Something You Don’t Know About Me
I want to share something from my past that you might not know about me.
For years, I had a section at the very bottom of my resume that I titled simply: “Personal”
This two sentence paragraph strayed far from the typical bullet points of job history and skills.
Here’s what it said:
“I’ve worked on an archeological dig on Crete, paved Colonel Sanders' driveway, ridden out a hurricane on Senator Gerald Ford's lap, and canoed the entire Suwannee River, 365 miles, from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico.”
I tucked away these little nuggets of uniqueness at the end of an otherwise very professional document.
A document I was hoping would land me an interview - and a job.
High stakes to be sure.
And a bit of a gamble.
But guess what?
It paid off.
In every interview, without fail, this was the section that interviewers would bring up first.
For some reason, it was usually the Gerald Ford bit that people fixated on.
(Truth be told, I was just a baby at the time, so not quite as weird as it sounds.)
It wasn’t my years of experience or the list of achievements that piqued their curiosity—it was these odd, personal facts.
Why did this happen?
Resumes, like many things in our professional lives, can often become incredibly boring and cookie-cutter.
Like pitch emails, proposals and website About pages.
They’re filled with the same jargon, the same structure, and the same safe, conventional highlights.
But in a sea of sameness, it’s personal, human stories that set you apart.
They make you memorable.
In a world where designers and agencies are often just carbon copies of each other, it’s this kind of storytelling that will differentiate you.
It makes your potential clients or employers just a little more curious about you.
It makes them want to learn more.
When you share unique aspects of your personal history, you create a narrative that sticks in people’s minds long after the interview or pitch meeting is over.
So, I want you to take a moment to reflect on your own journey.
Dig into your past and unearth some moments that are uniquely yours.
What are the quirky, interesting, or downright odd things you’ve done in your life?
Maybe an early job that’s given you an unconventional skill.
Or you’ve had unusual experience that’s shaped your perspective.
These stories are gold.
They humanize you and can make you stand out in a crowded market.
Now, how can they be woven into your professional story?
Use them to break the ice, to add color to the description of your offering.
Leave them laying about in your web copy, or a piece of content you post, like a hidden Easter Egg for a prospect to find.
Being memorable isn’t just about what you’ve done in your career—it’s about who you are as a person.
It’s about how your unique experiences shaped your approach to work and to life.
In a world of sameness, let your individuality shine.
And take a bit of a gamble.
Because, it can pay off.
~ Philip VanDusen
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