Some of this is good advice, but I definitely wouldn't advocate embellishing your resume in this way. You're going to waste a lot of time on the phone with recruiters exploring roles you probably are not a good fit for. Also if I contact you because I'm looking for a FOO expert and you actually only read a blog post about FOO, you immediately lose credibility with me. Very low chance of it turning into a job.
IMO it's better ROI to get as specific as possible about the BAR role you are looking for and then put in the effort to do these things:
1) really workshop all the text on your resume / LinkedIn to make it clear you are seeking BAR opportunities
2) connect with people who are working on BAR or are BAR-adjacent
3) (if needed) think of easy things you can do to bolster your BAR credibility (small side projects, read a book on it, etc).
If you can do these things you automatically stand out because most people seem to lack introspection about what they want and also communicate poorly.
Doing this also will improve the ROI you get from your own network, because people will be able to more easily understand what you're looking for when thinking about the opportunities they know about.
Bottom line though: If I read over your profile, is it obvious you are actually good at X and seeking Y? It's amazing to me how many applications I see that communicate nothing about what the candidate has accomplished or would like to do next. A keyword spam resume is getting the circular file if it hits my desk.
> Some of this is good advice, but I definitely wouldn't advocate embellishing your resume in this way. You're going to waste a lot of time on the phone with recruiters exploring roles you probably are not a good fit for. Also if I contact you because I'm looking for a FOO expert and you actually only read a blog post about FOO, you immediately lose credibility with me. Very low chance of it turning into a job.
I think it depends on whether you already have a job you're OK with vs. if you're unemployed and have N months until you're living in your car.
I've been unemployed with a family and burning through a very small savings account. When you're in that situation, "finding a good fit" is not a priority. Getting an offer letter from any company by any means is the priority. Embellish and spam. Knock on physical doors if you have to. Let the company decide whether you're a good fit. This is one of those unfortunate "don't hate the player, hate the game" realities.
I understand the scenario you are describing, but I still don't think running around like a chicken with head cut off is your best strategy. Thinking about how to convey your value and targeting work you are well-qualified for will convert into a job much more reliably than spamming and claiming to be something you are not.
I think the idea is “BAR” is the opposite of “FOO”, it doesn’t actually stand for anything, it’s just “bar” jobs you actually want, rather than “foo” experience you list in your resume.
IMO it's better ROI to get as specific as possible about the BAR role you are looking for and then put in the effort to do these things:
1) really workshop all the text on your resume / LinkedIn to make it clear you are seeking BAR opportunities
2) connect with people who are working on BAR or are BAR-adjacent
3) (if needed) think of easy things you can do to bolster your BAR credibility (small side projects, read a book on it, etc).
If you can do these things you automatically stand out because most people seem to lack introspection about what they want and also communicate poorly.
Doing this also will improve the ROI you get from your own network, because people will be able to more easily understand what you're looking for when thinking about the opportunities they know about.
Bottom line though: If I read over your profile, is it obvious you are actually good at X and seeking Y? It's amazing to me how many applications I see that communicate nothing about what the candidate has accomplished or would like to do next. A keyword spam resume is getting the circular file if it hits my desk.
If you have no friends, discuss it with ChatGPT.