The 2-Minute Resume Tailoring Checklist

Tailoring your resume for every application doesn't have to take hours. With the right system, you can create a targeted, interview-ready resume in 2 minutes or less. Here's the checklist we use.

Step 1: Map the Job Narrative

Before touching your resume, understand what the company is really looking for:

• Highlight hard requirements, repeated keywords, and proof points that show up in the first 200 words of the posting
• Summarize the story the company is telling in one sentence; this becomes the anchor for your professional summary
• Note any specific tools, technologies, or methodologies mentioned

Step 2: Fast Filter Your Experience

Now it's time to trim your master resume:

• Duplicate your master resume and hide everything that doesn't serve the story. This takes 5 minutes and keeps you from rewriting later
• Pick the three achievements that overlap the posting the most
• Add their proof (metrics, scale, tooling) to a scratchpad column

Step 3: Translate Proof into Signal

Make your experience speak the company's language:

• Use the job's vocabulary in accomplishment bullets. The goal is to show pattern-matching in the ATS and for the hiring manager
• Keep each line under 22 words. Start with the action, end with the metric
• Borrow phrasing from senior product, engineering, or ops case studies to keep your prose tight

Step 4: Run the Quick Audits

Before you submit, run through these final checks:

1. The "Why now" line in the summary ties back to the product, market, or team
2. Every bullet closes with scale, time saved, or the scope of ownership
3. AI grammar pass for polish, then read aloud once for tone

Make It a Habit

When you run this loop weekly, the 2 minutes drops to 30 seconds. Save the prompt stack and scratchpads so you never start from zero again.

Pro tip: Use Your1000Resume to automate steps 1-3, then focus your energy on the audits and personal touches.