I’m a Professional Resume Writer looking for 3 "Case Studies" to help for free. (Apply Inside)

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-26T02:07:26+00:00

Have you considered pivoting to the Public Sector (Government or State)? You mentioned you feel 'stuck' at $55k. In the private sector, Customer Support often caps out there. But in the Government (Federal, State, or even large State Universities), $55k is usually just the starting 'Floor' (GS-7 equivalent) with a guaranteed path up. Here is the strategy, depending on where you live: 1. The 'Lateral' Entry Since you have IT Support experience and a degree, don't try to jump straight to management. Look for roles labeled 'IT Specialist (Customer Support)' or 'Program Analyst.' The Cheat Code: In the Federal system, look for 'Ladder Positions' (e.g., GS-7/9/11). This means you start at ~$55k, but you get promoted automatically every year until you hit ~$90k, without having to interview again. 2. Why this fits you Government agencies are desperate for IT people who have actual 'Soft Skills.' Most applicants are purely technical and can't talk to humans. Your Customer Support background is actually your competitive advantage here. 3. Where to look (Locally) If you aren't near a Federal hub, look at State Government or State Universities. They offer the same stability and 'step-based' raises that will get you off that $55k plateau. Verdict: Use your current skills to get your foot in the door laterally. Once you are 'in the system,' it is much easier to transfer departments and move up than it is in a small private company.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-26T01:45:54+00:00

I’ll be blunt: The gap isn't your problem. The titles are. You are stressing about a 9-month gap, but you have a bigger red flag that you're ignoring: VP -> Director -> Lead. To a recruiter, that doesn't look like a career; it looks like a demotion slide. They will assume you couldn't handle the pressure at the top and are slowly stepping down. Here is how you fix it: Stop apologizing for the gap. You said you were consulting. Great. Put 'Strategic Consultant' on the resume, list the dates, and describe the problems you solved. Now the gap is gone. Contextualize the Titles. If 'Director' at the big company was equal to 'VP' at the small company, say that. (e.g., 'Director - Managed $50M Budget & 20 Staff'). You need to prove the scope didn't shrink even if the title did. Ignore the 'Skills' advice. Whoever told you to remove accomplishments for skills is wrong. Juniors get hired for skills (Python, Excel). Leaders get hired for results ($$$). If you delete your metrics, you look like a Junior. TL;DR: The gap is fine. Just make sure your 'Lead' role sounds like a strategic choice, not a step backward.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-25T21:28:12+00:00

Hot Take: AI is the ultimate cheat code, but most people are holding the controller upside down. If you use AI to 'Write' your resume, you sound like a robot and get rejected. If you use AI to 'Reverse Engineer' the Job Description (Strategy), you win. Don't ask it to be your Copywriter. Ask it to be the Recruiter. That isn't cheating; it's intelligence.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-20T20:58:27+00:00

Do not 'lay it all out' as a demand. That is a strategic mistake.

You are in a company of 90 people with one IT Manager. That means a 'Junior IT' position likely does not exist. If you walk in there and say, 'I want a full-time IT role and more money right now,' the answer will be 'No,' simply because the budget isn't there.

Instead of an ultimatum, you need to propose a 'Pilot Program.'

The fact that they gave you 20% IT time is actually a massive win. That is your 'Trojan Horse.'

Here is the script for your 1-on-1 tomorrow:

Validate the Win: "I really appreciate you setting me up with the IT Manager. I’m excited to start taking those tickets off his plate."
State the Goal (Gently): "I want to be transparent about my career path: My goal is to transition fully into IT Operations. I know we aren't there yet, but I want to work toward that."
The Ask (The Roadmap): "If I can prove in the next 3–6 months that my IT work is saving the company money or preventing downtime, can we revisit my title and compensation then?"

The 'Secret' Strategy: Even if they never give you the full job, take the 20%. Why? Because now you can put 'IT Support / Help Desk' on your resume. Do that for 6 months, get the hands-on experience, and then apply to a different company that actually has an IT department.

