How To Craft a “Google XYZ Resume” and Land Your Dream Job

What is an XYZ resume?  

The XYZ resume, also called the “xyz resume” or the “Google XYZ resume,” focuses on specific achievements, their measurable outcomes, and the related responsibilities. 

The XYZ resume formula was popularized by Google. This tech giant receives so many applications each year that it began offering advice to job seekers who want to stand out from the crowd. 

Google representatives use this three-letter combo as a shorthand to describe how to include career achievements. The three letters stand for:

• Accomplished [X]
• As measured by [Y]
• By doing [Z] 

Describe an achievement, the impact, and the actions you took to get there. This leaves no guesswork or correlations for the hiring manager – they can immediately see how your skills are relevant and valuable.

An XYZ resume is very similar to the STAR method resume, which details a Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Both resume types put the recruiter into the scenario and give them a tangible outcome to your actions, which is much more powerful than simply listing responsibilities.

Benefits of the XYZ resume format 

There are a host of benefits to using this resume structure. An XYZ-format resume describes your skills, shows positive outcomes, and helps the hiring manager understand your qualifications quickly.

Here are the advantages of using an XYZ resume:

• Provides clarity: Defines achievements with straightforward details, reducing the risk of confusion or misinterpretation
• Highlights impact: Uses measurable metrics to display tangible outcomes, linking your accomplishments to real results
• Showcases relevance: Recruiters don’t have to wonder if your skills are relevant to their open role – specific achievements with outcomes tell them that you’re the candidate they’re looking for
• Condenses content: This format gets straight to the point and concisely describes your value, helping recruiters find pertinent information fast, which shows respect for their time
• Ensures ATS compatibility: XYZ resumes describe specific achievements and skills, which likely means you’ll have a chance to use targeted keywords. These keywords help you build an effective ATS resume that can pass through a company’s applicant tracking system (ATS).

How to create an XYZ resume  

Here’s our step-by-step guide on building an XYZ resume. We’ll cover the how-to and then give a few examples so you can get started.

First, identify your relevant achievements. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Consider your relevant skills, and then think of achievements where you used them
• Consider your biggest achievements, and then think of which of the skills you used are relevant to this role

We recommend making a large list of both achievements and skills. This helps collect your thoughts and ensures you have a great reference point when building resumes.

Match each achievement with a measurable outcome. This typically refers to numbers, like how many employees you managed, or a percentage, such as how much you improved customer satisfaction.

Finally, choose a powerful action verb to begin your sentence and put the whole thing together: accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z].

Here are a few examples to inspire you:

We love following the XYZ resume format and use it all the time. Browse our resume samples for even more realistic examples.

Key components of an XYZ resume  

Here are the key elements of an XYZ resume. Assemble your resume using these components and our above guide. Alternatively, grab one of our resume templates and fill it out as you read this guide for a high-quality, lightning-fast application.

Contact information 

This section is also called “personal details” or “resume header,” and it’s an important, strong start to a resume. Make it a concise list of your primary details, including your name, job title, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn URL.

Resume summary or objective

A resume summary is a two- to four-sentence description of your professional qualifications, skills, and achievements. Try incorporating the XYZ format here – start with your job title and years of experience, and then describe an eye-catching achievement to entice the recruiter to read further.

Work experience

This section is the most important part of a resume, but doubly so for an XYZ resume. Hiring managers spend most of their time here, so ensure you provide plenty of valuable, impactful achievements in the bullet lists of every work entry.

Remember not to overload the recruiter. Include two to four total work entries, each with three to five bullet points.

Education

Briefly touch on your education. Mention your degree and the institution you received it, but you don’t need to go beyond this simple blurb. 

However, if you have little work experience or you’re a recent graduate, it’s a good idea to delve deeper into this section and treat it as your main experience. Try including a bullet list of academic achievements and use the XYZ format to highlight your skills and impact.

Skills and competencies

This is a simple resume section, but it’s important to get right. List five to 10 skills, with a greater ratio of hard skills to soft skills, and ensure they align with the job description you’re targeting. It’s also vital to prioritize your most crucial skills – don’t waste space on skills that aren’t directly relevant, even if they’re powerful and valuable.

Achievements and qualifications 

Do you have impactful achievements that don’t quite fit in your work experience and education sections? Feel free to create unique resume sections to suit your particular qualifications. For example, a Projects header is a great place to organize a multitude of projects on a resume, and a Certifications section is perfect for showcasing your online courses.

Common XYZ resume mistakes to avoid  

Before we finish up, let’s quickly cover the most common mistakes when building an XYZ and how to avoid them:

• Being too vague: Ensure each accomplishment uses clear language and states at least one skill, action, and measurable outcome
• Overloading each achievement: It’s easy to get carried away, but don’t provide too many details about your achievements. This has the opposite effect – recruiters will likely skim through and miss important points.
• Neglecting relevance: Tailor each statement to the role you’re targeting. Even if you have other impressive accomplishments, it’s important to omit them if they aren’t closely related to the right skill set.
• Choosing lackluster metrics: Measurable metrics are important but don’t choose just any. Critically review your resume and ask for a friend’s advice to make sure your achievements make an impact.

“An XYZ-format resume describes your skills, shows positive outcomes, and helps the hiring manager understand your qualifications quickly.”

Impress the best with an XYZ resume

Putting your professional achievements into words is challenging, but an XYZ resume gives you a great framework to show your skills. Follow our tips to build the perfect application:

• Define your actions, their impact, and the skills you used
• Add a measurable metric to the outcome
• Weave in significant achievements across your entire application
• Use simple terminology to ensure recruiters understand your language
• Get a friend to proofread your resume to make sure it’s impactful

Put these tips into action by building a resume with CVwizard’s resume maker. Our platform makes it easy to add and edit sections and move them across your resume so that each application suits the company you’re applying to.