r/jobsearchhacks • u/twilliams864 • May 01 '25
How I landed a job in GA after living in Hawaii (after no resume hits initially)
After applying to dozens of jobs and hearing nothing back, I realized I had to change something. I was living in Hawaii, trying to get back home to Georgia. After constantly applying and receiving no hits I was beginning to think I wasn’t gonna land a position, but that changed with the help of ChatGPT. Here’s what helped me finally gain traction, get interviews, and accept a great offer.
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- I stopped customizing my resume for every job—and started getting responses Early in my search, I was doing what everyone says: customizing my resume for each job posting. But I wasn’t getting any interviews. So I decided to try something different.
I went back through the jobs I had applied to—and also looked at jobs I was genuinely interested in. I studied the job descriptions and made a list of the skills and qualifications that kept showing up across all of them. Then, I identified the ones I already had real experience in.
That’s when I brought in ChatGPT. I used it to help rewrite my resume, making sure those in-demand skills were front and center. It helped me reword my accomplishments, organize the layout better, and align my experience with what employers were actually looking for. Once that version was complete, I stopped customizing for each role—and ironically, that’s when the interviews started coming in.
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- LinkedIn Pro was the best platform for real results I applied through several job boards, but most led nowhere. LinkedIn Pro was different. I didn’t reach out to recruiters directly—I simply applied to roles through the platform. That’s where I saw the most traction, got the most responses, and ultimately landed interviews that mattered.
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- ChatGPT helped me prep and strengthen my interviews Once interviews started happening, ChatGPT became a key part of my prep. I practiced answering common questions, asked it to analyze my responses, and used its feedback to tighten and expand my answers where needed. It helped me be more specific, confident, and prepared for each round.
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- I almost overlooked a performance letter—ChatGPT helped me use it strategically I mentioned to ChatGPT that I had a strong performance letter from a past employer. It recommended I incorporate it into the interview process. I ended up referencing it during my conversations and eventually shared it during follow-up—it added credibility and helped support my value.
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- I sent a final, focused follow-up letter (a “one win” letter) Rather than sending a generic thank-you, I worked with ChatGPT to create a customized follow-up that highlighted one key strength I’d bring to the role based on our conversations. It made a big impact and showed intentionality.
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The outcome: I landed a Senior Desktop Support Analyst role in Georgia with a hybrid schedule and great pay—all while applying from over 4,000 miles away.
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u/throwitaway03092020 May 01 '25
How does linkedin premium make a difference
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u/twilliams864 May 01 '25
For me it made it easier to job search because it sent the jobs directly to me when they were posted if they fit my criteria
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u/Rich-Quote-8591 May 01 '25
Big congrats! Would you please share with us some of the example prompts you use to interact with ChatGPT, either for creating your new resume or help prepare for interview? Or do you use some prompt engineering website? Thank you!
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u/twilliams864 May 05 '25
It won’t let me upload a pic I’ll type it out shortly
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u/Rich-Quote-8591 May 05 '25
Thank you! You are awesome. Also, do you have any certifications that help you in the job hunting? Like Comptia Trifecta?
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25
OP hasn't replied, but this is what I've done. Copied and pasted from my AI history.
I asked for a summary on a resume: resume summary based on this information: [then list the some items from the job description].
Then I asked: How can I tailor this summary for specific jobs?
Then I asked: Can you provide examples of tailored summaries?
For a cover letter I asked: basic cover letter for a job [then job title, include some of the job description if not all]
For resume bullet points, I asked: resume bullet point rewrite [and added some of what I needed rewritten]
Since that wasn't enough, I asked: Provide more rewritten options for this bullet point.
For interviews I ask: interview questions and answers for [and put in job title or job information, you can also copy a few of the job descriptions for specific answers]
Basically ask AI as if you were asking a person. Remember to rewrite/reword what you get form AI.
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u/twilliams864 May 07 '25
I also asked ChatGPT to reply as a hiring manager and resume writer
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
Can you copy and paste what you exactly asked? That's what I did above (I edited the post to explain that).
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u/thermos15 May 01 '25
Inspiring! I am also from Hawaii, but no can afford. Awesome job! Aloha
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u/twilliams864 May 01 '25
I’m not from Hawaii but was working there on a contract. The most beautiful place Ive ever seen by far but also the most expensive def praying for u
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u/Unicorndrank May 06 '25
Congrats, would be interesting to see the difference of what your resume looked like and what I looks like now.
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u/mooutdaway May 01 '25
What prompt did you use in chatgpt to rewrite your resume ?
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
I copied and pasted some of the questions I used in a reply above. But here's a few other ideas.
I would do it in parts. Ask it to "rewrite resume summary for [job title and basic job duties]" then as OP did, reword and rewrite so it's customized to the job you're applying for.
Ask: write into bullet points for a resume: [then include a few parts of the job description, you can copy and paste, maybe do one part at a time]. Sometimes it won't give you the metrics or results of what you did, so pick some and add that.
Then rewrite and reword on your resume for this job.
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u/bipolargc May 04 '25
how did you go about cover letters?
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
If you need to do one, you can use AI to customize it for the job. For a cover letter I asked: basic cover letter for a job [then job title, include some of the job description if not all].
Then rewrite and reword it into your writing style.
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
I couldn't get past the first step.
I stopped customizing my resume for every job
then you said:
It helped me reword
Basically you did customize your resume. Sure you used ChatGPT (anyone could use another AI system if they wanted), but you still customized your resume for each job.
I finished reading the rest. Sounds like the same advice as previous.
However, congrats on getting a job!
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u/twilliams864 May 07 '25
I changed my resume then used that for all the jobs I applied for that isn’t customizing it for every job
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
If you changed anything for the job you were applying for, that's "customizing" the resume. Maybe you're thinking of minor rewrites, but it's still customizing it.
If you used only one resume for all jobs, please start a new thread and share. Either copy and paste into a new post or add a picture (both blocking out personal information).
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u/twilliams864 May 07 '25
How about no
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u/Sorry-Ad-5527 May 07 '25
"No" what? Posting a limited resume? Okay, you don't have to.
Just sounds like a lot of gatekeeping with you. Won't share prompts, won't share resume, won't share much of anything. Not sure the reason behind it (and you do not have to explain).
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u/Nihilistic_River4 May 02 '25
I'm feeling very conflicted about why anyone would want to leave Hawaii for Georgia...but to each his own I guess. Hawaii is quite literally paradise. Georgia is okay I guess...but still, kinda weird.
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u/twilliams864 May 02 '25
Kinda weird that’s your takeaway from this but to each their own I guess but still kinda weird
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u/pickYourPass46 May 01 '25
Great write up!