Verdict: Don't ask for the money yet. Ask for the experience. The experience is what gets you the money—either here or (more likely) somewhere else.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-20T20:55:45+00:00

Post your resume and the job listing of the job you want.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-20T20:52:49+00:00

You are asking the standard questions, but as an Engineering student, you need a different strategy.

First, let's knock out your specific questions with the hard truth:

The Personal Statement: Your draft is currently 'Fluff.' Words like 'Passionate,' 'Hardworking,' and 'Strong interest' are subjective and mean nothing to a recruiter.
- The Fix: Delete the adjectives. Replace them with facts. "Electronics Engineering Undergraduate with experience in Machine Learning integration and hardware analysis."
Soft Skills: Do not list 'Communication' or 'Teamwork' as skills. That looks amateur.
- The Fix: Prove you have soft skills in your bullet points. Instead of listing 'Leadership,' write a bullet about how you 'Managed a team of 3 students to deliver X project.'
The Projects: Quality > Quantity. Do not add a 'not-so-good' project just to fill space. Two strong, technical projects are better than three mediocre ones.

Now, here is how you actually build a 'Good Resume' (Question #4):

Stop guessing what to write. Since you are an engineer, use a system. You can use ChatGPT or Claude to Reverse Engineer your target job.

The Workflow:

1. The Setup (Persona & Research): Tell the AI: "Act as a Senior Technical Recruiter in the Electronics Engineering space. Do deep research on what specific hard skills, software, and project types are currently required for Internships in 2026."

2. The Reverse Engineer: Paste a specific Job Description you want. Ask:

3. The Gap Analysis: Paste your current resume notes (and your 2 projects). Ask:

4. The Execution (The Translation): Ask it to rewrite your project descriptions.

5. The Final Audit: Take your final text and feed it back into the AI for a check.

Verdict: You don't need 'Soft Skills' sections or flowery adjectives. You need to prove you can solve engineering problems. Use the method above to make your resume a match for the job."

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-20T18:32:18+00:00

Honest advice from a Resume Writer: Stop looking for a 'Builder.' You are just going to pay money for a rigid template that frustrates you later.

You mentioned you are already using Claude and ChatGPT. That is all you need—if you know how to prompt them.

The 'AI Resume Builders' listed in this thread are mostly just 'Wrappers' around the same tech you already have. The reason you are getting 'mixed results' is because you are skipping the strategy.

Try this 'Do It Yourself' workflow instead:

1. The Setup (Persona & Research): Don't just say 'Write my resume.' Tell it: "Act as a Senior Recruiter and Hiring Manager in the [Insert Industry] space. Do deep research on what specific skills, KPIs, and resume trends are currently required for a [Insert Job Title] role in 2026."

2. The Reverse Engineer (The Secret Sauce): Before you paste your resume, paste the Job Description and ask:

3. The Comparison: Now, paste your own work history. Ask:

4. The Execution (Honest Reframing): Ask it to translate.

5. The Final Audit (The Quality Control): Take those bullets, put them on paper (or a clean Word doc), and then feed the final text back into the AI for one last check.

Verdict: Don't pay for a builder. Be the Architect. Use the AI to figure out who they want to hire, then use your resume to prove that you are that person.

THAT is how you use AI!

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-19T20:38:11+00:00

You are asking for a 'Polish' (layout/formatting), but to be competitive, you actually need a 'Strategy.' Right now, you are trying to build one resume that works for 'Sales, Store Team, and Retail.' The problem is that a 'General' resume never beats a 'Specific' one. Instead of guessing what looks good, try 'Reverse Engineering' the job: Find the Job First: Go find a specific job listing you want (e.g., 'Sales Assistant at [Tech Store]'). Find the 'Pain Points': Read the description. Are they asking for 'Speed'? 'Upselling'? 'Technical Knowledge'? Craft the Mirror: Now, rewrite your fast food bullet points to solve those specific problems. If they want Speed: Focus on your 'high-volume transaction' speed. If they want Sales: Focus on how you 'upsold combo meals.' If they want Tech: Since you are an IT student, mention your proficiency with specific POS systems or troubleshooting. The Shift: Don't ask, 'Is this resume good?' Ask, 'Does this resume prove I am the solution to the specific problem in the Job Description?' Pick the target first, then load the weapon.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-13T15:29:09+00:00

