How Resume Research Can Clarify Your Career Direction

Before you can write a resume that speaks to your dream job, you need to know what that dream job actually is. And for many job seekers, that’s the hardest part.

You’ve done the reflection. You’re clear on what lights you up and what you’re good at. Now it’s time for the third “R” of resume development: Research.

This phase is all about curiosity. You’re not just pulling job descriptions from a board—you’re going deeper to figure out where people like you are finding fulfilling work. What titles do they have? What skills are they listing? How are they describing their experience?

Use Google Like a Career Coach

Here’s a simple search method we use at H2B that turns Google into a research assistant for your job search:

1. Open a new Chrome tab.

2. List out your personal traits and strengths—things you identified in your reflection phase.

3. Add any specific tools, industries, or tasks you love.

4. Type your list into the search bar, followed by the word “resume.”

5. Click on the “Images” tab to see real-world PDF resumes from people who share your attributes.

   
   

Here’s a sample search string:

Organized Personable Conscientious Leader “Process Improvement” IT Technology Onboarding Management Recruiting ATS CRM “Candidate Engagement” resume

You’ll likely start seeing resumes for roles like Talent Acquisition Manager, Technical Recruiter, or HR Business Partner. These titles might be familiar—or they might introduce you to new possibilities you hadn’t considered yet.

AI Can Help, Too

Tools like ChatGPT can also help you make sense of your research. Not sure what job titles align with your skill set? Try a prompt like:

"Based on these traits and interests, what types of roles might be a good fit for me: [list your strengths, tools, and interests]?"

You can also paste in a few job descriptions you're considering and ask:"What are the common skills and responsibilities shared by these roles?"

Or ask: "What keywords or phrases should I consider including on my resume for roles like [insert title]?"

ChatGPT can help you identify patterns, understand job titles, and surface transferable skills that may not have been obvious before.

Don’t Get Discouraged—Get Curious

If your first search doesn’t return strong results, don’t panic. It might just be too specific. Remove one of the personality traits or tools and try again. Or start broad and narrow it down as you go.

The point of this exercise isn’t to find a perfect match—it’s to notice patterns:

• What skills are showing up over and over?

• What keywords seem important in your field?

• Which job titles appear repeatedly?

• What formatting or tone are others using to position themselves?

Turn Research Into Insight

This kind of exploration helps you understand how your strengths and experiences translate into real-world opportunities. You might even stumble across a role that perfectly aligns with your goals—but that you didn’t know existed.

If you find a new job title you're unfamiliar with, just search the title + the word “job” in a new tab (example: “Product Operations Manager job”) to dig deeper.

What you’ll gain is clarity. And with that clarity, your resume will not only sound more aligned—it will feel more aligned, too.

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Next up: We’ll dive into the fourth “R” of resume development—rewrite—and show you how to turn your research into a focused, compelling resume.