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20-second career tip

Why your resume looks unfocused (and how to fix it)

About Rohan

Hey, I’m Rohan!

I write thoughts about life and career strategy a few times a month.

I run Coached, the behavioral science lab, and Resume Worded, the best software for job seekers.

A good place to start is our free 3‑minute, science-backed personality test.

Your resume isn't getting you interviews. One possible reason? It looks scattered - hiring managers can't tell what you're actually good at.

Look at this resume for someone targeting a marketing role:

     

❌ Managed social media accounts for company
❌ Coordinated logistics for 3 company events
❌ Assisted with customer support inquiries
❌ Helped update internal documentation

     

A hiring manager thinks: "Is this person a marketer? An event planner? Support staff? What are they actually good at?"

Now look at a targeted version for that same marketing role:

     

✅ Grew Instagram following from 1,200 to 4,800 in 6 months through consistent 3x/day posting and influencer partnerships
✅ Created promotional posts for 3 company events, driving 200+ registrations
❌ Assisted with customer support inquiries (not relevant)
❌ Helped update internal documentation (not relevant)

     

See the difference? Same person, same experience. But we removed irrelevant experience, showed more impact and specificity, and pulled out the marketing-related elements. Now it's obvious they're a fit for social media marketing.

Your resume doesn't need to show everything you've ever done. It needs to show you can do THIS job.

If you’re working on your resume, I’d recommend uploading your resume here. The AI will catch lines that are not relevant, and will tell you how to tweak them so they are perfect for your target roles.

P.S. Feel free to steal the good examples and tweak them for your own resume. BUT, an even better idea would be to use our Resume Rewriter features in the tool. Takes about 30 seconds. Might actually get you interviews.

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Illustration of Rohan Mahtani
Written by Rohan Mahtani
From Coached Weekly, issue 327.

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This is Coached Weekly, my career notes where I share the tiny % of ideas that actually work in real careers. It takes 5 minutes to read, but could speed up your career by years. I write this myself (no AI). —Rohan Mahtani (LinkedIn)

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The word that makes you sound lazy on your resume (even when you’re not)

Your resume isn't getting you interviews. Not because you're unqualified - but because hiring managers can't tell if you're qualified.

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