, What’s the Right Balance?
Honesty ≠ Humility. It means being accurate, bold, and fair.
Here’s how to strike the balance:
- Audit Your Wins: Write down everything you’ve done — then filter, don’t censor.
- Quantify Without Embellishing: “Increased retention by 15%” speaks louder than “helped make things better.”
- Use AI smartly, not blindly: Let AI refine your voice, not distort it.
- Phone-a-friend: Ask a colleague to read your resume and tell you what’s missing.
Conclusion:
The best resumes tell the truth — not just the safe parts, but the whole story.
Because in today’s talent market, being truthfully visible is more powerful than being modestly hidden.
So don’t lie.
But don’t disappear either.
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