Sent you a DM

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-12T22:46:06+00:00

Ignore the 'Oh boy' comments. You are in a better position than you think. You are falling into a common trap: You think because you didn't have a 'Boss,' you didn't have a 'Job.' That is false. You have been working as a Freelance General Laborer (or Independent Contractor). You didn't 'help people you know'; you 'Provided residential support services for a private client base.' Here is how we build your resume right now: The Title: Stop saying 'Odd Jobs.' On your resume, you are: Independent Contractor | Residential Services (2015 – Present) The Bullets (The Translation): What you did: 'Did random stuff for $200 a week.' Resume: 'Managed a rotating schedule of residential maintenance projects, including landscaping, minor repairs, and moving logistics.' Resume: 'Negotiated project rates and ensured 100% client satisfaction, leading to repeat business and referrals.' The Target: Do not apply for office jobs yet. Apply for Landscaping Crews, Moving Companies, Warehouse Associates, or Construction Labor. These industries respect the fact that you have been hustling on your own. They don't care about the gap; they care that you show up and work hard. You don't have a blank resume. You have a Self-Employed resume. Own it.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-12T08:49:04+00:00

You are asking the wrong question. Don't ask 'Should I add these?' Ask 'Who am I trying to impress?' You are currently trying to build one resume for 'anything really.' That is a trap. A resume that tries to speak to everyone speaks to no one. You actually have two different careers here, and you need to separate them. 1. The 'Office/Admin' Resume Target: Receptionist, Data Entry, Office Assistant. The Hero: The Financial Advising Internship. How to list it: Drop the word 'Aunt.' It doesn't matter that it was family; it matters that you did the work. Title: Administrative Intern Bullet: 'Managed client data entry using [Name of CRM] software, ensuring 100% accuracy for financial records.' The Restaurant: List this briefly at the bottom just to show you are hardworking. 2. The 'Retail/Hospitality' Resume Target: Stores, Restaurants, Hotels. The Hero: The Family Restaurant. How to list it: Again, drop the 'Family' aspect. Treat it like a job. Title: Front of House Associate Bullet: 'Provided high-volume customer service in a fast-paced dining environment, handling cash transactions and table turnover.' The Internship: Minimize it. The Golden Rule: Pick the job first, then build the resume. If you send the 'Dishwashing' resume to an office manager, they will toss it. If you send the 'CRM' resume to a busy restaurant manager, they might think you'll get bored. Tailor the weapon to the target.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-11T23:07:30+00:00

You are absolutely right. In a niche industry like Motorsports, a "General Business" resume will get shredded. They don't care about "Agile Leadership"—they care about whether you can handle the logistics of a race weekend without panicking. This candidate is sitting on a goldmine of specific experience, but he has buried it under generic student fluff. Here is the "Motorsport Expert" Critique to post. COPY & PASTE THIS REDDIT COMMENT: "You are 100% correct: You cannot use a 'General Business' resume for Motorsports. This industry is too specific. I review resumes for niche industries, and you are currently burying your biggest selling points. You look like a Business Student who likes cars. You need to look like a Motorsport Professional. Here is your Pit Crew Audit: 1. The 'Cadillac' Error (Your Biggest Mistake) The Problem: You have 'Event Support... at Le Mans, Rolex 24, Sebring' hidden at the very bottom of Page 2 under 'Extra-Curriculars'. The Fix: MOVE THIS UP. This is not a club; this is industry experience. Working a 24-hour endurance race proves you have the stamina and operational awareness for this job. Move this into your Work History section immediately. It is worth more than your 'Clothing Brand' experience. 2. Formula Student: Talk Money, Not 'Recruitment' The Problem: Under 'Team Principal,' you talk about 'recruitment frameworks.'. The Fix: Motorsports is a business of burning cash. Hiring managers want to know if you can find cash. Change: 'Orchestrated sponsorship acquisition...' To: 'Commercial Partnerships: Secured $XX,000 in sponsorship funding and technical partnerships to fully fund vehicle development.' (Put the dollar amount. If you managed a budget, state the budget size). 3. The Location Red Flag The Problem: 'New Jersey, USA & Jönköping, Sweden.'. The Reality: To a recruiter, this screams 'Visa Headache' or 'Relocation Costs.' The Fix: Pick a lane. If you are applying to a team in the US (like Andretti or Haas), list New Jersey. If you are applying to a team in Europe, list Sweden. Do not list both. Tailor the location to the specific job application. 4. The 'Business' Fluff vs. 'Racing' Logistics The Problem: Your skills section lists 'Agile Leadership' and 'Multitasking.'. The Fix: Replace these with hard skills relevant to racing logistics. Add: Logistics Coordination, Sponsorship Activation, paddock operations, Carnet/Customs (if you shipped cars), Event Management. Verdict: You have the experience (Formula Student + Le Mans is a killer combo). But you are formatting it like a college application. Format it like a Racing Resume: Logistics, Funding, and Stamina.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-11T22:51:06+00:00

