Presidential Resumes: What Would Lincoln’s Resume Look Like Today?

President’s Day honors leadership—but leadership doesn’t always look impressive on paper. Even one of America’s greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln, didn’t begin his career with prestige or polish. If Lincoln were job-hunting today, his success would depend not just on what he accomplished.

Here’s how Lincoln’s experience would appear on a modern, ATS-optimized resume: Abraham Lincoln Executive Leader | Crisis Management | Strategic Communication Key Achievements:

• Led a divided nation through a four-year civil conflict while preserving national unity and constitutional integrity
• Directed large-scale government operations across 34 states during a period of unprecedented instability
• Demonstrated exceptional stakeholder management across opposing political factions
• Delivered high-impact public communications that reshaped national values and long-term policy direction
• Championed transformative legislative change with enduring social and economic impact