Do you need to revise your resume or...

Previously published in Experience Points, a newsletter dedicated to supporting professionals like you in the job hunt, wellness, and developing business acumen. Click here to learn more.

I've noticed a trending conversation in my inbox. Mentee and network connections lately have sent me something like this: Can we talk? I've revised my résumé sooo many times. And I haven't gotten a job yet.

Now, sometimes their résumé needs help. But these messages miss something key about the résumé...

The résumé isn't meant to get you a job. Reread that, my skimmers!

Your résumé isn't meant to get you a job. It's meant to get you an interview.

So if you're getting interviews, your résumé may not need updates. It's more likely that you need to fine-tune your interview skills and/or—and I know you're going to hate reading this—that you need to be patient.

My sense of time is already fluid. As an autistic, I time-slip often, especially if I'm feeling heightened emotions like stress or excitement.

It's easy to get caught in the "why hasn't this happened for me yet?" trap and assume the problem is you.

But the job hunt, much like gardening, takes time. Seeds don't instantly fruit. And research is showing us that it can take 5-6 months in 2024 to find a new role.

So if you're in month X of the hunt, you might mistakenly believe that it's your résumé's fault. When this may just be the process right now... ??

If you're getting interviews but not progressing in the interview process, practice for them. If you're not getting any interviews, let's look at your job application assets: your résumé, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, etc.

And if your application assets are solid, maybe it's your networking approach.

Or maybe... you just need time.

Let's talk about your mental health while you wait.

The wait can be a confidence killer. Waiting can be when dread and desperation sink in. What if they don't like me? What if they don't call?

Pause for a moment and consider this. Our brains are designed to keep us from danger. You're waiting in the unknown, which is inherently dangerous.

Your brain will take all the facts you know and start super-analyzing them in a futile attempt to 1) keep you safe from harm and 2) predict the future.

So just stop it..... Kidding! Wouldn't it be great if that were all I needed to say? ??

A few things to remember here:

1. You do not know all the facts and context around the thing you're waiting for.
2. You only know your side of things, which is why your brain will immediately say "it must be me"
3. This is a type of stress response.

The best thing you can do for yourself is plan for the wait.

Write a list of activities that bring you joy, books you're interested in reading, chores you need to get done, etc. Plan things with friends. Make a movie list you're excited to watch!

And write this list before you need it!

Then, when they tell you you'll hear back on Monday, you can make sure your time is filled with something you can dive into and enjoy rather than wait by the phone or hit refresh repeatedly on your email.

It may take time to find the right in-between activity for you and absolutely follow up when the time is right. But whatever you do, don't spend your energy spinning in the dreadful limbo.

Your energy is worth more than that.

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