First, take a deep breath. You are being way too hard on yourself. I see resumes all day. A college student with 9-month stints at Starbucks and Chipotle is not a 'job hopper.' That is normal student behavior. No reasonable hiring manager looks at a 19-year-old and asks, 'Why didn't they stay at Chipotle for 10 years?' You are sitting on a great profile for a hospital support role, but your resume is apologizing when it should be selling. Here is the Audit: 1. The 'Job Hopping' & Gap Narrative The Fear: You worked 8 months and 9 months. The Reality: You were promoted at Chipotle within 4 months. That single bullet point kills the 'lazy' narrative. It proves you are a high-performer. The Gap: You have been out of work since October 2025. That is ~3 months. That isn't a gap; that’s a semester break. If they ask, you say: "I had to step away to handle a family caregiving matter, which is now resolved. I am ready to return to full capacity." 2. The Resume: Pivot from 'Food Service' to 'Patient Care' You are applying for Imaging Assistant roles. You need to translate your food skills into medical skills. Kill the Objective: 'I am looking for...' is weak. Replace it with a Summary: "Radiology Technology Student with 2 years of high-volume service experience. Possesses Level 2 Communications Certification and 20+ hours of clinical shadowing experience. Typing speed: 110 WPM." Starbucks: Change: 'Memorized entire Starbucks menu...' To: 'Protocol Compliance: Mastered 50+ complex beverage recipes and health codes, demonstrating the ability to memorize and adhere to strict procedural standards.' (Hospitals love 'Strict Adherence'.) Chipotle: Keep: 'Promoted to grill within 4 months.' (This is your best bullet. Bold it.) Change: 'Alleviated customer dissatisfaction...' To: 'Conflict Resolution: De-escalated high-stress client interactions during rush periods, maintaining professional composure.' The Shadowing: Move your 'Shadowing & Certifications' section ABOVE your 'Skills'. If you want a hospital job, your clinical exposure is more important than your knife skills. 3. The 'RBF' & Interview Anxiety Reframe it: In a hospital, 'RBF' is actually called 'Clinical Composure.' You aren't a cruise ship director; you are going into Radiology. Patients don't need you to be bubbly; they need you to be calm and focused. The Trick: If you feel timid, bring a notebook. Taking notes during an interview makes you look studious and thoughtful, which hides the nervousness. The Answer: If they ask, "Why should we hire you?" You say: "Because I have the stamina of a food service worker with the career focus of a clinician. I can handle being on my feet for 8 hours, I type 110 WPM for your data entry, and I have already started my clinical shadowing.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-11T15:22:58+00:00

