In the professional world, people typically communicate their career highlights in the language of experience. “I have 10 years experience as a software engineer,” or “I have been a project manager for 15 years.” 

We do that because employers ask us to when they’re hiring. Employers filter for candidates based on their years of experience in a particular area. The problem is, experience is not necessarily a predictor of future success in a new job, as presented in a recent meta-analysis that studied 81 studies across a wide range of jobs. According to Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton, past performance, current motivation, and ability are much better predictors of future performance.

I would argue that prior experience is not necessarily a predictor of future job satisfaction, either. 

And here’s why: what you bring to a job encompasses so much more than just your technical expertise. Who you are at work is what people notice, more so than what you do.

When you can grasp this, writing your next resume becomes a deeply personal and eye-opening journey of understanding how you have contributed to the overall success of your organization and the value you bring. And I guarantee it is not because you are certified in project management or can out-code all your peers. There is something about you that is absolutely distinct from anyone else with your same job title or years of experience. 

You can stop writing your resume to reflect your job responsibilities. No more resumes that read like a job description! Generic language won’t help you communicate who you are. Drawing out what distinguishes you becomes the goal of your resume. Who have you been at work?

We communicate who we are through the language of past performance, not the language of experience.

When you describe past performance, you articulate:

1. the impact you made

2. the results you created, and

3. the outcomes you influenced

What are you known for?

What are you the go-to person for?

What did you do that someone else in your position wouldn’t have?

What do you do that causes you to make an impact?

Go ahead, make a list.

If you are still struggling to know what makes you unique, consider what activities energize you, and what beliefs shape how you show up to work. Read more about this process here.

And here’s the best part: when you can recast your work history through the lens of who you have been at work, you start to see trends and themes emerge that you never saw before. These trends have likely been with you your whole life, because who you are transcends what you do. It’s your personal career throughline that you can trace throughout your whole life. There’s a good chance that your next ideal job doesn’t look like the next logical progression for someone in your position. 

Going through this exercise with my clients is thrilling, because they start to see what really makes them come alive, what unique strengths they bring to their job (and will take with them and use at any future job), and then they get the insight for what they want to do next. 

Stop describing your experience. And start drawing out your past performance and who you have been. The results might come as a surprise, but will propel you into your next right career move.