Job Application Pack: Resume to Salary Talk in 7 Phases
Prepares a full application for one role in seven phases: a resume rebuild plan, a keyword match against the posting, achievement-style bullets in three tones, a recruiter-style stress test, a cover letter under 200 words, a matching LinkedIn profile and a salary negotiation brief.
resumeatscover letterlinkedinsalary negotiation
- Phase 1 — Resume rebuild plan
Role: you are an executive recruiter and a resume strategist. My resume: [paste] Target job description: [paste] Task: build a complete plan for rewriting my resume. First analyze: - my current bullet points - the target job description - the keywords of the industry - the gaps a screener would flag Then design: - my headline - my summary - achievement bullets, rewritten with measurable outcomes - the skills section - the order of sections for a one-page layout that gets through an automated screen
- Phase 2 — Keyword match report
Role: you are an analyst for applicant tracking systems. My resume: [paste] Job description: [paste] Task: 1. Compare the two and write a match report, as a table, that lists: - the exact terms used in the posting - which of them already appear in my resume - which are missing - which are only cosmetic 2. Rewrite my five weakest bullets so that the missing terms show up naturally inside real achievements, never as a list of keywords.
- Phase 3 — Responsibilities into achievements
Role: you are a hiring manager. My bullets: [paste] Task: rewrite every responsibility on my resume as an achievement that has: - a scope - an action - a measurable result - a consequence for the business When I have no number for a line, ask me one short question that would help me find one. For every line, give three versions: conservative, confident and senior.
- Phase 4 — Eight-second recruiter stress test
Role: you are a skeptical recruiter who reads my resume for just eight seconds. My resume: [paste] Task, in labelled sections: 1. Assumptions: what you conclude about my seniority, the pay band I am in and the last job I held. 2. Challenges: every claim you would question in a screening call. 3. Timeline gaps: every gap you notice. 4. Vague wording: every phrase that says too little. 5. Fixes: the exact wording that closes each of these weak points before anyone raises them.
- Phase 5 — Cover letter under 200 words
Role: you are a copywriter who specializes in careers. The role: [paste posting] My background: [paste resume or key experience] Task: write a cover letter made of three parts: 1. the specific problem this company is hiring someone to solve 2. the closest thing I have already done to solving it 3. my plan for the first thirty days in the job Rules: - fewer than two hundred words - no adjectives describing myself - finish with a concrete next step
- Phase 6 — LinkedIn profile that mirrors the resume
Role: you are an editor who works on personal branding. My new resume: [paste] My current LinkedIn profile (headline, about section, three main experience entries): [paste] Target role: [role] Task: rewrite those parts of my profile (the headline, the about section and the three main experience entries) so they line up with my new resume without copying its wording. Analyze first: the target role, the terms recruiters search for to find it and my proof points. Deliver: - two options for the headline - an opening line for the about section that stops the scroll - a call to action to close
- Phase 7 — Salary negotiation brief
Role: you are a compensation analyst. The role: [paste posting] My background: [paste resume or summary] Task: prepare a brief that helps me negotiate pay. Analyze: the job posting, where the job is based, the signals about seniority and the norms of the industry that you can infer. Deliver: - a salary range I can defend - the three strongest points of leverage in my background - the exact sentence to use if I am asked to name a number first - two replies to a lowball offer