How to Turn Your Real Life Into Real Experience. The Resume Advantage Nobody Talks About

(Check out the bonus prompts at the end of this article. Try it in ChatGPT or your favorite AI tool and see what resume additions it suggests. Also, look through the college-centric prompts on how to turn educational experience into resume strengths.)

Most people think a resume is just a scoreboard of past jobs. Titles. dates. duties. But today’s job market doesn’t work that way anymore.

Thanks to AI. the people getting hired fastest aren’t the ones with the fanciest degrees. They’re the ones who take what they’ve learned in school. on the job. and in real life. and turn it into value an employer can actually see.

Here’s how to do that.

1. Treat School Like Work Experience

A group project that took two late nights and tested your patience? That’s real experience.

• Team leadership • Deadline pressure • Problem solving • Running a project start to finish

Employers don’t care if you learned it in a classroom or a cubicle. They care that you learned it.

2. Use Real Life as Proof of Character

A lot of the best workers didn’t learn grit in a lecture hall. They learned it mowing lawns. coaching kids. flipping burgers during the dinner rush. or handling customers who were “having a day.”

If life taught you discipline. patience. people skills. or how to keep moving when things get messy. That belongs on the resume.

Not as fluff. As proof.

3. Show That You’ve Used AI. Even a Little

You don’t need to be a coder to stand out. If you’ve used AI to:

• Draft something • Organize something • Research something • Learn something • Improve your resume

Congratulations. you’re ahead of most applicants already. Consider taking our free, 30-minute, "AI in 20" training course (link here).

One example of using AI shows an employer you’re not scared of where the world is going. You’re adapting. That’s valuable.

4. Tell Stories. Don’t List Buzzwords

Everyone says:

“I’m a team player.” “I’m detail-oriented.” “I’m a problem-solver.”

Nobody believes it.

But if you say:

“I coordinated a volunteer food drive for 300 families. When our delivery truck broke down. I rerouted drivers and stayed until the last family was served.”

Now you're memorable. Stories build trust. Buzzwords build eye rolls.

5. Aim Your Experience at the Job You Want

Don’t spray and pray. Line your experience up with the job:

• Applying for office roles? Show organization. communication. customer handling. scheduling. • Applying for technical roles? Show research. learning tools. troubleshooting. project work. AI use. • Applying for leadership roles? Show initiative. coaching. coordinating. stepping up when others didn’t.

Make it clear how your experience translates to their needs.

6. Show That You’re Learning

In an AI-driven world, “years of experience” matters a lot less than “speed of learning.”

People who adjust quickly are the ones employers want. That’s why we built AI in 20. Not to turn people into programmers. But to teach them the basics fast so they can keep up. move up. and stay relevant.

The Bottom Line

You’re not starting from zero. You’ve already got skills. lessons. stories. and experience that count.

Your resume isn’t a trophy case. It’s a highlight reel.

Show how you think. Show how you learn. Show how you’ve used AI to work smarter. Show the character that only real life can teach.

That combination gets people hired today.

Today's Bonus Prompt: “Turn My Life Into Resume Experience”

“Act like a plain-spoken career coach who writes in a down-to-earth, casual–style voice. Help me turn my academic experience, real-life experience, and early AI usage into strong resume bullets and short stories that show value to an employer.

Here’s what I want:

1. Ask me for my school projects, group assignments, or courses where I built something, fixed something, led something, or learned something useful.

2. Ask me about real-life experiences that show grit. responsibility. problem-solving. or people skills (jobs. volunteer work. coaching. family responsibilities. etc.).

3. Ask me how I’ve used AI so far. even if it’s small things like research. drafting. organizing. or learning.

4. Take my answers and turn them into resume bullets and short stories an employer will trust.

5. Keep the tone simple. honest. conversational. and free of corporate buzzwords.

Then output: • A short summary of who I am as a candidate • 6 to 10 resume bullets pulled from my academic experiences • 6 to 10 resume bullets from my real-life experiences • 3 to 5 examples of how I’ve used AI that show adaptability • One short “story-style” accomplishment an employer will actually remember

Make everything clear. confident. and practical. Avoid hype language and generic buzzwords.”

Career Center Version

Copy-and-Paste Prompt: “Act like a friendly career coach who explains things in simple, down-to-earth language. Help this student turn their academic experience. real-life experience. and early AI skills into resume bullets an employer will actually respect.

Start by asking them:

1. Which class projects. research assignments. leadership roles. or group tasks they completed that involved building something. fixing something. solving a problem. or organizing people.

2. What real-life experience they have that shows responsibility. reliability. grit. or people skills. including part-time work. volunteering. sports. clubs. or family commitments.

3. How they’ve used AI (even small examples like drafting a paper. researching a topic. organizing notes. or learning something faster).

Then: • Turn their answers into clear. honest. resume bullets written in a practical. conversational tone. • Remove buzzwords and fluff. • Make each bullet show value to an employer. not just activity. • Add a short. memorable “story-style” accomplishment that highlights character.

Keep everything straightforward. confidence-building. and beginner-friendly.”

Young Adult / First-Job Version

Copy-and-Paste Prompt: “Talk to me like a down-to-earth career coach who keeps things simple. Help me turn what I’ve done in school. in life. and with AI into resume experience that’ll help me land my first real job.

Start by asking me three things:

1. What school projects or group assignments I handled that took effort. teamwork. or problem-solving.

2. What I’ve done in real life that shows I’m responsible. dependable. or good with people (part-time jobs. chores. sports. volunteering. siblings. anything).

3. How I’ve used AI so far. even if it’s small stuff like research. drafting. or organizing my thoughts.

Then: • Turn my answers into strong resume bullets employers will actually care about. • Keep the tone simple. honest. and confident. • Add one short story that shows who I am and how I handle a tough moment. • No buzzwords. no filler. just practical value."