Why Your Resume is Getting Ghosted: The Problem with "Assisted"

You apply. You wait. You hear nothing.

That silence seriously stings, and it's often because a recruiter has about six seconds to figure out what you do, and if they have to guess, they move on.

Government service trains us to be humble and accurate. We write "Assisted" on a project because we don't want to take credit for the whole team's work. The problem is that in the private sector, "Assisted" can read as "I didn't own this result."

Quick Tip: Go look at your resume right now. If you have bullet points starting with "Assisted," "Helped," or "Responsible for," try swapping them for the outcome and impact of that work.

*** Instead of "Assisted with the budget," try "Managed $50k in quarterly tracking."

Small tweaks like this change how a recruiter reads your story.

If you need more help translating your government experience into a resume that private-sector recruiters actually understand, check out MissionPivot™ for dedicated templates, resources, and support to guide your career transition.