Application, parse and store, questions, search and match, human review, interview. Different employers set up different steps.

• Accurate application
• Clear qualifications
• Strong targeting

Required is not the same as preferred. Answer every question truthfully. If a serious question is unclear, ask staff privately instead of guessing.

• CREDENTIAL: do you hold it?
• EXPERIENCE: read exactly what is asked
• SCHEDULE: can you work it and get home?
• LOCATION: can you reliably reach it?
• LICENSE OR TRAVEL: required or preferred?

Example, Food Service Worker: ServSafe Food Handler, customer service, food prep and sanitation, stocking, evening and weekend availability.

• PULL OUT: title, must haves, credentials, duties, schedule
• ASK: which are truly mine, and where does my resume prove them?

Keywords are evidence labels, not decorations.

• PROVE: I can show it. Use the term.
• TRANSLATE: I did it, described differently. Rewrite truthfully.
• NOT MINE: I cannot prove it. Leave it out.

Farm Trainee. Helped around the farm. Worked with customers. Kept things clean. Put items away.

• The experience may be there
• The evidence is not yet clear

Farm Trainee, Growing Home. Maintained clean, sanitary work areas during produce washing and packing. Stocked and organized supplies and supported inventory counts. Assisted visitors and team members with courteous customer service.

• Same person
• Same job title
• Better evidence

ATS safe does not mean ugly. It means readable to software and to people.

• USE: one column, standard headings, readable font, contact info in the body, text based file
• AVOID: photos, icons, skill bars, text boxes, sidebars, key info in headers, scanned resumes

Start from a strong master resume. You must be able to answer: why did I change this?

• Minutes 0 to 2: title, must haves, 5 terms
• Minutes 2 to 5: top third, summary, credential
• Minutes 5 to 8: rewrite 2 or 3 bullets
• Minutes 8 to 9: headings, file name, file type
• Minutes 9 to 10: read the required questions

Finish Day 2 by showing the evidence, not by passing a quiz.

• A real posting from your board
• 3 or more real requirements sorted
• Tailored resume with accurate past titles
• Explain one change in your own words

Scan your QR code. Open your board. Pick one real IT lead. That posting is what you work on today.

• Scan your code
• Pick one lead
• Keep it open all session

Apply, parse and store, knockout questions, search and match, human review, interview. Every employer sets it up differently. There is no magic score.

• Accurate application
• Clear qualifications
• Strong targeting

Common entry level titles A+ training lines up with. Search these exact titles.

• Help Desk Technician
• IT Support Specialist
• Desktop Support Technician
• Service Desk Analyst
• Field Service Technician
• Data Center Technician

What the next credential can open. Always check required versus preferred.

• Network+: NOC Technician, network support
• Security+: security focused support paths
• Microsoft 365 and cloud admin: systems support

Developer searches match the exact title and the exact stack. Write it the way the posting writes it.

• Software Developer, Software Engineer, Web Developer, QA Tester
• Languages and frameworks named exactly as posted
• GitHub or portfolio link in the body of the resume

Roles that reward support skills and coding skills together.

• Technical Support Engineer
• Application Support Analyst
• IT Support with scripting
• Junior DevOps or Automation

Pull out the title, the must haves, the preferred items, the tools, and the schedule.

• Required is not the same as preferred
• Certifications are the most common IT knockout

Sort every requirement against your resume.

• PROVE: I can show it. Use the posting's term.
• TRANSLATE: I did it, described differently. Rewrite it truthfully.
• NOT MINE: I cannot prove it. Leave it out.

Screeners treat a completed course and a passed exam differently. Be exact.

• CompTIA A+ (in progress, exam target Month Year)
• Coursework goes under Training
• Never list an exam you have not passed

BEFORE: Helped people with computers. AFTER: Resolved hardware and software issues for users, documented each fix, and escalated network problems to senior staff.

• Same experience
• Better evidence

BEFORE: Built a website. AFTER: Built a responsive web app in JavaScript and React that lets users track orders. Code on GitHub.

• What it does
• What you used
• Where to see it

Readable to software and to people.

• One column, standard headings
• Contact info in the body, not the header
• No skill bars, icons, or text boxes
• Text based PDF or DOCX, as the employer accepts

Match your resume to the one posting you picked.

• Title line matches the posting title
• Rewrite 2 or 3 bullets in the posting's words
• Check format and file type
• Read the screening questions first

Ready? Tap Apply on your board. The tap is logged for you, and you get a check in if you have not heard back.

• Apply
• Confirm
• Next action

Full class. You teach the Prove, Translate, Not Mine sort to a partner, using their own board. Teaching it is how it sticks.