These instructions guide GitHub Copilot (and Copilot Chat / inline suggestions) when reviewing, proofreading, or rewriting content in this resume repository. Treat every suggestion the way a hiring-focused editor would leave a comment in a Word document: concise, actionable, and grounded in the rules below.
Apply these rules primarily to .tex files (or included .tex fragments) that contain
resume bullet points / highlights / accomplishment statements — typically lines
inside \resumeItem{}, \item, or similar custom LaTeX commands. General document
formatting, packages, and layout are out of scope unless explicitly asked.
- When asked to proofread, only flag or fix grammar, clarity, redundancy, and sentence length — do not change the underlying facts, numbers, or claims.
- When asked to rewrite, you may restructure the sentence more freely, but must still follow the Accomplishment Statement Guidelines (Section 2) and the Action Verb rules (Section 3).
- Preserve the author's original wording and voice as much as possible. Prefer the smallest edit that fixes the issue over a full rewrite, unless a rewrite is explicitly requested.
- Long sentences: resume bullets should generally read in one breath (roughly one line to a line and a half in the compiled PDF). If a bullet runs long, suggest splitting the Result from the Action/Challenge, trimming filler words, or cutting subordinate clauses — while keeping the Challenge–Action–Result content intact.
- Never invent metrics, tools, or outcomes that aren't already present in the text or
supplied by the user. If a Result is missing a measurable impact, flag it with a
comment (e.g.
% TODO: quantify impact) rather than fabricating a number. - Output suggestions the way an inline review comment would: show the proposed replacement text clearly, and briefly explain why (e.g. "verb repeated in bullet above," "sentence exceeds ~20 words," "Result lacks measurable outcome").
Summarized from McMaster University Engineering Centre for Career Growth & Experience.
A strong accomplishment statement has three parts:
- Challenge — the circumstance or constraint under which the work was done (e.g. tight deadline, no supervision, competing priorities, additional scope taken on).
- Action — what you specifically did and how, opening with a strong past-tense action verb (see Section 3). Be concrete — name the tool, method, or approach.
- Result — the measurable business/technical impact: what improved, by how much, or what would have gone wrong without this work. Prefer numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, or scale whenever available.
When rewriting a bullet, check that it satisfies all three components (Challenge is optional/implicit in short bullets, but Action + Result are required). If the Result is vague, prompt for or suggest a quantifiable measure.
Reference examples (style to emulate — not to copy):
- "Achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 99.9% by quickly developing a high level of proficiency on new software during a 4-month co-op term"
- "Exceeded monthly sales quotas consistently by an average of 15% for 3 years by initiating a system of follow-up contact with satisfied customers"
- "Assisted in developing a promotional fundraising campaign that provided contributions exceeding $15,000, 3-times the previous record"
Pattern to follow: [Action verb + what you did] + [how/method] + [quantified result or comparison], with the Challenge folded in naturally where relevant (e.g. "...during a 4-month co-op term", "...with no prior training").
Every accomplishment statement should start with a past-tense action verb. When proofreading or rewriting the opening verb of a bullet:
- Check the surrounding bullets in the same section (e.g. same job/role block).
- If the same verb already opens another bullet in that block, replace it with a close-meaning alternative from the same category below rather than repeating it.
- Prefer verbs from this list over generic ones (e.g. "did," "worked on," "helped with," "was responsible for") — these are considered weak and should always be flagged for replacement.
- Match the verb category to the nature of the accomplishment (e.g. use a Leadership verb for supervising a team, a Technical verb for engineering work, a Data verb for analysis-heavy work).
Achieved, Attained, Completed, Created, Demonstrated, Earned, Exceeded, Expanded, Expedited, Improved, Instituted, Launched, Maximized, Partnered, Pioneered, Reduced, Resolved, Restored, Restructured, Revamped, Showcased, Succeeded, Surpassed, Transformed
Addressed, Advertised, Arbitrated, Arranged, Articulated, Authored, Briefed, Clarified, Collaborated, Communicated, Composed, Condensed, Conferred, Consulted, Contacted, Conveyed, Convinced, Corresponded, Debated, Defined, Described, Discussed, Documented, Drafted, Explained, Formulated, Influenced, Informed, Interviewed, Lectured, Lobbied, Mediated, Moderated, Negotiated, Observed, Outlined, Participated, Persuaded, Presented, Promoted, Proposed, Reported, Resolved, Responded, Reviewed, Suggested, Summarized, Translated
Acted, Began, Combined, Conceptualized, Created, Customized, Designed, Developed, Displayed, Drew, Established, Fashioned, Founded, Illustrated, Initiated, Integrated, Introduced, Invented, Modeled, Modified, Originated, Performed, Revised, Revitalized, Shaped, Planned, Prioritized, Produced, Recommended, Spearheaded, Streamlined, Supervised
Adjusted, Allocated, Analyzed, Appraised, Assessed, Audited, Balanced, Calculated, Computed, Conserved, Corrected, Determined, Estimated, Forecasted, Marketed, Projected, Reconciled, Retrieved
Advised, Aided, Answered, Coached, Collaborated, Contributed, Cooperated, Educated, Enabled, Encouraged, Ensured, Facilitated, Familiarized, Furthered, Guided, Helped, Individualized, Insured, Intervened, Motivated, Provided, Referred, Rehabilitated, Simplified, Supplied
Administered, Appointed, Approved, Assigned, Attained, Authorized, Chaired, Consolidated, Controlled, Coordinated, Decided, Delegated, Developed, Directed, Eliminated, Emphasized, Enforced, Enhanced, Executed, Founded, Generated, Handled, Headed, Hired, Hosted, Improved, Increased, Instituted, Led, Managed, Merged, Motivated, Overhauled, Oversaw, Pioneered, Supported, Taught, Trained
Arranged, Assembled, Catalogued, Categorized, Charted, Classified, Coded, Compiled, Distributed, Filed, Generated, Implemented, Incorporated, Inspected, Logged, Monitored, Obtained, Orchestrated, Ordered, Organized, Prepared, Processed, Purchased, Recorded, Registered, Reorganized, Reserved, Reviewed, Routed, Scheduled, Standardized, Submitted, Systematized, Updated, Validated, Verified
Analyzed, Collected, Compared, Conducted, Critiqued, Detected, Determined, Devised, Diagnosed, Discovered, Evaluated, Examined, Experimented, Explored, Extracted, Formulated, Gathered, Identified, Inspected, Interpreted, Investigated, Located, Measured, Monitored, Researched, Summarized, Surveyed, Tested
Adapted, Assembled, Calculated, Constructed, Converted, Debugged, Designed, Engineered, Fabricated, Installed, Maintained, Operated, Programmed, Rectified, Regulated, Remodeled, Repaired, Replaced, Solved, Specialized, Upgraded, Utilized
Before finalizing a suggestion on a resume bullet, confirm:
- Starts with a strong past-tense action verb (not repeated within the same block)
- Contains a concrete Action (what/how)
- Contains a measurable or specific Result where possible
- Challenge is implied or stated if it adds meaningful context
- Sentence is not overly long — trim filler, split if needed
- No fabricated facts, tools, or numbers were introduced
- Original meaning/intent of the author is preserved