Evidence-First Resume Bullets
Write what you can prove. No invented claims, no fabricated metrics. Just authentic achievements that survive the interview.
The Problem With Most Resume Advice
Most resume advice tells you to "quantify everything" and "show impact." Good advice—until it leads to fabricated metrics and inflated claims that crumble under interview scrutiny.
We've seen it happen: a candidate claims "increased revenue 40%" but can't explain the baseline, timeframe, or their specific contribution. The interviewer notices. Trust evaporates.
Evidence-first writing flips the script. Instead of starting with "what sounds impressive," you start with "what can I prove?" The result: bullets that are both compelling and defensible.
Three Principles
Cite Your Source
Every claim should trace back to something real: a project, a metric you tracked, feedback you received, or an outcome you observed.
Survive the Interview
If an interviewer asks 'tell me more about this,' you should have a story ready. If you can't elaborate, don't include it.
Quantify When True
Numbers are powerful but only when accurate. A real 15% improvement beats a fabricated 50% every time.
The Interview Test
Before including any bullet, ask yourself: "If the interviewer asks me to elaborate on this for 5 minutes, can I?"
If yes, include it. If no, rewrite it or remove it. This single test eliminates most resume inflation.
Evidence-First Examples
See how vague claims become provable statements.
Drove significant revenue growth through product improvements
Shipped checkout redesign that increased conversion from 2.1% to 2.8%; validated via A/B test with 50K users
Evidence: Specific feature, measurable outcome, methodology cited
Improved system performance and reliability significantly
Optimized database queries reducing p95 latency from 800ms to 120ms; measured via Datadog APM
Evidence: Specific metrics, measurement tool named, before/after clear
Created dashboards that helped leadership make better decisions
Built executive dashboard tracking 12 KPIs; CFO cited it in board presentation for Q3 cost reduction decision
Evidence: Scope quantified, specific use case, stakeholder attribution
Managed successful campaigns across multiple channels
Ran 6 email campaigns (avg 45K recipients) with 28% open rate vs 21% industry benchmark
Evidence: Campaign count, audience size, performance vs benchmark
Mistakes That Kill Credibility
These patterns seem harmless but damage trust in interviews.
Invented metrics
"Increased sales by 300%"
Sounds impressive but falls apart under questioning. Where did this number come from?
Vague impact claims
"Significantly improved customer satisfaction"
What does 'significantly' mean? NPS change? Survey scores? Retention rates?
Borrowed achievements
"Led company-wide initiative" (when you were one of 20 contributors)
Misrepresenting your role destroys credibility when the interviewer digs deeper.
Unprovable superlatives
"Best-performing team member"
Says who? Based on what criteria? Self-assessment isn't evidence.
How to Write Evidence-First Bullets
Start with the source
What project, metric, or feedback are you referencing? Write that down first. If you can't name the source, you don't have evidence yet.
State your specific contribution
What did you do? Use precise verbs: built, designed, led, analyzed, reduced, automated. Avoid vague verbs: helped, assisted, supported, worked on.
Add measurable context
Numbers, timeframes, team sizes, user counts—but only what you actually know. "Approximately" and ranges are fine when exact figures aren't available.
Apply the interview test
Read the bullet aloud. Can you talk about it for 5 minutes? Do you remember the details? If not, simplify or remove.
Build Evidence-First Resumes Automatically
SnappyCVs generates tailored bullets from your documented experience—never inventing claims you can't support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Not every bullet needs a number. Process improvements, scope of responsibility, and qualitative outcomes all count as evidence. 'Mentored 3 junior developers' is evidence. 'Reduced onboarding time for new hires' is evidence. Focus on what you actually did and observed.
Use ranges or qualifiers when you're uncertain: 'reduced response time by approximately 30%' or 'handled 50-100 customer inquiries daily.' Never fabricate specifics you can't support. Interviewers will ask, and vague answers hurt credibility.
Tie soft skills to observable actions. Instead of 'excellent communicator,' write 'presented quarterly results to 40-person all-hands; created weekly status updates adopted by 3 other teams.' The evidence demonstrates the skill without claiming it directly.
Be precise about your contribution. Use 'contributed to' or 'collaborated on' for team achievements. Use 'led' or 'owned' only for work you directly drove. Interviewers respect honesty about team dynamics more than inflated individual claims.
SnappyCVs builds your resume from a canonical profile of your actual experience. When generating tailored bullets, it only surfaces and rephrases what you've documented—it never invents achievements, metrics, or claims. You review and approve everything before export.