resume-writing

这段内容是审核时保存的快照。外部来源才是完整且最新的版本。

---
name: resume-writing
description: Write effective resume bullets and content. Use when writing, rewriting, or improving resume bullets, sections, or any resume text. Covers bullet composition, length, word choice, tailoring, keyword placement, and gendered language.
---

# Resume Writing

**Why this matters:** Clear writing helps employers _ascertain_ ability. An NBER experiment (n ≈ 500k) found better writing = 8% more hires + 10% higher wages, with no drop in employer satisfaction.

**Strategic framing:** A resume is a pitch document for your future, not a historical record of your past. Every bullet must answer the hiring manager's subconscious question: "Can this person make us money, save us money, or save us time?" When pivoting roles (e.g., engineer to manager), highlight transferable proof like leadership and cross-functional delivery, not the old domain. The goal: look expensive, indispensable, and risk-free.

**Bullet composition:**

- Draw from 7 possible elements: quantitative result, what, how (methods), need, downstream impact, context, industry keyword(s). **Pick ≤ 3.** Four collapses into jargon.
- Every bullet must pass the "So what?" test: strip the business outcome, if the sentence still feels complete, the outcome is missing.
- A useful scaffold is XYZ: "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]." Amateur: "Managed the marketing budget." Elite: "Drove a 24% increase in Q3 revenue ($1.2M) by reallocating a $500k budget into high-converting paid social, reducing CAC by 15%."
- Never list soft skills (Leadership, Communication, Problem Solving) in a Skills section. Prove them through experience: "Mentored 4 junior developers through weekly code reviews, reducing critical production bugs by 30% over 6 months" proves leadership without naming it.

**Bullet priority:** The first bullet under each role is your headline. If it bores a recruiter, they stop reading. Lead every role with your biggest, most quantifiable win. Never open with "Responsible for daily operations," open with the time you saved $500k or shipped to 100k users.

**Bullet length:**

- Target 1 line. For 2-line bullets, aim for 1.2-1.8 lines of content.
- Below 1.2 orphans a few words onto line 2 (wastes space). Above 1.8 crowds the margins if repeated. If a bullet runs 1.05-1.15 lines, rewrite to fit one line or expand to ~1.5.
- Cap each role at 3-5 bullets. If a bullet carries no hard metric, cut it to reclaim white space.

**Quantification:**

- Raw numbers without context feel hollow. Always anchor with a denominator, percentage, or timeframe. Amateur: "Grew user base by 50,000." Elite: "Grew user base by 50,000 (40% YoY increase) within 6 months, outpacing the annual growth target by 15%."
- Attach a number to every noun: not "a team" but "a 12-person cross-functional team," not "a budget" but "a $2.5M annual operating budget."
- Numbers provide context, context removes hiring risk.

**Word choice (ATS data, 10k+ scans):** Generic buzzwords actively hurt because ATS systems score them low and recruiters pattern-match them as filler.

- Generic buzzwords actively lower your ATS pass rate: "Responsible for" (23% pass), "team player" (28%), "detail-oriented" (35%).
- Passive language signals subordination, not ownership: "helped" (33%), "assisted with" (26%), "involved in" (21%).
- Vague skill claims trigger 67-72% auto-rejection because they assert without evidence: "problem solver," "strong work ethic," "excellent communication."
- Hiring managers (1,600+ surveyed) flag aspirational filler as irritating noise that adds no signal, e.g. "proven," "dedicated," "passionate," "synergy," "go-getter."
- Use concrete action verbs that hit 90%+: Led (96%), Increased (94%), Developed (94%), Implemented (93%), Improved (93%), Generated (92%), Designed (91%), Reduced (91%). Quantify when possible (%, users, latency, $).
- In tech specifically, vague terms get screened out: "coding" (45%), "programming" (52%), "computer skills" (12%). Use spe