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11 min · writing

Path: Career (resume · letter · interview)

Goal: Pin the hard rule in career chats: rephrase OK, invent employers/dates/metrics never; gaps stay [NEED EVIDENCE].

Best for: Job seekers who want bilingual-friendly structure without fake metrics.

Honesty first: AI tightens wording; you own every employer, title, and number.

Why beginners skip this

Saving the career-path link feels finished—without a real piece and feedback this week, nothing sticks.

Why this order

Read pack C “do not invent” first, then edit the resume against a real JD; cover letter and mock interview come last because they amplify resume claims.

Outcome

A resume and letter that mirror the job description’s language, plus one practiced STAR story—all grounded in facts you can prove in two spoken sentences.

Suggested order

  • Pin Pack C hard rule (never invent) from the prompt packs guide.
  • Build an evidence bank offline, then rewrite bullets: career-resume-without-inventing.
  • Draft letter + mock interview with evidence checks: career-cover-letter-and-mock-interview.
  • Optional polish: writing-reject-ai-slop · claude-email for tone · writing-bilingual-hk-workflow if EN/ZH both ship.

Scene: one real application week

Alex is applying to a junior analyst role. AI suggests “increased retention 18%” because that phrase is common online. Alex’s sheet only shows café inventory dashboards. Alex deletes the 18%, keeps Looker + Friday notes, and practices saying the proof aloud before hitting Apply.

Example

Filled prompt

Hard rule (pin every career chat):
You may rephrase my experience. You must not add employers, titles, dates, tools, awards, or metrics I did not provide. Use [METRIC] or [NEED EVIDENCE] instead.
If you are tempted to invent, say: I cannot invent that—ask for evidence or mark [NEED EVIDENCE].

What good output looks like

  • Calendar slot for one live application artifact
  • Live artifact opened — not only the bookmark
  • Practice timed; refuse-line written
  • Pass/fail: artifact dated Asia/Shanghai
Example

Filled prompt

JD line: "Owned roadmap for B2B billing."
My proof bullets (only what I did):
- Led quarterly planning for invoicing v2 with 2 PMs
- Cut dispute handle time from ~3d to ~1d (ticket export, Q2)
Rules: map JD → my bullets; mark [NEED EVIDENCE] if gap; never invent employers/metrics.

What good output looks like

  • Each JD phrase maps to a proof bullet or [NEED EVIDENCE]
  • No new company names or titles
  • Metrics only from what you pasted
  • A one-line interview story prompt per mapped bullet
  • Gaps listed separately—not papered over
Example

Filled prompt

Ask me 5 follow-ups on this bullet only:
"Cut dispute handle time from ~3d to ~1d."
If I invent numbers, interrupt and mark [UNVERIFIED].
Score answers 1–5 on specificity.

What good output looks like

  • Questions dig into method, tradeoffs, and who else was involved
  • Interrupts fabricated precision
  • Scores with one reason each
  • Ends with one weaker answer to rehearse again
  • No scripted “perfect” monologue to memorize verbatim

Pick one real role this week—not three. Day 1: paste only facts you own into a working doc and pin the hard rule (no invented employers/metrics). Day 2–3: map three JD lines to proof bullets or [NEED EVIDENCE]. Day 4: one cover-letter paragraph with evidence beside it. Day 5: five mock follow-ups on your weakest bullet; interrupt yourself when you invent precision. End the week with a dated pass/fail note (Asia/Shanghai) listing what still needs evidence.

Save this card

Card: one calendar slot for a live application artifact—not a bookmark binge. Open the artifact before any model rewrite.

Wear-test: show your Save card to a teammate for thirty seconds—if they cannot restate the refuse line, tighten the card tonight and date it (Asia/Shanghai).

Before you start

Create a 25-minute calendar block titled path-career. Open the live artifact for "[NEED EVIDENCE]—do not invent."to invent ”—bookmark alone does not count Keep the live artifact visible the whole time. If you only have a blank box, stop and fetch the real job first

Have: the JD text, your resume export, and a blank evidence sheet. Do not open a second model tab “just to see.” If a metric is fuzzy, write the measurement method or delete the number before any rewrite.

How to use this week

This week ship one real piece + one feedback ask along the path; no checkmark without the piece.

Close the week by quoting aloud the refuse line you actually used once. If you cannot, rerun Practice now and date the pass/fail (Asia/Shanghai).

Red flags + refusal script

Unverifiable resume lines; model-added facts—gaps stay [NEED EVIDENCE].

Pitfalls

PitfallFix
Inventing metrics on the resumeOnly numbers you can defend
Memorizing a full AI scriptQuestions + story prompts from your bullets
Skipping honesty gateRefuse fabricated experience
  • Letting the model “improve” a bullet by adding a tool you never used.
  • Treating LinkedIn fluff as interview-ready proof.
  • Running mock interviews on bullets you have not mapped to JD language first.
  • Shipping a letter the same day you invented a metric to fill a gap.

Field note: run one live pass this week that proves—Models may rephrase; they may not add resume facts—gaps stay [NEED EVIDENCE]. Date the pass/fail (Asia/Shanghai); bookmarks do not count.

Practice now

Quant source: each number cites a doc/path (Asia/Shanghai).

Impact verb audit: replace weak verbs with measured ones (Asia/Shanghai).

STAR check: situation/task/action/result present or rewrite (Asia/Shanghai).

Scope split: one achievement per bullet (Asia/Shanghai).

Proof folder: link or path to proof beside each metric (Asia/Shanghai).

Scope line: one bullet = one scope; split stacked achievements (Asia/Shanghai).

Bullet-proof drill: one metric with source note beside it or strike the metric (Asia/Shanghai).

Career-path drill: rewrite one resume bullet with metric + proof link/path; refuse adjectives without numbers (Asia/Shanghai).

Thin-spot drill: rewrite the Save card with real nouns from your work (repo, doc, inbox). Generic placeholders fail the drill.

Tonight ship one real resume block or mock-interview note; no checkmark without an artifact.

Close the loop

Write one line: next time I only save the path with no piece, I refuse the checkmark.

One sentence takeaway

Real piece + feedback ask; no checkmark without the piece.

Word-floor practice

Run the Today card once on a real artifact. Write pass/fail + never-do with date Asia/Shanghai. If you only skimmed, do not mark this guide done.

Next

Resume · Letter+interview · Pack C · First 7 days

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