Twice in the past two years, I found myself looking for a new role a little sooner than expected. In both cases, I saw the misalignment coming and had already begun preparing. I leaned on what I’ve come to think of as Plan A. I reached out to people who knew my work, focused on opportunities that matched how I think and lead, and stayed close to the kind of problems I’m built to solve. Both times, that approach worked. The process moved quickly, and I found my way to something meaningful.
At the same time, I ran a quiet fallback strategy. I figured if Plan A did not move fast enough, I could take on more tactical work, something short-term, execution-focused, and lower visibility. I rewrote my résumé to match. I stripped it down, softened the titles, removed anything that sounded too strategic, and aligned it closely to what those roles seemed to want. I submitted dozens of applications, blindly feeding them into applicant tracking systems.
Not one of them was viewed.
It was not rejection. It was silence. I had made myself invisible in a system designed to filter out anything that does not fit a narrow profile. By removing the signals of experience, I removed the very things that usually get me in the door.
Looking back, I probably should have tried something different. Instead of rewriting myself to blend in, I could have framed a smaller but more intentional version of the value I actually bring. I could have positioned myself as someone who can step in quickly to stabilize a project, close a gap, or deliver a specific outcome with minimal ramp-up. That kind of clarity might have stood out. I never tested that approach. I just tried to fit. Next time, I will not.
