Context Slice Resume Tailoring Framework
Tailoring a resume is translation—converting the employer's needs into your experience. Generic resumes blend in; targeted resumes get interviews.
Analyzing Job Descriptions
Read job descriptions in three passes. First, identify the core role: what problem does this person solve? Second, extract explicit requirements—skills, years of experience, certifications. Third, find implicit signals: the language they use reveals culture and priorities.
Pay attention to the order of requirements. What's listed first matters most. A job that leads with "5+ years Python" values technical depth differently than one that leads with "cross-functional collaboration." Both may mention both, but the emphasis differs.
Keywords are tools, not checkboxes. Don't stuff your resume with every term from the posting. Instead, use their exact language when describing genuinely relevant experience. "Stakeholder management" on their posting should appear as "stakeholder management" on your resume, not "working with partners."
Mapping Experience to Requirements
Create a mental grid: their requirements on one axis, your experiences on the other. The goal isn't to claim every box—it's to tell a coherent story about why you're right for this specific role.
Strong matches deserve expansion. If they need leadership and you've led teams, quantify it: team size, scope, outcomes. Weak matches need honest framing—transferable skills from adjacent experiences rather than stretched claims.
Gaps aren't dealbreakers. Address them through demonstrated learning ability or adjacent experience. "I haven't used Kubernetes in production, but I containerized our entire development workflow with Docker" shows you're closer than it seems.
Resume Bullet Construction
Each bullet should answer: "What did you do, how did you do it, and what happened?" Start with action verbs appropriate to your level: junior roles "supported," "assisted," "contributed"; senior roles "led," "designed," "drove."
Quantify impact whenever possible. Revenue, time saved, efficiency gains, team scale, user counts. Numbers make abstract contributions concrete. "Improved system performance" becomes "reduced API latency from 800ms to 120ms, enabling 2M daily users."
Tailor verb choice to the role. Engineering roles value technical verbs (architected, optimized, debugged). Product roles value strategy verbs (prioritized, roadmapped, launched). Sales roles value outcome verbs (closed, expanded, retained).
Cover Letter Approach
Cover letters bridge your resume to their needs. Don't summarize your resume—they have it. Instead, answer: "Why this role, at this company, right now?"
Open with a hook that shows you understand their business. Reference recent news, product launches, or industry challenges. Then connect one or two of your experiences directly to their stated problems. Close by expressing genuine enthusiasm for the specific opportunity.
Keep it under 300 words. Hiring managers skim. Three tight paragraphs beat five rambling ones.
Output Formats
When tailoring, produce three deliverables:
- Tailored Resume Bullets — 5-8 rewritten bullets that emphasize relevant experience, using the employer's language
- Cover Letter Draft — Three paragraphs: hook showing company knowledge, experience bridge, enthusiastic close
- Keyword Summary — Key terms from the job posting you've addressed, with notes on where they appear in your materials
If the user has saved their experience in 
Resume Profile, reference it directly. If not, ask them to provide their current resume or describe their background.