AI tools can tailor your resume to each role, but only you know the effect your work had on the organization. Make sure your resume shows your impact.
Here’s how you can craft a resume or CV that stands out: Make sure every experience you describe answers the question “So what?”
The goal of the resume is to catch the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager, so you get invited for an interview. We often try to do this by listing the tasks we performed at earlier jobs. This isn’t enough.
Consider the following resume excerpt, which you might use to outline past responsibilities:
- Wrote and maintained information security policies.
- Supported the company’s cloud accounts, granting access permissions when requested.
- Managed the endpoint detection and response (EDR) deployment for the enterprise.
This is a reasonable start. The list helps the reader to understand what your capabilities might be. However, the reader probably has seen many other lists like this in other resumes. Your listing doesn’t explain how well you performed these tasks or how they benefited your employer.
The solution? For each of your bullet points, imagine the reader asking, “So what?” Then reword the statement to answer that question. Instead of merely describing what you were doing, clarify what you’ve accomplished.
The goal is to have the reader review your contributions and exclaim, “Wow! I want this person to do the same for me!” The excerpt above doesn’t come close to succeeding at this. The following is an improvement:
- Created and fine-tuned security policies, which allowed the organization to pass a regulatory audit. The documentation was succinct, making it easier for employees to read and follow its guidance.
- Managed access to the company’s cloud accounts, cutting the time to fulfill access requests by 50% over the course of a year. Removed unused permissions to reduce administrator accounts by 25%, limiting what an attacker could do with a stolen password.
- Centralized the management of endpoint detection and response (EDR) software, cutting the time to respond to malware infections by 70%. Wrote a script to list laptops and servers missing the EDR agent, bringing EDR coverage to every system.
Each rephrased bullet point answers the “So what?” question. Now the reader understands how you’ve helped your employer and knows you can achieve meaningful results. As you rework your resume or CV, reflect on the results of your activities and reword your statements to mention your achievements.
As you consider your current work, understand how it contributes to your employer’s objectives. Start collecting metrics that can demonstrate your effectiveness to your current employer and help catch the attention of your future employer.
Showing your results matters more now that candidates can use AI tools to write their resumes and employers can use AI to screen applicants. An AI writing assistant can rewrite a task list as polished prose, but only you know what you accomplished. Supply that context to your AI tool when working on your resume.
AI tools can also help you tailor your resume to each role. Start by describing all your accomplishments in a base resume, then use an AI tool to customize it for the position you’re applying for. Before you send the result, check it for relevance and accuracy. Lead with the achievements this employer will care about most, and remove any claim you can’t back up.
