How to Escape the Digital Abyss and Build Leverage with a Personal Brand
Over the last five years, I’ve reviewed more than 10,000 resumes.
💡Another Eric Schmidt guest post, providing a recruiter’s perspective💡
SDRs, AEs, full-stack engineers, C-levels—you name it.
Some had been laid off. Some were frustrated with shifting quotas or endless technical sprints that led nowhere.
A few were totally happy—content, treated well—but still curious. Because as humans, our nature is to push our boundaries and evolve.
But no matter how talented you are, your leverage lies in who is aware of your talent.
And a resume? It’s only as powerful as the number of people who read it.
Out of those 10,000 resumes I’ve reviewed, 99.99% were missing one critical, asymmetric ingredient—one that takes leverage to a whole new level in the digital age. A personal brand.
The Digital Abyss
You apply (maybe with a short note to the hiring manager). You wait. You hear nothing… again.
Why?
Maybe you've assumed a hundred different reasons.
Here’s the reality: Recruiters—myself included—are skimming through hundreds of applications per role.
Inbound applications are only a small part of the job. Great recruiters don’t just review—they hunt.
We look for top talent. We search for “what good looks like,” based on our experience and the archetype outlined by our clients and employers.
This creates a lens—a filter we use to evaluate resumes quickly. And we’re moving fast. We assess, in 15–30 seconds, whether someone fits what our client or company is looking for.
For lack of a better term, it’s a vibe. A quantifiable one, if you want to go quantum—but that’s for another time.
What a Personal Brand Does for You
There are two main reasons people get unsolicited DMs with job opportunities:
Their name comes up in a trusted network, and their skills/reputation are vouched for.
They’ve built a visible, credible personal brand, and their work speaks for itself.
Either way, they skip the line you’re stuck in.
Your LinkedIn Is Your Digital Marketplace
I look at LinkedIn profiles more than resumes. At least 50% of my day is spent assessing people based on how they position themselves online. Sometimes, I land on a profile and instantly think, “They’d be perfect for XYZ client.”
If they look great “on paper,” I reach out. I call, email, or DM—because I see something.
And today, “on paper” = your LinkedIn.
It’s how you present yourself. It’s how you speak to your experience. It’s how you express yourself digitally.
Think of it like the shoemaker in the 1800s. They needed a sign to attract people walking by.
You need a digital signature—something that shows people who you are, even when you're not in the room. And unlike the shoemaker selling to 100 townspeople…there are 5.5 billion people online today. 1 billion of them are on LinkedIn.
The scale of your opportunity would be unimaginable to that shoemaker.
Conclusion
Imagine skipping the application line entirely. Or not needing to apply at all. Imagine a resume that works for you 24/7—accessible, compelling, and alive online.
That’s the power of a personal brand.
The biggest financial placement of my career? No resume. Just a strong personal brand and a clear signal to the right person.
One last thing: You don’t need to be Justin Welsh, Dan Koe, or Ryan Walsh.
But you do need to give off the right vibe.
Here’s my LinkedIn profile. If this has been on your mind and you’re looking for some honest feedback, DM me. I’m happy to help.
