Skills That Make a Resume Stand Out

I’ve reviewed 2000+ resumes for AI/ML roles in the last 5 years. Here are 7 tips to make your resume stand out: 🔸 Tip 1: Showcase End-to-End Project Work Describe projects where you took an idea from concept to deployment. Outline the problem, data collection, model development, validation, and deployment. Demonstrate your ability to handle the entire lifecycle of an AI/ML project. 🔸 Tip 2: Quantify Your Contributions with Real-World Impact Use concrete metrics to quantify your achievements, such as 'Reduced customer churn by 20% through predictive modeling' or 'Increased sales by 15% with a recommendation system'. Real-world impact is more compelling than theoretical knowledge. 🔸 Tip 3: Highlight Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams Showcase your ability to work with data engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders. Mention specific instances where you collaborated to deliver impactful AI/ML solutions. 🔸 Tip 4: Emphasize Deployment Experience Highlight your experience with deploying models into production environments using tools like Docker, Kubernetes, or cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, and Azure. Include specific examples and the impact they had. 🔸 Tip 5: Include Open Source Contributions If you’ve contributed to open-source AI/ML projects, list these contributions. Mention any significant pull requests, issues resolved, or your role in major projects. This demonstrates your commitment and expertise. 🔸 Tip 6: Focus on Recent Technologies Mention your proficiency with LLMs, reinforcement learning, or other generative AI technologies. Highlight any recent work or projects involving these technologies. 🔸 Tip 7: Keep Up with Industry Trends Stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in AI/ML. Mention any relevant courses or technologies you have learned and always keep that tab up-to date. This shows your dedication to continuous learning and staying current in the field. #ai #career #resume

A mistake found in most student resumes: A skills section packed with soft skills — but no proof you've actually used them. Here are some of the usual suspects: • Teamwork • Leadership • Communication All good skills, and many roles ask for them. But here’s the problem: anyone can claim them. Without clear evidence of how you’ve applied them (and the impact they had) they won’t help you stand out. Generally speaking, your skills section should focus on hard, verifiable skills: • Technical tools (e.g., Python, Adobe Illustrator) • Certifications (e.g., Excel Certification) • Languages (e.g., Spanish Fluency) And even then, those skills should appear in your bullet points — with context and outcomes. If the skills section is the only place where they’re mentioned, you’re expecting the recruiter to blindly believe you actually have them. Don’t do that. Give them proof. Here’s how: • Choose the skill(s) you want to highlight • Identify the experience(s) where you've used them • Show how you used the skill to create positive results Let's give you a couple of examples: Instead of simply listing "Teamwork" in your skills section, craft a bullet that showcases how you've used that skill: • Revised the chapter’s student engagement plan in partnership with the chapter president, faculty advisor, and events chair, resulting in... Instead of simply listing "Excel" in your skills section, craft a bullet that showcases how you've used that skill: • Conducted investment analysis using Excel by compiling data on historical returns and risk metrics, creating charts and pivot tables to compare asset performance to... And so on. Bottom line: If these skills only appear in your skills section, you leave the recruiter guessing if you actually have the skills or if you've simply included them for keyword alignment. You don't want to leave them guessing. You want to show exactly how and where you've used your skills and to what end. Skills without context create doubt. Skills with context build credibility.

As a recruiter, I’ve reviewed countless resumes, and one thing is clear: the most successful candidates know how to sell their skills effectively. A well-crafted resume isn’t just a list of jobs; it’s a story of your accomplishments and capabilities. Here are some key words and phrases that can make your resume shine: 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘀: Words like led, managed, optimized, and spearheaded show that you take initiative and get results. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 & 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲: Whether it’s project management, data analysis, or sales strategy, highlight what you’re great at—be specific! 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀: Use relevant jargon that speaks to your field. Agile, SEO, or UX/UI Design can make your resume more relevant to the role. 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 & 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀: Numbers matter! Use words like increased, boosted, or generated to show your impact—especially when you can back it up with data. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 & 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Whether you mentored, directed, or coordinated teams, showcasing these experiences highlights your ability to lead and collaborate effectively. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: Employers love candidates who can innovate, resolve, and streamline processes—demonstrating your value in solving complex challenges is key. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: Things like adaptability, communication, and emotional intelligence can make all the difference in the workplace. Be sure to showcase them where appropriate! 𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀: Take a look at the job description before you submit your resume. Tailoring your resume to the specific role with the right keywords can make all the difference—especially for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)! Don’t underestimate the power of a well-written resume. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀! #Recruiting #JobSearch #ResumeTips #CareerAdvice #Hiring #JobSeeker #CareerGrowth #JobTips

