How Employers Evaluate You: and How To Get It Right
You know you can do the job.
That does not mean employers see it.
Most people don’t get rejected because they lack skill. They get passed over because their value is hard to spot.
Employers do not read resumes the way you think they do.
I write about this often so you can:
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understand what employers notice first
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see how your experience is judged in seconds
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learn why good people get overlooked
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adjust how you present yourself so you’re taken seriously
This is about perception, not confidence.
Here's what tons of folks get wrong about evaluation...
Many people believe:
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if they meet the requirements, they should get a call
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hiring managers will “connect the dots”
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effort and passion will stand out
That’s not how it works.
Employers do not guess.
They do not translate.
They do not assume.
They scan and skim.
If they can’t see your value quickly, they move on.
I've personally reviewed thousands of resumes and run countless mock interviews. I see these same patterns over and over and over.
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Strong experience is buried under weak language.
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Important work sounds small or unclear.
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People describe tasks instead of outcomes.
This is not about lying or hype.
It’s about making your work easy to understand.
There are four fundamental "evaluation" truths in today's job market.
1. Employers look for proof, not effort
Hard work matters. But proof is what gets you hired.
2. Language shapes judgment
The words you use tell employers how to rate you. Speak in education, get hired in education. Speak in corporate, get hired in corporate.
3. Your first impression carries weight
The first few lines often decide the outcome. If those are weak, the rest won't matter.
4. You are being compared side by side
You are not judged alone. You are judged against others who may be clearer, not better.
Go deeper here
The posts below break down how resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews are judged.
You do not need to read everything.
Start with the one that feels most urgent.
Featured articles:
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The 15-Second Resume Rule That Determines Whether You Get an Interview >
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Create Your Unique Value Proposition with This Simple Formula >
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A simple way to think about this stage
Ask yourself three questions:
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Can someone explain my value after one quick scan?
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Do my examples show results or just responsibilities?
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Would a stranger trust me based on what I shared?
If not, your message needs work.
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Honestly, you can skip the rest of this and get the full process in one place.
That's exactly why I built the Career Change Accelerator™.
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All posts about how to get taken seriously
Use the Story-Bridge Formula to Win Over Hiring Managers and Gatekeepers >
How to find the business problem you actually solve. >
How to Optimize Your Teacher Resume to Match Any Job Description >
Why You Need to Start Using STAR Resume Bullets Right Now >
5 Easy Steps to Quantify Your Teacher Resume >
Struggling To Write Your Resume? Use These 27 Prompts To Supercharge Your Experience Section >
These 27 Prompts Will Make Your Resume Practically Write Itself >
10 Words To Use On Your Resume (and 5 You Need to Delete)Â >
Corporate Speak 101: Say This, Not That. >
Say Your Skills Better—in 10 Minutes >
The 15-Second Resume Rule That Determines Whether You Get an Interview >
The first 50 words decide your fate. >
Should I De-Teacherize My Resume? >
Your stories are good. Your endings are weak. >
Create Your Unique Value Proposition with This Simple Formula >
Change Your Job Title to Show Your Best Skills >
Core Values Are The New Skills and Experience >
Buzzwords Are Killing Your Job Search >
Companies See You As Just A Teacher. Now What? >
15 Insanely Effective Value Proposition Examples for Transitioning Teachers (With Metrics)Â >
Default path: I taught kids. Better path: I moved adults. >
I don’t have a portfolio. How do I show I can do the job? Use my Proof-of-Work Technique. >
Want to Work with Adults? Your Resume Needs to Say That—Here's How >
I've never been good at talking about myself. Let's fix that right now. >
How to Instantly Sound More Hireable (Takes 3 Minutes!)Â >
Best articles on related topics
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Leaving Teaching, On Purpose >
What Jobs You Can Do Instead >
How Hiring Actually Works Now >
How to Run a Smart Job Search >
What I’ve Learned From Doing This at Scale >
When you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
1. The Elevated Career Change Accelerator™: Join countless educators in my core program. It’s built for folks who want a clear path out of the classroom and into corporate roles without guessing, over-applying, or wasting months trying to piece things together. Inside, you’ll work through six focused modules that cover role selection, positioning your experience, resumes, LinkedIn, interviews, negotiation, and what actually matters once you’re hired. This is the same framework I’ve refined over a decade of making this move myself and helping others do it faster and smarter.
2. 1:1 Action Planning Session: If you want direct guidance, this is a focused working session. We’ll map out exactly where you’re headed, what roles make sense for you, and the next concrete steps to take. You’ll leave with a clear plan you can execute immediately, based on your background and constraints, not generic advice.
Either option is a strong move.
Both put you on my radar and into my corporate-ready pipeline. That matters because recruiters and hiring managers regularly reach out to me when they’re trying to fill roles and want candidates who are already vetted, positioned well, and realistic about the work. As a customer, you’re invited into that pipeline by default.
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