Have you ever scrolled through hundreds of resumes and felt like they all blurred together?
I just lived that nightmare – except it was over a thousand applications for a single role in my small business. By day four I was drowning in perfectly polished LinkedIn profiles, Ivy League degrees, and people who had already worked for names bigger than mine. And yet, the person I ended up hiring had none of that on paper.
She became my first full-time teammate, and four months later I’m wondering why every leader doesn’t take the same “risk” more often.
Why I Stopped Worshipping “Direct Experience”
Let’s be honest – most job descriptions are wish lists written on a hopeful day. We load them with every possible task we can imagine, then act shocked when nobody matches 100%.
The role I posted wasn’t a standard executive assistant gig. I needed someone who could handle rapid change, spot gaps before I did, build systems from scratch, and occasionally manage me, and never wait for perfect instructions. In other words, I needed a co-founder mindset in an early-stage hire.
Half the applicants had assisted famous CEOs or managed speakers with seven-figure businesses. Their resumes screamed “safe choice.” But when we talked, something felt… flat. Lots of “In my previous role I managed calendars and travel” and very little fire.
The Moment One Candidate Broke the Pattern
Then I opened a video interview with someone whose resume was, frankly, all over the place. Retail ops, startup customer success, a brief stint in education tech. Nothing obviously relevant.
Within five minutes I forgot about her resume entirely.
She didn’t try to stretch unrelated jobs to sound related. Instead she said things like:
“I noticed in chaotic environments people waste hours looking for the same document or asking the same question. I love turning that mess into a single source of truth everyone actually uses.”
Or:
“When leadership is moving fast, the highest-ROI thing I can do is translate ‘vibe’ into an actionable plan before you even ask.”
She spoke in outcomes, not tasks. And every example was concrete enough that I could instantly picture her doing the exact same thing for me.
Four Non-Negotiable Traits I Now Screen For First
Experience became my fourth or fifth filter instead of my first. These rose to the top:
- Independent thinking – Can they make smart decisions with incomplete information?
- Initiative muscle – Do they naturally spot and fix broken things?
- Communication clarity – Can they explain complex ideas simply and kindly?
- Learning speed – How fast do they admit “I don’t know” and then go figure it out?
I’d rather teach someone my industry than teach them how to think.
Enthusiasm Is an Underrated Superpower
There’s a persistent myth that showing excitement makes you look desperate. Maybe that works when you’re negotiating with Google, but when a thousand people want the same job? Genuine enthusiasm is rocket fuel.
My hire didn’t play it cool. After submitting her application she sent a short LinkedIn message that basically said:
“Just applied – I’ve followed your work for years and this role feels like the perfect intersection of everything I’m great at and everything I’m dying to learn. Happy to answer any quick questions!”
Out of 1,000+ applicants, fewer than ten messaged me. Five messages were worth reading. Two came from my finalists.
Coincidence? I think not.
When I got down to two amazing finalists, I was paralyzed. Both were fantastic in opposite ways.
I fed the interview transcripts into an AI notetaker that analyzes tone, energy, and themes. Old me would have rolled my eyes at this, but it surfaced something fascinating.
One candidate lit up when talking about prestige, scale, and managing large teams. The other – my eventual hire – lit up when describing turning chaos into calm, anticipating needs, and making everyone around her more effective.
Guess which weakness I have in spades?
The AI didn’t make the decision, but it confirmed what my gut already suspected: her strengths patched my blind spots perfectly.
What This Means for Your Next Application
You don’t need the “perfect” background. You need the right story.
Here’s the playbook that actually works in 2025:
- Lead with outcomes, not responsibilities
Instead of “Managed calendar” say “Kept a high-energy founder focused by ruthlessly prioritizing and rescheduling 30+ weekly requests.” - Show the skill, not the industry
Project management in retail translates directly to project management for a content creator if you explain how. - Reach out directly (thoughtfully)
A 3-sentence personalized note beats silence every single time. - Let your excitement leak out
Enthusiasm is only “too much” when it isn’t authentic. Authentic excitement is magnetic. - Tell stories that make the hiring manager’s life easier in their head
The goal is for them to think, “Oh thank God, she already knows how to solve my biggest headache.”
Since making this hire, three founder friends have copied the approach and all three say it was their best hire ever.
Maybe the safest choice isn’t the one with the most relevant bullet points. Maybe the safest choice is the one who proves they can grow into whatever you become next.
And sometimes that person is hiding in plain sight – with a resume that doesn’t look perfect on paper, but feels perfect in real life.
