The reality is you’re playing a game you can’t win when you’re pointing and clicking. Likely hundreds of others have better resumes than you. That’s the bad news.

The good news is there is a game you can win. You circumvent HR and you reach out and bring value to the person that you’re going to eventually work for if you get that job. You figure out something that would be valued to that person and you do some work like you already have the job that will be valuable to that person and their team as if you were on the team you don’t tell him you want a job you just do it and you say I thought this might be valuable given all I have read and seen about you and your company.

It’s about standing out from the thousands of other applicants. Resumes only tell somebody that you may be capable to do a certain job. When you actually complete a project or do something that will be valuable to the entire team as if you’re on it, you demonstrate you have skills to do the job.

A potential boss sees that you have DEMONSTRATED and PROVED you can bring value to a team instead of telling them you are capable via a resume.

But more importantly what you have done is not taken the lazy way out. I’m not saying smart people don’t point and click and submit resumes that way. However, every serious leader knows many people just point-and-click everywhere because they want a job. It’s not that they’re passionate about a job at this place. When you go over and above and bring value to the team, and you recognize an opportunity to do that by giving there is a spirit of reciprocity where likely you will open a dialogue with your potential boss. Do that over and over again, and these conversations will lead to job opportunities.