The Lettersmith

Show of hands.✋️

Anyone else attending lots of graduation parties this month? 👩‍🎓

It’s such an exciting season — caps, gowns, proud families, big dreams.

And then comes the real-world question:

“How do I actually get hired?”

New grads are entering a tough job market, and they need standout resumes more than ever.

But what makes a resume stand out in the AI age?

A clearly human resume.

I’ve had the honor of creating 4 TORI award-winning new graduate resumes, and while the design may catch your eye, the real strength is the storytelling.

Each resume is built around that student’s unique experience: projects, internships, campus activities, leadership, volunteer work, part-time jobs, research, presentations, and more.

Because here’s the myth I’d love to retire:

“New grads don’t have accomplishments.”

They do.

They just don’t always know how to see them yet.

A strong resume writer asks the right questions and turns “just a class project” or “just a part-time job” into evidence of initiative, communication, problem-solving, leadership, and follow-through.

Your new grad doesn’t need a resume that sounds like everyone else’s.

They need a career-launching story that sounds like them.
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I'm Deborah Schuster, an award winning, 5X certified career coach. Need help finding your next role? Let me uncover and tell your success stories and personal brand in your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, bio, and more. You can DM me or reach out by email at [email protected].

Most job seekers are working hard.

But many are working hard on the **least effective parts** of the job search.

They apply online.
Refresh their inbox.
Tweak the resume again.
Wait for the call.

A strong resume matters — absolutely.

But your **job search strategy** matters just as much.

To celebrate earning my CCSC — Certified Career Success Coach certification, I’m offering a special bonus:

Purchase a resume package between **June 4 and June 16**, and you’ll receive a **free one-hour job search coaching session — a $295 value**.

During the session, we can talk through what actually makes sense for your situation:

How to target better-fit roles.
How to use LinkedIn more strategically.
How to connect with recruiters and decision-makers.
How to build momentum without feeling pushy.
How to job search confidentially when your current employer can’t know.
How to balance “open” visibility with quieter, behind-the-scenes strategies.

Because not every job search should be loud.

Sometimes you need visibility.

Sometimes you need discretion.

Often, you need both.

Resume + coaching = your story on paper and your strategy in motion.

PS--Have a new graduate in the family? I can help them, too.

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I'm Deborah Schuster, an award winning, 5X certified career coach. Need help finding your next role? Let me uncover and tell your success stories and personal brand in your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, bio, and more. You can DM me here or reach out by email at [email protected].

Many people ask me, “What is the current trend in resumes?”

My answer is always the same:

Humanity.

Not AI writing.
Not a downloaded template.
Not keyword stuffing.
Not copying what everyone else is doing.

In a world filling up with deepfakes, generic AI content, and resumes that sound like they were assembled by committee, your resume needs to shout:

“REAL HUMAN.”

Here are 5 ways to do that:

1. The writing
Use language that sounds like you. Strategic? Yes. Polished? Absolutely. But not so sterilized that your personality disappears. And ditch those cliches!

2. The design
Your resume should have a visual point of view. Executive, modern, clean, bold, refined—whatever fits you and your target industry. Not whoever downloaded the same template. The design needs to guide the eye of the reader and reinforce your brand.

3. The branding
Your leadership brand should be unmistakable. A COO, VP of Sales, CFO, or Plant Manager should not all sound the same.

4. The accomplishment metrics
Numbers matter because they prove impact. But the best metrics also show context: what was broken, what you fixed, and why it mattered.

5. The specificity
If a line on your resume could apply to 500 other people, it probably needs to go.

Google “TORI winners” and study those resumes.

You’ll notice something quickly: they were written and designed for one person, and one person only.

Now review your own resume.

Could any section belong to someone else?

If yes, revise it.

Or ditch it.

Or hire a pro.

Because the next resume trend isn’t about looking more automated.

It’s about looking more alive.

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I'm Deborah Schuster, an award winning, 4X certified career coach. Need help finding your next role? Let me uncover and tell your success stories and personal brand in your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, bio, and more. You can DM me on LinkedIn or reach out by email at [email protected].