Many open jobs are getting 1,000s of applications now. It’s rough out there! And getting your resume to stand out is super difficult. I should know — I've reviewed 25,000+. Put these 8 rare things on your resume to be in the top 1% of candidates: 👇 1/ You were recruited by former coworkers to another job. A sign they think you’re a badass. They know you from real work experience… which is better than any interview. 2/ Show what you made happen. Define each role with a narrative like this: • Challenge: “We had NPS of 0.” • Activity: “I built a cust sat team and deployed best practices.” • Results: “NPS went to 80.” 3/ Say clearly what you want. Many resumes say, “OBJECTIVE: Any job.” That’s too vague. And looks lazy. Great candidates say what they want. 4/ Up and to the right. Your career grows with greater impact at each step. You’re taking on more. Asking for new challenges. And building on successes. When faced with adversity/bad bosses/etc., you’ve made changes. And kept grinding. 5/ Known & trusted referral. This is a tough one. It ONLY works if these two things are true: • The referring party has worked with you AND… • The hiring manager knows they are a badass. Otherwise, some rando calling on your behalf is not as helpful as they say. 6/ You were promoted. Did you get promoted at your company? Quickly? Did it happen multiple times? A good sign you’re making things happen on the job. 7/ You avoid basic mistakes. Too many people are winners – but blow it by screwing up the basics. Don’t: • Multi-page resumes • Education listed at the top (unless you’re a fresh grad) • Too many words • Omit contact information • Misspellings/grammar errors 8/ It all makes sense. You did appropriate tours of duty (not jumping around too quickly). You left jobs for good reasons. You looked for win-wins with bosses/you/employers. It all lines up to show you move mountains. Finally: Not every resume can or will have these things. These are uncommon for a reason. And factors like privilege, situation, and luck contribute to you having any at all. But if you can include them or plan your career for them, they will set you apart. tl;dr: Include these 8 things in your resume (if you can) to stand out: 1. Recruited by former coworkers 2. Resume shows impact 3. Say what you want 4. Up and to the right 5. Trusted Referral 6. Promoted Internally 7. Avoid common mistakes 8. It makes sense What do you think? Reply below.

More than 90% of résumés have a skills section, but it’s useless unless you do this. Listing skills isn’t enough. Your résumé needs to prove them. Too many résumés have a generic skills section that looks like this: ➣ Teamwork ➣ Communication ➣ Leadership ➣ Data analysis Sound familiar? The problem? Anyone can list these skills. What sets you apart is showing how you applied them. ********************** 🔹 Turn skills into achievements → Hiring managers don’t care about what you claim to be good at → They care about results. ✖︎ weak: Project management ✔︎ strong: led a team of 5 to deliver a $500k project 2 months ahead of schedule ✖︎ Weak: Data analysis ✔︎ Strong: Analyzed customer data, reducing churn by 30% through predictive modeling ✖︎ : Public speaking ✔︎ Strong: Delivered keynote at APH conference, engaging 200+ industry professionals 📌 If a skill isn’t backed by a result, it’s just a keyword. ********************* 🔹 How to fix your résumé today → Integrate skills into work experience ↳ Show how you applied them in real situations → Use metrics and results ↳ Numbers add credibility and impact → Customize for the job ↳ Match your skills to what the company actually needs Your skills don’t get you hired! Your impact does. ✅ Don’t just list skills; prove them ✅ Hiring managers don’t want buzzwords, they want evidence what’s the most overused skill you see on résumés? ♻️Repost for others #careerprogress #résumétips #jobsearch #skills #hiring

Harsh truth: Most resumes don’t stand out. The bullet points are too generic: 👉 ”Designed a landing page” 👉 ”Interviewed users” 👉 ”Led workshops” That’s great… but the 500 other applicants you’re applying with have done the exact same things. As I have played around with Teal's free resume analyzer something became very clear. Quantify the impact! Start simple with scope and time metrics: ✅ “Led 4 workshops across 5 months” ✅ “Designed 7 features reaching 5M users” ✅ “Conducted 37 user interviews in 4 months” Then, try leveling it up with outcomes: 🔥 “Led 4 workshops that drove 2 product pivots” 🔥 “Designed 7 features that boosted retention by 23%” 🔥 “Conducted 37 user interviews uncovering insights that saved $1.5M” If you don’t have the outcomes, that’s okay. It’s not required. But at least think about how to differentiate or tailor your bullet points. If you’re not sure where to start, then upload your resume to Teal to get some customized and actionable advice (Link in comments 👇). What resume tips have you seen work? #ux #design #resume #TealPartner #userexperience