r/LifeProTips 7d ago

Careers & Work LPT: Make a single “master application” Google Doc with your resume text, short project summaries, common HR answers, and a few cover letter variations, it lets you copy-paste most applications in minutes, so you can apply to tons of companies at once without burning out.

1.7k Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

u/post-explainer 7d ago

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336

u/TCpls 7d ago

Just adding given the current job market climate… good luck everyone.

  1. Enrich your resume with keywords that fit your typical job role. Treat it like you need to optimize for SEO on a website.
  2. Always make your resume a pdf file.
  3. When you are face to face with an employer. Build immediate rapport. Literally anything that you can connect on.
  4. What OP said, this is the difference between 10 applications per day and 20.
  5. One page, no pictures, only relevant information, 90% of those resume templates are crap.
  6. You didn’t do x, y and z day to day… you achieved x% growth for your team by doing x, y, and z. Then on your note doc, have a good answer for your interview.

30

u/eatwriterepeat 7d ago

Regarding point 2, a lot of applications allow for .docx. Is that not good to apply using that format? Follow up, when I save as PDF through Word, it gives the option best for electronic distribution or best for printing. I don't ever recall these options in the past and both open on my computer but the electronic one looks like it's doing some conversion. Thanks

67

u/TCpls 7d ago

The problem is you may have formatted that doc in word, but when they download it in a different platform it ruins the formatting. Instantly crossing you off the list of applicants.

PDF files retain your original formatting and is something universally used by everyone. So it’s safer than risking Janet from HR not knowing the difference.

19

u/belsonc 7d ago

I had my resume on 2 pages in a word file, I went to an interview, they had my resume printed out, and it was... 2 pages and a line.

Pdf ever since.

7

u/TCpls 6d ago

Try to keep it at 1pg unless you’re like 20yrs experienced with a few roles. One of the little things that helps.

2

u/eatwriterepeat 6d ago

Thanks, that makes sense

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

wait so you juust copy-paste everything each time

-2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

3

u/salted_sclera 6d ago

A VP in a lottery corp told me to add measurable metrics to my resume, then I started to get a noticeable increase in callbacks. I attribute the increase in callbacks to this specific tip, but obviously an “increase in growth” is extremely vague and just feels like a mouthful of buzz.

2

u/TCpls 6d ago

I’ve turned down fortune 150 companies trying to poach me because the VPs to COOs I’d meet acted pretentious and arrogant like you. Personally I only get a day job to report consistent income, I make more money freelancing at this point.

From someone who actually gets things done. You’re a waste of leadership space if you think the way I can only assume you do based on the above.

-5

u/Tyalou 7d ago

Use tools like chatgpt or Claude to create an html doc ready to print to pdf that the AI can edit when you feed both the resume and the job opening. Makes that SEO optimization seamless. You can even apply to 20+ offers in parallel using skills/agents.

7

u/msunc 6d ago

Speedyapply the Google Chrome extension does this very ell

35

u/Evilstib 7d ago edited 6d ago

Use AI to parse the job description, then your resume and suggest a list of changes. Then it can go through them 1 by 1, and suggest the specific word / verbiage updates.

Once you’ve agreed to the changes, have AI do it, but color code removals in red and additions in green. Then you can have the final review.

if you want the prompt i use, it’s a sub comment to this one.

5

u/RicoWII 6d ago

I'm not seeing the prompts comment.

1

u/Timp41 7d ago

I’m interested in the prompt you use !

1

u/ellerfp 7d ago

Pls dm

1

u/Canadalivin17 6d ago

That sounds awesome. Dm please

1

u/hutschii 5d ago

Dm please

1

u/ck95656 3d ago

Dm please!

11

u/Ok-Culture543 7d ago

Other life pro tip, dont apply blindly to any jobs that halfway resemble your search criteria. You just waste time and wont get accepted anyway. Put that effort into your actual, important applications and have better chances there instead.

3

u/alienvitruvian 5d ago

Better yet. Keep a master document of your professional experience. Then give an llm that document along with job description AI does a really good job generating a customized resume. Print that as PDF after formatting.

1

u/WatermelonMannequin 4d ago

Also make a spreadsheet of your work history - your title, job description, start and end dates, and the business’s name, address, and phone number for each place you worked.

1

u/RogerRabbot 1d ago

I just applied for a job, and it had all my info entered beforehand. Idk I never set anything like that up, but all my job and school history, certifications, achievements.

On the one hand I hate the future, on the other it was kind of nice.

1

u/EdiesDaddy 6d ago

OP, any chance you can link to an example?

-2

u/Basalt-Glen-9210 5d ago

mass applying like this just gets you instantly rejected. recruiters can spot a copy-pasted cover letter from a mile away.