Read both inputs before judging the match
Here is a fictional example. It is not a customer result, a real job opening or a saved HoroJob review. We are comparing the supplied text, so anything the resume leaves out remains unknown.
Resume excerpt
“Built weekly sales reports in Excel, checked missing rows and explained changes to regional managers.”
Job description excerpt
“Prepare recurring reports, check data quality, present findings to business teams and write SQL queries. Tableau experience preferred.”
Start by splitting the posting into separate requirements. Keep the employer’s distinction between required and preferred qualifications. In this excerpt, Tableau is explicitly preferred. We would need the complete posting to know whether SQL is a hard screening requirement and how much experience the team expects.
Give each requirement a piece of evidence
| The job asks for | The resume supplies | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring reports | Weekly sales reports in Excel. | Keep the reporting frequency and tool. |
| Data quality checks | Checked missing rows. | Explain the check if you can support the detail. |
| Presenting to business teams | Explained changes to regional managers. | Keep the audience. The format and depth are still unclear. |
| SQL queries | No SQL evidence in this excerpt. | Look for a real project, or clarify the role’s expectations. |
| Tableau, preferred | No Tableau evidence in this excerpt. | Record the gap separately from required qualifications. |
Three rows have relevant evidence. That is not a “60% chance of an interview.” The requirements do not necessarily carry equal weight, and the excerpt leaves out much of the candidate’s background and the employer’s selection process.
Make the bullet easier to understand
A rewrite can bring the useful details together without adding achievements:
Prepared weekly sales reports in Excel, checked for missing rows, and explained changes to regional managers.
This version stays inside the original evidence. It does not turn Excel work into SQL experience or claim that the applicant built dashboards.
If there is a verified result, add it. Perhaps the applicant can explain which checks they introduced or how many teams used the report. Ask for the detail first. Do not insert a percentage improvement because the bullet looks stronger with a number.
Handle the SQL question honestly
If you have used SQL: add a specific example you can discuss. Name the task and your contribution. A course project can be described as a course project; it should not quietly become professional experience.
If you have not used SQL: leave the claim out. Read the full posting for the expected level. If contact with the hiring team is available, a useful question is: “Is writing SQL queries an everyday responsibility from the start, or is training part of this role?”
If the posting is vague: mark it as a question. Neither a missing keyword nor a comparison tool can settle an employer’s unstated requirement.
You can then decide whether the role fits your current experience, whether to ask for clarification, or whether a different opening deserves your time. There is no universal percentage of requirements that makes that decision for you.
Use the same comparison on your own documents
The free CSV worksheet opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. It includes the five example rows above and blank rows for your own comparison. No upload, email or account is needed to download it.
Download the worksheet (.csv)- Copy each relevant requirement and label it required, preferred or unclear.
- Paste the exact supporting line from your resume. If there is none, write “not established.”
- Choose an action: keep, clarify, add verified evidence or ask the employer.
- Read the edited resume once more. You should be able to explain every claim.
The download contains only fictional examples and blank fields. HoroJob does not receive what you type into your own copy; storage depends on the spreadsheet app you choose.
Where HoroJob fits
CV Studio helps organize resume information for career work. Personal comparisons depend on the selected resume and available job description; new reviews require ongoing Premium, available allowance and separate AI consent. The worksheet above is free and does not require app access.
For a broader look at a type of work, use the free U.S. occupation lookup. It supplies sourced occupation context, which is different from the requirements of a particular vacancy.
For another perspective on reading a posting, the University of Michigan’s job-description guidance explains how employers define responsibilities and qualifications. This worked example and worksheet were prepared by HoroJob.