What Proof Looks Like in Every Role—And Why It’s the New Résumé

For decades, hiring was built on proxies:

• Resumes that sound impressive

• Titles that look senior

• Companies that feel reputable

But in 2025 and beyond, those proxies are collapsing. Hiring managers don’t want potential. They want proof.

Proof that you’ve done the work. Proof that you’ve driven outcomes. Proof that you know how to solve problems in their world, not just describe problems from your last job.

And here’s the good news: You don’t need to be a designer to build a portfolio. Every white-collar professional can—and should—show their work.

Below is what “proof” actually looks like across roles.

🔥 Sales

Don’t just say: “Hit 130% of quota for 3 straight quarters.” Show:

• A deal sheet with ACVs, sales cycle, buyer persona, objections, and outcome

• Your cold email sequence that booked 10+ meetings

• A call snippet with a killer discovery moment or objection handle

• A breakdown of how you built pipeline from a cold vertical

📣 Marketing

Don’t just say: “Launched successful campaign that drove leads.” Show:

• Screenshots of your campaign dashboard with CTR, conversions, and attribution

• Before-and-after website copy or landing page optimization

• Slides from a GTM deck or product launch

• Real LinkedIn or email content and performance metrics

🤝 Customer Success / Support

Don’t just say: “Improved retention and client satisfaction.” Show:

• A playbook or onboarding guide you built or optimized

• NPS or CSAT scores before/after your involvement

• A case study of a customer you turned around

• A visual showing churn reduction over time, annotated with what you changed

🛠️ Product

Don’t just say: “Shipped features that improved user experience.” Show:

• Screenshots or mockups of features with annotations on your decisions

• A short walkthrough of your PRD or spec

• Before/after metrics (activation, retention, support tickets)

• A one-pager on a customer problem you solved and how you validated it

🧠 HR / People Ops

Don’t just say: “Improved employee engagement and streamlined HR processes.” Show:

• A dashboard displaying metrics like time-to-hire, retention rates, or employee satisfaction scores before and after implementing changes

• Screenshots of a self-service portal you introduced, highlighting increased usage and reduced administrative workload

• A case study detailing how you automated onboarding processes, resulting in faster integration and positive feedback from new hires

• Documentation of standardized HR policies you developed, ensuring consistency and compliance across the organization

🧲 Recruiting / Talent Acquisition

Don’t just say: “Filled 40 roles across GTM and Engineering.” Show:

• A tracker of roles filled, time to hire, source of hire, and stage conversion

• Example of an outreach campaign that got high reply rates

• A sourcing map or competitor breakdown you built

• Messaging collateral or interview plans you designed from scratch

⚙️ Operations

Don’t just say: “Built scalable processes and improved efficiency.” Show:

• A Notion or Airtable workspace you built to manage projects

• A flowchart showing a before/after process redesign

• KPIs that improved (e.g. ticket resolution time, project velocity)

• Screenshots of dashboards or automations you created

⚖️ Legal / Compliance

Don’t just say: “Ensured compliance across multiple jurisdictions.” Show:

• A risk matrix or summary report you built for leadership

• A template you created for data privacy reviews or contracts

• A slide from a policy training deck you delivered

• Metrics tied to risk reduction or faster contract review times

💼 Solutions Consulting / Pre-Sales

Don’t just say: “Supported sales team with technical demos.” Show:

• A snippet from a custom demo environment you built

• A slide from a solution architecture deck

• A sample of a security review checklist you built for prospects

• A timeline of how you helped unblock a complex POC

📊 Finance / FP&A

Don’t just say: “Improved forecasting accuracy.” Show:

• A model or dashboard you built (can be redacted)

• A narrative of how you found a budget leak or cash flow risk

• Slides from a board deck you helped create

• Metrics you improved, like forecasting delta or reporting speed

🧪 Data & Analytics

Don’t just say: “Built dashboards and delivered insights.” Show:

• Screenshots of a dashboard with annotations

• Before/after analysis of an experiment or insight that led to change

• An actual question you were asked—and the SQL/analysis that answered it

• A Loom or Notion walkthrough of how you think through a metric

✍️ Content / Comms / Copywriting

Don’t just say: “Wrote blogs, emails, and marketing copy.” Show:

• Side-by-side of A/B tested subject lines or landing pages

• Performance data (CTR, scroll depth, replies, shares)

• Screenshots of posts, pages, or decks you created

• Annotations of what changed and why

Final Thought: You Don’t Need a Portfolio Site—You Need a Proof Stack

You don’t need to build a personal website or redesign your resume in Figma.

You need a collection of examples—screenshots, numbers, artifacts, processes, and outcomes—that make it obvious what you can do.

A proof stack. A living record of how you work, what you’ve built, and how you deliver value.

So the next time someone asks what you did in your last role, don’t just tell them.