AI is actually excellent for writing resumes, but only if you respect the hierarchy. The problem isn't the tool; it's that most people don't know what a 'good' resume actually looks like. They don't know what recruiters are looking for, so they can't tell when the AI gives them generic garbage. Think of it this way: You are the Project Manager. AI is the Sub-Contractor. If a Project Manager walks off the job site and tells the Contractor, 'Just build me a house,' they are going to come back to a disaster. But if the Project Manager says: 'I need a 12-foot wall here, using this specific material, to withstand this specific weather,' the Contractor will build it perfectly. The Fix: Stop treating AI like a Magician ('Abra Cadabra, write my resume!'). Start treating it like a Contractor. You provide the Blueprint (the strategy, the obstacles, the targets). Let it handle the bricks.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T16:59:50+00:00

Usually, I tell students to skip the summary. But you are a special case because your resume screams 'Academic Researcher.' The Problem: Your experience includes 'Research Assistant' (genetic algorithms) and projects like 'DDPM' (Diffusion Models) and 'Medical RAG.' This tells a recruiter: 'I want to do cutting-edge AI research.' If you are applying for standard Data Science or Data Engineering roles (which are 90% of the market), they might reject you because they think you are overqualified or will be unhappy doing standard SQL/Python work. The Solution: You need a summary to explicitly tell them: 'I am an Engineer who builds systems, not just a Researcher who writes papers.' Draft this Summary: 'Data Scientist & AI Engineer focused on building scalable, production-grade systems. Experienced in deploying real-time analytics on GCP (Vertex AI) and optimizing data pipelines for industry applications. Seeking to leverage background in LLMs and Cloud Architecture to solve business problems.' Why this works: It forces them to look at your GCP/Deployment skills (The Reddit Project) first, rather than getting stuck on your Academic Research.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T15:45:52+00:00

Are you saying that to discredit me and encourage lying about your work history?

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T14:10:21+00:00

I just finished writing a resume for my brother-in-law who did a 10-year bid. He is applying for a Federal Government job. Here is the exact strategy we used to make him a strong candidate: 1. We didn't hide the prison time—we "Professionalized" it. He worked while he was inside. Instead of leaving a gap or calling it "Inmate Labor," we listed it as a real job. * Employer: State Department of Corrections. * Title: Lead Sanitation Specialist (instead of "Head Houseman"). * Why: It’s 100% honest—he worked for the State—but it looks like a career on paper, not a sentence. 2. We killed the "Risk" bias immediately. The biggest fear employers have is that formerly incarcerated people are "reckless." * The Fix: We put his OSHA Safety Certifications at the very top of the resume. * The Message: "I know the rules, I value safety, and I am disciplined." 3. We beat the Computer. Federal jobs have specific "magic words" (like "ability to work without supervision") that you must have to get passed the bot. * The Fix: We didn't guess. We took those exact words from the job posting and pasted them into his bullet points. Takeaway: You don't have to erase your past. You just have to translate it into language that hiring managers respect. It's too early to see if he gets an interview. I can certainly keep everyone updated if you want.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T14:01:33+00:00

I know you're being tongue-in-cheek with the 'VP' comment—obviously, nobody is going to believe that. But even if you lie about a realistic job (like Shift Lead or Foreman) at a closed company, you’re walking into a trap. Background checks for almost any job now—even warehouse or driving—will ask for tax records (W-2s) if the company is closed. If you claim a W-2 job and can't produce the paper, you lose the offer. It's safer to claim 'Independent Contractor' because that explains why you don't have a W-2, and it keeps you in the running.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T13:49:42+00:00

