Most resumes describe the job. Almost none describe the work.
You know the pattern: bullet points listing responsibilities, scope, and team size. "Managed a team of twelve." "Oversaw operations for a $2M budget." "Responsible for stakeholder communications." It's all true, but it tells you almost nothing about what actually happened — what you built, what you fixed, what you shipped, what broke and how you put it back together. You know, the things that make you smile or that enable you to drink that 5th cup of coffee to keep you on task to solve something today, when you really just feel like giving up. Those things that also become achievements, part of your legacy...maybe even your legend.
I've been thinking about this gap for years. Most of us know how to write the job-description version of a resume. Very few of us write the accomplishment version — the one that names what we actually did, what we're legitimately proud of, and what we'd point to if someone asked, "What did you make better?" Which you will be asked during your next interview.
From job descriptions to actual accomplishments
Digital Reference is a tool I came across recently that's designed to enable the second version. It's a platform where you build a profile — think of it as a resume, but structured around achievements instead of job titles. You name what you accomplished in each role, what you built, led, or fixed, and why it mattered. You can add videos explaining the work, leave testimonials for colleagues, and collect testimonials from people you've worked with. The whole thing is designed to make you write the version of your resume you probably should have been writing all along. (But also a way cooler version than we would typically write because it includes videos!)
I've been watching this pattern for over a decade. Back in 2014, Accredible.com did something similar for MOOC certificates — self-credentialing for online learning at a time when "I took a course on Coursera" didn't mean much to a hiring manager (to be transparent, I worked with the amazing team at Accredible back then). Being able to demonstrate the things you learned by attaching your assignments, grades, and feedback from instructors or students made everything so much more real.
Digital Reference is the same kind of move, but for professional accomplishments. You're credentialing your own work — naming it, describing it, owning it — in a way that LinkedIn's job-title-and-date structure doesn't really allow. You can ask your favourite co-worker who worked on Project X with you — or a mentor you really admire (who might have happened to be your boss at a previous or even current job) to leave a reference for you. I imagine that for recruiters or talent acquisition team members, this kind of achievement-specific reference will improve the hiring process.
Why timing matters
There's a tactical reason to pay attention now, especially if you're a founder or early-stage operator trying to build visibility. Digital Reference profiles feed into ranking lists — top CEOs, top fractional COOs, emerging leaders in Canada. Those lists matter for discoverability in ways that didn't exist five years ago. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), the whole evolving SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) ecosystem — being on a credible list helps you show up when someone searches your name or your category. I'm not saying it's the only way to build presence, but it's one of the ways that's working right now, and it's still early enough that the lists aren't saturated yet.
I had a chance to chat with the founder, Ryan Stevens, this week to learn more about the tool, the best ways to use it, and his vision for how Digital Reference can transform the way we apply for jobs. The platform launched this spring — I'm writing this in mid-July, so we're still in the first wave. People are signing up, filling in profiles, and the lists are starting to populate. If you like a tool and it's working, signing up now matters.
I signed up because I wanted to see how it worked, and because I thought the core idea was right: we should be writing about our work this way, plainly and specifically, all the time. My profile is live now, and I'm currently featured on the Top Canada Fractional COO Services list. If you've been evaluating Northlight for advisory work or wondering what my operational background looks like, you may find that my Digital Reference profile is a clearer picture than a LinkedIn profile will give you.
Self-description, not self-promotion
For new founders or people early in building a business: go take a look at digitalreference.co and see if it scratches the same itch. If you've been putting off "building your personal brand" because it feels gross, this might be the version that doesn't.
It's not self-promotion; it's self-description. The work you did, named clearly.
That's the resume most of us should be writing.