Example read · fictional profile

Jordan’s read · Oct 2, 2026

Jordan, here’s how a recruiter reads your resume in the first 30 seconds.

You read as Entry-level.

You’re targeting

Entry-level · Likely

You read here

INTERN

ENTRY

IC (2+ YRS)

MGR

SR MGR

Likely

Entry: a first full-time role. IC (2+ yrs): an established individual contributor.

The 30-second verdict

You present as a marketing student with foundational internship and leadership experience, though your impact is currently described through passive tasks rather than outcomes.

I'd screen you for Entry-level roles. You are in full-time recruiting season now, so this resume needs to be ready immediately because many entry-level roles are filled well before graduation. Your baseline experience is solid, but your bullets read as a list of assigned tasks rather than owned results, which makes me hesitate on your readiness to drive projects independently.

This is a read of your resume, not of you. Where something is missing here, it’s missing from the document — we can’t see what you haven’t written down.

What to fix first

01Show the business purpose of your data analysis.
02Quantify the audience or reach of your content.
03Frame your course project around the insights generated rather than the classroom setting.

Each fix is explained in detail below.

The six dimensions

The six things a recruiter weighs on a first pass, whether they’d name them or not.

Working for you — This helps you get the call.
Mixed signals — Some lines help, some undercut it. Worth tightening.
Holding you back — This is likely costing you callbacks.
Context only — How you’re being categorized, not a judgment.

Perceived functionContext only
Marketing and marketing research
The job family I’d file you under, the first sort I make.
Your coursework, internship, and club leadership all point clearly to a marketing function.
What I’m seeing
I see a marketing major with a marketing internship, a role in the Student Marketing Association, and a marketing research project.
From your resume
“Marketing Intern | Northstar Community Market | Columbus, OH | June 2026 – August 2026”
“Events Coordinator | Student Marketing Association | September 2025 – Present”
What this costs you
Nothing; your functional target is clear.
Perceived levelWorking for you
Entry-level candidate
The seniority your resume earns, whatever title you hold.
Your timeline and accumulated experiences align perfectly with a senior seeking a post-graduation role.
What I’m seeing
I see an expected graduation in May 2027, backed by a relevant summer internship and ongoing campus leadership.
From your resume
“Expected graduation: May 2027 | GPA: 3.6/4.0”
“Marketing Intern | Northstar Community Market | Columbus, OH | June 2026 – August 2026”
What this costs you
Nothing; you read exactly as a graduating senior should.
Scope signalsMixed signals
Small-scale student and local reach
The scale of what you owned: people, users, sites, decisions. Evidence I can check.
You show some concrete numbers, but the broader business reach of your work is missing.
What I’m seeing
I see 12 customer interviews, 25 to 40 students per event, and 62 students surveyed. I do not see the audience size for your social posts or the volume of the email campaigns.
From your resume
“Created event sign-up forms and sent reminders to members; attendance was 25 to 40 students per event.”
“Drafted social posts for three store events; the manager approved the final copy before publication.”
What this costs you
A screener has to guess the scale of your internship work, which makes it harder to compare you against candidates from larger programs.
TrajectoryWorking for you
Consistent early-career building
Whether your moves read as steady progress, a plateau or a step back.
You have steadily added relevant experience alongside your part-time job.
What I’m seeing
I see you maintaining a part-time front desk job while taking on club leadership in 2025 and securing a relevant internship in 2026.
From your resume
“Front Desk Associate (part-time) | Riverbend Recreation Center | Columbus, OH | September 2024 – Present”
“Marketing Intern | Northstar Community Market | Columbus, OH | June 2026 – August 2026”
What this costs you
Nothing; this shows strong time management and a clear progression of interest.
Accomplishment qualityHolding you back
Passive and task-oriented
Whether your results are specific and measured, or read as a list of duties.
Your bullets describe what you were assigned to do, not what you achieved.
What I’m seeing
I see verbs like 'Reviewed', 'Help', and 'Coordinated', followed by descriptions of the process rather than the outcome (see Fix 01).
From your resume
“Reviewed weekly email campaign results in spreadsheets and shared a summary with the marketing manager.”
“Drafted social posts for three store events; the manager approved the final copy before publication.”
What this costs you
A screener reads you as someone who needs close supervision rather than someone who can own a small project independently.
Hesitation triggersHolding you back
Missing business outcomes
The one thing most likely to make me pause, or pass.
The lack of results makes it hard to tell if your work was effective.
What I’m seeing
Beyond Fix 01, I see a course project that ends at presenting to the class, rather than detailing the actual business recommendation you made.
From your resume
“Surveyed 62 students about campus dining options and presented findings and recommendations to the class.”
What this costs you
It keeps your resume feeling academic rather than professional, which is a common hurdle for entry-level applicants.