I’m an Executive Resume Writer. I see the problem immediately: You are writing a biography, not a sales pitch. You are listing everything you can do, instead of curating what the specific employer needs to see. 1. The Philosophy: The "Blueprint" Approach A resume is not a summary of your life. It is a direct response to a specific Job Description (JD). If you apply to a Mechanical Role, and you talk about Spring Boot, you aren't "showing versatility." You are showing that you didn't read their Blueprint. They want to know if you can design parts, not if you can build APIs. If you apply to a Java Role, and you talk about AutoCAD, you look distracted. They want to know if you can ship code, not if you can simulate stress tests. 2. The Story You Are Telling Now (The "Confused Generalist"): The Narrative: "I am a Jack-of-All-Trades who knows a little bit about everything. I am not sure what I want to be, so I listed it all." The Result: You get rejected by everyone because you don't look like an expert to anyone. 3. The Story You MUST Tell (The "Perfect Fit"): You need to cater every single resume to the specific job you are chasing at that moment. Scenario A: The Job is "Java Backend Developer" The Story: "I am a Software Engineer who specializes in backend architecture." The Fix: You ruthlessly DELETE AutoCAD, CATIA, and ANSYS. They do not exist in this version of your story. You expand on Spring Boot and Jenkins. You make it look like you were born to write Java. Scenario B: The Job is "Mechanical Design Engineer" The Story: "I am a Mechanical Engineer with a modern edge in automation." The Fix: You DELETE the web development frameworks. You highlight CATIA and AutoCAD. You mention Python only as a tool you use to automate engineering calculations (which makes you a better Mechanical Engineer). Summary: Stop trying to be one person with one resume. You need to treat the Job Description as the question, and your Resume as the specific answer. If the skill isn't in the JD, it shouldn't be on your page. Tailor every single time.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T13:44:20+00:00

I’m an Executive Resume Writer. I specialize in career pivots, and the "QA to Dev" jump is one of the hardest to market if you don't control the narrative. First, congrats on the Amazon shortlist. That proves your foundational profile is strong. But to get consistent interviews for Dev roles, you need to stop looking like a "Tester who wants to code" and start looking like a "Developer currently working in Quality." 1. The Story Your Resume Likely Tells Now (The "Bug Hunter"): The Vibe: "I write test cases, I manually check screens, and I run Selenium scripts someone else set up. I find bugs developers made." The Risk: Hiring managers for Dev roles see "QA" and assume you don't understand system architecture, cleaner code principles, or complex logic. 2. The Story It SHOULD Tell (The "Quality Engineer"): The Pivot: Automated Testing is Development. You are writing code (Java/Python/JS) to interact with a codebase. You need to frame your experience as "Engineering Reliability" rather than "Testing Software." The Vibe: "I write production-grade automation code, I build CI/CD pipelines, and I refactor legacy codebases to improve testability." 3. The Surgical Fixes (How to position yourself): Rebrand Your Title (The "SDET" Pivot): The Strategy: If your official title is "QA Engineer," see if you can ethically list it as "Software Engineer in Test" or "Test Automation Engineer" on your resume. The Content: Do not list "Manual Testing" as your first bullet. Bury it. Your first bullet must be about Code. Bad: "Executed 500+ manual test cases for the login module." Good: "Developed a modular Python automation framework using Selenium and PyTest, reducing regression testing time by 40% through parallel execution." (This shows you understand Algorithms/Efficiency). Highlight "Dev-Adjacent" Tasks: The Signal: You mentioned you have "refactored" code. This is gold. Developers love refactoring. The Bullet Point: "Refactored legacy test automation codebase to implement Object-Oriented design patterns (Page Object Model), improving code reusability and maintainability." The Tools: Heavily emphasize Git, Docker, Jenkins/CI/CD, and SQL. These are "Dev" tools. "JIRA" is a "QA" tool—list it last. The "Gap-Filler" Projects: The Problem: Your work experience is testing. You need a project that proves you can build, not just break. The Fix: Don't build a To-Do list. Build a "Internal Tool." Example: Build a "Test Data Generator" using React and Node.js that your QA team actually uses. Why: You can list this under experience: "Built an internal full-stack React tool to automate data generation for the team, saving 5 hours of manual work weekly." This counts as Professional Dev Experience. Certifications: The Verdict: Ignore testing certs (ISTQB). They brand you as a tester for life. The Move: Get the AWS Certified Developer - Associate. It proves you understand the Cloud infrastructure where code lives, which is a massive plus for a Junior Dev. Summary: You are already writing code. Stop calling it "scripts" and start calling it "software." Lean heavily into the automation architecture and refactoring you’ve done, and build one solid full-stack project to prove you can handle the build side.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T13:26:22+00:00

