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Resume writing all wrong? Man lists his failures and the results are surprising

Composing a rundown of your skills, honors, fabulous references and all-round greatness might not be the best way to get noticed.
/ Source: TODAY

Want your resume to stand out to potential employers? Of course you do. But composing a rundown of your skills, honors, fabulous references and all-round greatness might not be the best way to accomplish that.

According to Jeff Scardino, that sort of boastful offering just gets lost among like lists. And he thinks he's found the solution.

Out with the good, and in with the brutally honest — and even bad!

The writer and advertising executive experimented with his own resume and found that by listing the honors he didn't get, the references he's not proud of and a the memorable failures that marked his career, he'd found the secret to success.

When Scardino tried to land a job the usual way, his effort yielded one response and no requests for face-to-face time. But when he submitted what he now calls The Relevant Resume— telling potential employers that he has "difficulty remembering names," "could be more punctual" and that he doesn't take good notes in meetings " but [I] look like I do because I'm drawing" — he had eight responses and five requests to meet.

"When I read your cover letter, I thought it was a joke," one executive responded. "But after looking at your resume, I'm really impressed with your honesty."

Want to see if the truth sets you free, or at least sets apart you on your job search? Scardino offers a free template so you can try it yourself. Proceed at your own risk — or reward!

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