Don’t Make Them Connect the Dots: How to Show, Not Hope, You’re the Right Fit
Your Experience Doesn’t Speak for Itself—You Do
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is assuming their experience is obvious.
➡️ “It’s all there on my resume.”
➡️ “They should be able to tell I’d be a great fit.”
➡️ “They can read between the lines.”
But here’s the thing: they won’t.
Hiring managers are scanning dozens—sometimes hundreds—of candidates. It’s not their job to make the connection between what you’ve done and what they need.
It’s yours.
If They Have to Work to Understand Your Value, They’ll Move On
Here’s what not to assume:
❌ That your big-brand background automatically carries weight
❌ That your years of experience automatically suggest seniority
❌ That your “open to work” banner means you’re a good fit
Instead, you need to:
✔️ Make the link between their problem and your experience explicit
✔️ Speak their language in your materials and conversations
✔️ Show up like someone who already belongs in the role
3 Areas Where You’re Probably Making Them Connect the Dots
1️⃣ Your Resume
Before:
“Led marketing strategy across multiple brands.”
After:
“Led a $20M marketing portfolio across three brands, increasing household penetration by 15% in under 12 months.”
❗You’re not just describing what you did—you’re proving you know what matters.
2️⃣ Your Interview Responses
Before:
“I’ve done a lot of work in category strategy and brand building.”
After:
“At [Company], I helped reset our category strategy for the club channel—identifying under-leveraged SKUs and driving $6M in incremental revenue. That experience maps directly to the growth goals you’ve outlined for this role.”
👉 Frame every answer around this question:
How does my experience solve their problem?
3️⃣ Your LinkedIn Profile
Before:
✅ Title: “Senior Brand Manager | Digital Strategy | Innovation”
❌ About section: Empty or reads like a resume summary
After:
✅ About section starts with:
“I help CPG brands unlock growth through insight-led innovation and team coaching—most recently driving double-digit lifts in omni-channel sales at [Company].”
Your profile shouldn’t just reflect your past—it should point directly to the kind of role you want next.
The Candidates Who Stand Out Make It Easy to Say Yes
When you show—clearly—how your experience applies, your audience:
✔️ Doesn’t have to guess
✔️ Feels confident in your ability to hit the ground running
✔️ Starts to imagine you already on the team
This is the difference between “a solid candidate” and “our top choice.”
Your Action Step: Audit for Clarity, Not Just Content
Pick one of these areas—resume, interview answers, or LinkedIn—and ask:
- Where am I making the reader/listener do the work?
- Where can I add specificity or tie directly to the job description?
- What assumptions am I making that I could replace with proof?
Then revise one sentence today. Small shifts add up to big clarity.
Want Help Crafting a Message That Lands?
If you're tired of wondering if your story is connecting, I can help.
Whether it’s a resume rewrite, LinkedIn refresh, or mock interview, I’ll help you communicate your value clearly—so hiring managers don’t have to guess.