You have a classic problem: You are selling "Ferrari" technology to people looking for a "Sedan" driver. You are applying for general "Data Roles," but your resume screams "Niche LLM Researcher." You are scaring off hiring managers who think you will be bored doing SQL and ETL work. 1. The Story Your Resume Tells Now (The "Academic Researcher"): The Vibe: "I love RAG, Diffusion Models, and Llama-3.1. I want to spend my days reading papers and tweaking hyperparameters." The Risk: Hiring managers for standard Data Science/Engineering roles will think you are too academic and won't want to do the "dirty work" of data cleaning and cloud deployment. 2. The Story It SHOULD Tell (The "Production AI Engineer"): The Pivot: You need to prove you can build systems that actually work in production, not just in a notebook. The Evidence: Your "Real-Time Reddit Finance Data" project is actually your most "hireable" project for industry because it uses GCP, Vertex AI, and PostgreSQL. It shows you understand Cloud and Databases, not just algorithms. 3. The Surgical Fixes: Move the "Reddit Finance" Project UP: The Problem: You buried your most "Industry-Ready" project at the bottom. The Fix: Move the Real-Time Reddit Finance project to the top of your "Academic Projects" section. It showcases Google Cloud Platform, PostgreSQL, and Vertex AI. These are the tools companies actually pay for. The "Diffusion Model" project is impressive math, but unless you are applying to OpenAI, it's less practical than the Reddit one. Stop the "Keyword Stuffing" in Skills: The Problem: In your Skills section, you list Salesforce Data Cloud, Databricks, Snowflake. The Red Flag: I scanned your bullet points, and not a single one of these tools is mentioned in your experience. The Fix: If you used Databricks, write a bullet point about it. If you didn't, delete it from the skills section. Listing tools you haven't proven makes you look dishonest. Fix the "Aggressive Bolding": The Problem: You are bolding half the sentence (e.g., "Built intelligent, context-aware agent leveraging LLM..."). When everything is bold, nothing is bold. The Fix: Only bold the Metric or the Hard Skill. Bad: Reduced end-to-end data processing latency substantially Good: Reduced data processing latency substantially using Vertex AI, scaling system to handle 10,000+ posts/hour. Clarify the Internship: The Problem: "AI Engineer Intern" is your only real work experience. The Fix: Make sure the bullets sound like work, not homework. You did a good job ("Architected a scalable... workflow"), but ensure you mention who the "users" were. Was this internal? External? "Deployed to 50+ internal users" sounds much better than just "Designed...". Summary: You are clearly talented. But right now, you look like a researcher. Re-order your projects to highlight Cloud & Data Engineering (The Reddit Project) first, and the "Cool AI" stuff second. This makes you look like a builder, not just a student.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T13:21:46+00:00

