Let me start with something no one wants to say out loud:

If you wouldn’t hire you, why should anyone else?

When I coach mid to senior professionals in career transition, I often find myself asking one particular question that cuts through the noise, the excuses, and the career bruises:

“Would you hire you based on how you’re showing up today?”

And the silence I get in return? Tells me everything.

So let’s talk about it — not with judgment, but with honesty, insight, and maybe a bit of Curt-brand humour along the way.

The Silent Sabotage: Why We Hold Ourselves Back

At this stage in your career, you’ve got the experience. You’ve got the results. You’ve likely led teams, saved budgets, launched products, or carried a P&L like a backpack through a mountain storm.

And yet… you hesitate.

You hesitate to speak boldly about your accomplishments. You downplay your leadership wins. You use words like “just,” “helped,” or “involved in,” instead of owning that you led, created, or delivered.

Why?

Because for many high-performing professionals, there’s a deeply rooted belief that humility is noble and self-promotion is sleazy. You were taught to let your work speak for itself.

Well, guess what?

In today’s job market, your work doesn’t speak unless you do.

If You’re Afraid to Brag, Let Me Reframe That Word

I had a client—let’s call him Rob—who built an $80M sales division. But on his résumé and in his interviews, he kept saying he was “involved in revenue growth.”

Involved?

That’s like saying Steve Jobs was “involved in smartphone innovation.”

I asked Rob, “Why are you downplaying it?”
He said, “I don’t want to come across as arrogant.”

Here’s what I told him:

“You’re not bragging. You’re briefing the decision-maker. You’re giving them the data they need to say yes.”

In sales, this would be called value-based selling. In marketing, it’s called positioning. In job search? It’s called survival.

You’re not bragging. You’re building belief.

The Market Doesn’t Hire Who’s the Most Qualified—It Hires Who Shows Up Best

Let me be direct here:
The job market doesn’t reward who you are. It rewards who you present.

If you're thinking, "But I have all this great experience, and they should see that," I’ve got tough news for you: Recruiters don’t read between the lines—they read what’s on the lines.

They’re not trained to spot potential.
They’re trained to eliminate risk.

And when you under-sell yourself, second-guess your language, or get awkward when asked about results, you’re not signaling humility. You’re signaling uncertainty.

Think of your next interview like a pitch meeting. Your job is to make the hiring manager say, “This person knows who they are, what they bring, and how they make a difference.”

That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you choose to show up with clarity, confidence, and a clean, compelling message.

Your Résumé Isn’t the First Interview — Your Energy Is

Let me say it again for the people in the back:

Your résumé is not the first interview.
Your energy is.

Before a recruiter reads your work history, they’ve already formed an impression — based on your tone, your body language, your confidence, and even how you carry your name.

Energy communicates before words do.

When I say “energy,” I don’t mean cheerleading or fake enthusiasm. I mean grounded, calm certainty. A presence that says:

“I know who I am. I know what I offer. And I’m ready to contribute.”

If that’s not showing up right now, it’s not because it isn’t there.
It’s because you haven’t given yourself permission to let it out.

Would You Hire You? The Real Question Beneath It All

Let’s get honest for a moment.

If someone were to watch a 5-minute highlight reel of how you’re showing up in your job search—LinkedIn profile, résumé tone, interview delivery, networking emails—would they say, “This person is worth $200K+”?

Or would they say, “Seems nice… not sure they believe in themselves”?

This isn’t about faking anything. It’s about aligning your external messaging with your internal truth.
Because the moment you do that? Hiring managers feel it. Your network responds. The market tilts in your direction.

Confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s accuracy.

And if you’ve spent decades building your career, leading teams, and creating results—then it’s time to let the world see the version of you that you’d actually hire.

So… Would You Hire You?

Here are 4 powerful questions to consider as you reflect:

1. What truth about your value are you still hiding to avoid sounding “too much”?

2. Are you marketing yourself with the same clarity you'd demand from a vendor asking for $250,000?

3. Is your humility becoming your invisibility?

4. What would shift if you stopped hoping to be seen—and started acting like the answer?

You don’t need to become someone else to get hired. You just need to become the version of you that believes again.

If you’re struggling to find that version, I can help.
I coach mid to senior professionals like you to uncover your unique value, build a magnetic message, and show up like the candidate people can’t forget.

Let’s get you back to being hirable by the most important person in the process: you.

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