The fixes in detail

Unquantified impact

I see that you reviewed data, but I don't know what the data said or how your summary was used.

From your resume

“Reviewed weekly email campaign results in spreadsheets and shared a summary with the marketing manager.”

If you have it

If your summary led to a specific change—like adjusting send times or changing subject lines—state that outcome.

Rewrite

Analyzed weekly email campaign performance in Excel and presented summaries that informed [specific marketing decision].

Anything in square brackets is something only you know.

If you don’t

If you just passed the numbers along, focus on the volume of data or the specific metrics you tracked (e.g., open rates, click-through rates).

Undeclared scope

You drafted social posts, but I have no idea how big the audience was or if the posts drove attendance.

From your resume

“Drafted social posts for three store events; the manager approved the final copy before publication.”

If you have it

If you know the follower count of the accounts you posted to, or the engagement metrics the posts received, add those numbers.

Rewrite

Drafted social media copy for three store events, reaching an audience of [number] followers.

If you don’t

If you don't have access to the analytics, focus on the platforms used and the specific goal of the events.

Ownership unclear

Presenting to the class is an academic requirement; I want to know what business insight you actually uncovered.

From your resume

“Surveyed 62 students about campus dining options and presented findings and recommendations to the class.”

If you have it

If your recommendation identified a specific gap in the market or a clear consumer preference, name the insight.

Rewrite

Surveyed 62 students on campus dining preferences and presented data-driven recommendations on [specific insight or proposed change].

If you don’t

If the recommendation was generic, detail the survey design tools and analysis methods you used to process the 62 responses.

Against your target levels

Entry-level (your read)LikelyYour resume shows a relevant marketing internship, campus leadership, and a solid GPA that align with this level.

On a general corporate ladder your resume reads as Entry-level. In Marketing, titles at this scope typically sit about here. A general norm, not a fact about you.

What would put you at the front of the pile

Things you can do before you graduate that most applicants for these roles won’t have. Each is tied to a gap on your resume. None is a promise of an interview or an offer.

To put yourself at the front of the pile, aim to add these signals before you graduate in May 2027.

Apply SQL to a real dataset
If you have it
If you have already used SQL for a project or in your internship, add a bullet detailing the query complexity and the dataset size.
If you don’t — how to get there
Complete a guided project or volunteer to analyze a dataset for your student association using SQL to prove the skill listed at the bottom of your resume.
Secure a spring freelance project
If you have it
If you are currently doing any freelance or pro-bono marketing work for a local business, add it to your experience section immediately.
If you don’t — how to get there
Reach out to a local Columbus business or campus department and offer to run a small, measurable marketing initiative for them this spring.

Jordan, here’s what to do next

01Unquantified impact. Show the business purpose of your data analysis.Biggest mover
02Undeclared scope. Quantify the audience or reach of your content.
03Ownership unclear. Frame your course project around the insights generated rather than the classroom setting.

Make these changes, then run your follow-up read. It’s included, and it will show what moved.

Work through all three. Fix 01 is the one most likely to change how a recruiter reads you. Most of what’s here is fixable on the page, and none of it is a verdict on you. Good luck with your search.

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