Using The Star Method To Tailor Resume Achievements

Resumes with data-driven achievements are 40% more likely to receive a response.

Every hiring manager reads your resume with one unspoken question lingering in the back of their mind for every bullet point they see: "So what?"

• You "managed a project." ...So what? Was it successful?

• You "grew social media followers." ...So what? Did it lead to sales?

• You "worked with customers." ...So what? Were they happy?
  
  

If your resume's bullet points don't answer the "So what?" question, they are just empty claims. To get an interview, you need to provide the proof right then and there. The best way to do this is with a simple but incredibly powerful storytelling framework that interviewers love: the STAR method.

Using it on your resume is like giving them the answer before they even ask the question.

What is the STAR method?

STAR is an acronym that helps you structure your accomplishments into a complete, compelling story. It stands for:

• Situation: What was the context or challenge?

• Task: What was your specific goal or assignment?

• Action: What specific steps did you take to address the situation?

• Result: What was the positive outcome of your actions (preferably with a number)?

While it's a famous interview technique, its real power starts on your resume.

From a vague claim to a powerful story

Let's see how STAR transforms a weak bullet point into an undeniable achievement.

• The vague claim: "Was in charge of improving the company blog." (...So what?)

Now, let's rebuild it with STAR:

• Situation: The company blog had low traffic and wasn't generating leads.

• Task: My goal was to increase organic traffic and capture more email subscribers.

• Action: I performed keyword research, developed a new content calendar, and wrote 4 SEO-optimized articles per month.

• Result: This led to a 75% increase in organic traffic and captured over 500 new leads in one quarter.

Condensing STAR for your resume

You don't have room for a full paragraph. The trick is to combine these elements into one concise, powerful bullet point. You often merge the Situation and Task and focus on the Action and Result.

• The final STAR bullet point:
  Revitalized the company blog by creating an SEO-driven content strategy (Action), resulting in a 75% increase in organic traffic and capturing 500+ new leads in Q3 (Result).

This single sentence tells a complete story of success. It has context, action, and undeniable proof. It completely answers the "So what?" question.

The challenge: becoming a STAR storyteller

Thinking through the STAR framework for every single accomplishment is hard work. It requires you to be a detective in your own career, digging up context, remembering specific actions, and finding the data to prove your results.

Applying this level of detail and storytelling skill to every application is draining. It’s why so many people give up and revert to the simple "chore list" that gets ignored.

Your automatic story-builder

What if you had a co-writer who was an expert at telling STAR stories? That’s the role the TailorMyResume iOS app plays.

Our app is designed with this proven framework at its core. It helps you structure your accomplishments by prompting you to think about the results of your actions. It analyzes the job description and helps you highlight the "Results" that will be most impressive to that specific employer. It takes the hard work out of turning your career into a collection of compelling stories.

Stop making claims. Start telling stories that get you hired.

Ready to become a master storyteller on your resume? Download TailorMyResume from the App Store and let us help you craft your success stories.