A Tale of Two Resumes: How to Impress a Hiring Manager

Two resumes crossed my desk on the same day. One belonged to a maintenance supervisor, and the other to a seasoned social services director. I didn’t know either person, or what jobs they were targeting. But within seconds, I had completely different reactions.

The maintenance supervisor’s resume was under two pages, cleanly formatted, consistent, and easy to follow. The bullet points described the impact of his work, not just a laundry list of tasks. There were no obvious grammar issues, no exaggerations, and no fluff. After a quick skim, my first thought was:

"Hire him. Whatever he’s applying for, hire him."

Meanwhile, the social services director—someone who should be landing roles well into the $150k+ range—had a resume that was five pages long with inconsistent formatting, tense errors, and job-description-style bullets that gave me no sense of scope, outcomes, or decision-making. My reaction there was more:

"Huh."

Not “no,” not “yes,” just… nothing to grab onto. If I were hiring, she’d probably land in the maybe pile.

Here’s the part that matters: Two people, with two very different backgrounds, demonstrated the same lesson: your resume can tell a hiring manager as much about your judgment as it does your skills.

How Did I Know the Maintenance Supervisor Had Good Judgment?

You might wonder:

"How can you tell anything about someone’s judgment from a five-second glance at a resume?"

Because resumes don’t just tell us what you’ve done.They tell us how you make decisions.They show what you prioritize.They reveal how you communicate, and whether you respect the reader’s time.

In this case, the maintenance supervisor either:

• Put in time to learn how to build a clean, modern resume

• Used a solid template or software tool

• Got help from someone who knew what they were doing, or

• Used AI in a thoughtful process, including thorough review and improvement of outputs.

  
  

Regardless of how he got there, any of those options say: This person knows how to get the right help, use the right tools, and make sound decisions.

That is judgment. And judgment shows up in the small things long before you ever meet someone.

His resume also told me: if he approached his job search this way, he will likely approach his work this way—using the tools and support available to solve problems well.

Why This Matters for Your Job Search

You want your resume to do what his did—even for someone outside your field.

You want any hiring manager who sees your materials to think:

“I want to get to know this person better.”

Strong resumes spark curiosity.They make your reader lean in and take a second look. They earn you that interview.

Unfortunately, many people—especially seasoned professionals—end up in the “social services director” situation for very understandable reasons:

• They haven’t updated a resume in 10+ years (yes, I see you nervously raising your hand—I’ve been there myself!)

• Their experience is deep, but their formatting is dated

• They’ve been promoted internally and never needed to tell their story externally

• They’re too close to the work to see the highlights clearly

• They tried using AI… without editing the output

None of this means they aren’t qualified. It simply means the resume isn’t doing its job.

What Makes a Resume Earn a Second Look?

A few small things make a big difference on that first pass:

• Appropriate length (1–2 pages for most people)

• Clean, modern formatting

• Clear, scannable sections

• Outcome-focused bullets (not just a copy and paste of your job description)

• Consistency (tense, punctuation, spacing, headings)

• Respect for the reader’s time

  
  

You don’t need a fancy design, corporate jargon, or to pretend you’re someone you’re not.

You just need a resume that shows you make thoughtful decisions—because that’s what hiring managers are looking for long before they ever call you.

Want Your Resume to Earn That Second Look?

If you read this and thought, “Oh jeez… I might be the social services director in this story,” you’re not alone. Most people don’t know how their resume is interpreted by someone who reads hundreds of them.

That’s where good tools, and good guidance, make all the difference.

You can visit the Threshold Pathways store for:

• A resume template and guide to help you strengthen your materials

• A free tip sheet on using AI effectively (without losing your voice)

  
  

Or, if you’d like personalized support, schedule a consult, and let’s make sure your resume earns the second look—and the interview.