A stranger at a bus stop in Denver made me rethink my resume

Last Tuesday I was waiting for the 10 bus and this older guy started reading my resume over my shoulder, then told me my summary was too vague and to lead with the exact dollar amount I saved my last company. I rewrote it that night with numbers up front, and two days later I got a call back from a job I'd already written off. Anyone else get career advice from a total stranger at the worst possible moment?

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johnson.paul27d ago

Did the guy actually explain why the numbers mattered so much? Because that's the part that stuck with me when I got similar advice, years ago. A hiring manager I met at a friend's barbecue basically said my resume read like a job description, not a list of results. So I went home and rewrote every bullet point to start with the outcome, like "cut shipping costs by 18%" or "trained 12 new hires in under a month." Within a week I had three interviews, and one of them even mentioned liking that I showed real impact instead of just duties. Sometimes the best advice really does come from the least expected place, even if it feels weird at the moment.

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