Steer Your Career: Accelerate Resume Success with the C.A.R. Method
With Proven Tactics and Real-Life Examples
"I get around as nature intended: In a car." Actress Meg Ryan tells beau, actor Kevin Kline, how she travels in lieu of her fear of flying in the 90's romcom, French Kiss. Flirtation permeates their banter, but so does resume writing advice. Hear me out.
Resumes travel by email, but your career impact needs to be framed first by a C.A.R. The C.A.R. method is a three-part framework to drill down on your work wins to articulate your impact.
Recruiters and hiring managers assess candidates based on proof of performance. They are looking for concrete examples of how you’ve solved problems similar to the ones they have. Decision-makers can only stomach so many sentences (written or spoken) about general job duties before they’re pining after your unique contributions. If you don’t know your impact, neither will prospective employers. Do the work now to communicate it when it matters.
The C.A.R. Method
Enter the C.A.R. method. It’s a scaffolding to your career and leadership experiences to get your juices flowing on how you uniquely contribute to the organization at that time and in that role. C.A.R. stands for Challenge, Action, Result.
Here’s how to use it for your resume. Put yourself back in the shoes of a role you held. Now:
1. Challenge: Identify a problem, task or situation you faced. This sets the context and shows the scope or complexity of the issue.
2. Action: Detail the specific actions you took to address the problem.
3. Result: Dish on the outcome or impact of your actions. Share metrics and tangible results to show, rather than tell, your success.
If you can’t get to your impact with C.A.R. alone, ask yourself these three questions:
So what?
You did xyz job duty. OK, so what? Why did that matter?
What difference did that make?
Talk in numbers here: Time, money, efficiency, people development, market share... You get the picture.
What was the impact?
Your work has ripple effects. What were those? Own them confidently and with honesty.
One way to get stuck is by not taking ownership of the results. Now is not the time to blend in with the team. The reader knows you didn't accomplish these results all on your own. Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You collaborated, you were a member of (or led) a team. Take ownership of your part and influence on the organization.
C.A.R. Story to Resume Bullet
Once you have a three-part C.A.R. story, it’s time to turn your success story into a resume bullet. Because bullet points are for wins, not job duties. Since the eye naturally reads from left to right, lead with your results first. Start with the “R” of your C.A.R. story using a bullet point formula:
The secret to resume crafting is writing lean. Edit ruthlessly. Remember: Your resume’s job is to spark intrigue in the reader and demonstrate role compatibility, not tell the full story. Say more with less. Then, you can share the full success story in the interview.
Real-Life C.A.R. to Resume Bullet Point Examples
Check out the C.A.R. framework in action with real-world examples. The C.A.R. breakdown translates to a high-impact accomplishment sentence demonstrating the candidate’s impact and proof of performance. It’s a unique contribution, not a copy-and-paste job of a job duty.
3 Ways to Use the C.A.R. Method for Your Resume
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to the C.A.R. framework. Use it in a way that makes the most sense to you. Here are a few ways to overlay the method with your work experiences to reach your career goals.
Role by Role
Just like the examples in this article, pause at each of your work experiences on your resume and reflect on the challenges you faced, the actions you took and the results from those actions. Uncovering your unique contributions will give you the material (and data) you need to write magnetizing bullet points in a way that matters for your forward career direction.
Line by Line
Instead of starting with your resume, go line by line (or bullet by bullet) in a job ad and ask yourself where you’ve faced a similar challenge, the specific action you took and the related outcomes. Lead with these bullet points within the appropriate work experience on your resume to demonstrate fit for your next-level role.
Matching
Identify the key skills and prime responsibilities in your job target. Then overlay the C.A.R. method to inquire where you’ve already demonstrated success in these areas. Input your accomplishment sentences under the matching work experience on your resume. This is an easy way to showcase how you can solve a prospective employer’s work woes and professional problems.
AI and the C.A.R. Method
AI can help here, but not with the whole shebang. AI cannot do the career reflective work for you, but it can set a nice foundation for a proper bullet point. Once you have the raw data of your C.A.R. story, input your C.A.R. story in your favorite AI tool, minus any proprietary data. If you need to, fictionalize company names and metrics. Then, ask AI to write a resume bullet point based on your C.A.R. story with a bullet point formula. For example:
Note: Your work doesn’t end there. It is YOUR job to focus and finesse the bullet point to tell the right story for your job target. Only you can decide where the emphasis of the story should be and on what metric. Edit ruthlessly and start your bullet with an action verb that packs a punch. If you need action verb help, go here for 360+ Resume Action Verbs that Demand Attention.
Remember: Do not enter proprietary information into an open AI tool. If you do, you’re sharing proprietary information with the world. Literally.
Your favorite way to ride may not be in a car, but for your resume, it’s one of the best vehicles to display your impact. Get in the driver’s seat!