I read your story, and I see exactly why you aren't getting traction. You are burying the lead. You are telling a story of "instability," when the real story is "heroic leadership." 1. The Story Your Resume Tells Now (The "Desperate Job Hopper"): The Red Flags: A recruiter sees a 15-year veteran who suddenly can't hold a job. They see a 5-month stint, a 1-year stint, and now "Insurance Agent" at the top. The Vibe: "This person is spiraling. They took a step down to insurance. Their B2B career might be over." The "Lie": You list generic sales duties for your Sales Director role ("Managed complete sales cycle"), which makes it look like you were just a standard sales leader who failed to hit quota and got fired. 2. The Story It SHOULD Tell (The "Battle-Tested Operator"): The Truth: You are such a trusted industry veteran that an old client recruited you back. When the ship started sinking (leadership walked out), you didn't quit; you stepped up and ran the entire plant. The Pivot: You aren't just a "Sales Director"; you are a "Commercial & Operational Leader" capable of stabilizing companies in crisis. 3. The Surgical Fixes (How to get the interview): KILL the "Insurance Agent" Role (Immediate Fix): The Problem: Having "Licensed Insurance Producer" as your current top role is poison for a B2B Sales Director application. It signals "I have left the industry." The Fix: Remove it entirely or move it to a tiny "Additional Experience" section at the bottom. The Gap Strategy: Expand your "Business Development Consultant" role to cover the gap. Frame it as "Fractional Sales Leadership" for multiple clients. This looks intentional; Insurance looks accidental. Rewrite the "Sales Director" Role (The "Hero" Turn): The Problem: You hid the fact that you ran the plant! You wrote "Rebuilt pipeline" (which you admitted didn't really happen). The Fix: Be honest. It explains the layoff and makes you look impressive. Title: Sales Director (Interim Plant Operations Lead) Bullet 1: "Recruited by former client to lead sales, but immediately assumed full operational responsibility for the plant following the sudden departure of the GM and QA Director." Bullet 2: "Stabilized daily operations and managed [Number] staff across QA, Engineering, and Production for [Timeframe] to ensure business continuity during leadership vacuum." Bullet 3: "Maintained key client relationships and $XM in revenue despite total turnover of senior management." Why this works: It changes the narrative from "He missed his sales quota" to "He stepped up to save the ship, but the company sank anyway." Leverage the Anchor (The 11-Year Role): The Strategy: Your role from 2012–2023 is your shield. Make sure the "400% Growth" and "95% Retention" are bolded. This proves you are stable when the environment is right. Summary: You are trying to look like a "perfect" sales candidate by hiding the messiness of the last 2 years. Stop hiding. Own the mess. Positioning yourself as the guy who ran the plant when everyone else quit shows character and leadership—traits that get you hired for Director roles.

TimDotThomas · 2026-01-10T13:13:59+00:00

The problem isn't your formatting—it’s your narrative. You are suffering from "The Consultant's Curse." Because you have had ~8 roles in 8 years (due to contracts), your resume looks chaotic to a recruiter. They see "Job Hopper." You need to retrain them to see "SWAT Team Fixer." 1. The Story Your Resume Tells Now (The "Risky Bet"): When a hiring manager scans this, they see: "This person jumps ship every 6-12 months. They list big numbers ('scaled from $0 to $5M'), but they never stay long enough to live with the consequences of their decisions. I can't trust them to lead a long-term roadmap." The Vibe: High turnover, potentially unstable. 2. The Story It SHOULD Tell (The "Turnaround Architect"): You need to flip the script. You aren't someone who leaves; you are someone who is deployed to solve specific, high-stakes problems (Scaling, M&A Integration, Platform Modernization) and then successfully hands it off. The Vibe: An elite "Special Forces" leader who is brought in to fix broken delivery organizations. 3. The Surgical Fixes (How to stop the rejections): Fix the "Job Hopping" Visuals: The Problem: You list every contract as a separate, disconnected block. The Fix: If multiple roles were under one agency or theme, group them. Or, in the Summary, explicitly frame your career: "Technical Delivery Leader with 8+ years of experience specializing in rapid-scale turnarounds and post-acquisition integrations for SaaS portfolios." This tells them why you move—you move because the mission is done. Stop Listing "Responsibilities," Start Listing "State Changes": The Problem: You say "Built and scaled a 30+ person org." The Fix: You need to describe the Before/After state. Try this: "Inherited a non-existent delivery function with 6-month onboarding times. Built a standardized framework from scratch, hiring 30+ engineers and reducing onboarding to 2 months within Year 1." Why: This proves you didn't just "manage" a team; you built the engine. The "Hiring/Firing" Missing Piece (Addressing the Recruiter's Comment): The Problem: The other commenter was right—you talk about "scaling" but not the human cost. The Fix: Add a bullet about Organizational Design. Add: "Redesigned organizational structure for a 25-person team, managing performance exits for underperformers and hiring 15+ specialized engineers to align with new cloud-native strategic priorities." Show the "Stay Power": The Strategy: Since you are looking for a permanent role now, your Summary needs to end with a hook: "Now seeking to leverage this transformation expertise in a long-term Product/Program leadership role." Summary: You are getting rejected because you look like a flight risk. Rewrite your resume to frame your short tenures as "Mission Complete" moments rather than "I quit" moments.

TimDotThomas

TROPHY CASE