Keep a master resume and a facts file
Your master resume is the complete record you work from. A tailored resume is a selection of the most relevant material for one opportunity. Keep job titles, employers, dates, education, and credentials consistent across versions.
Give AI a separate facts file containing projects, responsibilities, feedback, and verified results. Ask it to flag what is missing before drafting. If you cannot verify a number, remove it or describe the contribution accurately without a metric.
Translate responsibilities into evidence
A useful bullet explains what you did, the context or scope, and the result when known. ‘Responsible for onboarding’ is vague. An illustrative improvement is: ‘Created a new-hire checklist and coordinated weekly onboarding sessions across three teams.’ Use that wording only if those facts are yours.
Results do not have to be revenue. You may have improved documentation, resolved recurring issues, delivered a project, reduced confusion, or helped others complete a task. Distinguish your contribution from the work of the wider team. Do not claim sole ownership of a shared outcome.
Tailor the emphasis, then check readability
Highlight evidence that addresses the target role’s main responsibilities. Use the employer’s terminology where it accurately describes your experience; explain an unfamiliar internal title rather than silently replacing it with a more senior one.
As a conservative formatting choice, use clear headings, selectable text, and a straightforward reading order. Follow the application’s requested file format. Reopen the exported file and check what was extracted into the application form. Fix errors before submitting. Avoid hidden text, keyword stuffing, or claims that one formatting trick will beat every applicant tracking system.
Run a line-by-line truth check
Ask AI to create a change log showing the original wording, proposed wording, and factual support for each change. Personally verify dates, scope, tools, titles, metrics, and links. Read the summary aloud: if it could describe almost anyone, replace adjectives with something specific.
A third-party matching score is feedback from that tool, not the employer’s actual ranking or a prediction of an interview. Prioritize clarity and accurate evidence over chasing a percentage. Save the final version with the role and date so you know what the interviewer received.
Try this today
Choose one job description and improve three relevant bullets. For each, ask: can I explain this work, show its source, and answer a follow-up question? If not, revise before sending.
Try this AI prompt
Copy this into your chosen AI assistant, replace the brackets, and review the output yourself.
Compare my resume with this job description. First produce a table of requirements, my existing evidence, and missing information. Then suggest edits to three bullets and the summary. Preserve official titles, dates, and factual scope. Do not add skills, numbers, responsibilities, or credentials. Show the source for every factual claim and flag anything that needs my confirmation. Keep the language direct and natural. Resume: [text]. Evidence: [facts]. Role: [text].