Customize your Resume
Take the time to customize your resume — it demonstrates your interest in a job and shows you have taken the time to tailor the resume to the role being sought.
- Make sure your resume demonstrates alignment between what the employer is looking for in their next hire, and the exact skills, experience, and education you have to offer.
- Customize your resume so you are more likely to be selected for an interview. Even if the company doesn’t use ATS software, customized resumes are more appealing to human readers. Moreover, it makes it much easier for you to sell yourself in the interview.
- Edit the resume (and cover letter) to help your documents successfully get through ATS software and into the hands of the recruiter or hiring manager.
- Prioritize quality over quantity. Instead of sending the same resume to apply for 50 jobs, take the time to research and customize your resume for 10-15 roles. Find the right recruiters and communicate with them.
- The easiest change to customize the resume for the position you want is to include the desired job title and company name at the top of the resume.
- Be sure to customize and prepare a Summary section. Find examples of Professional Summary on a resume. For human readers, this is often the first section they read. You want to ensure the skills and experience most desired by the prospective employer are highlighted in the top one-third of the resume.
- Take a few minutes to make sure the job responsibilities listed in your resume match the needs of the employer, especially those outlined in the job posting. Learn how to quantify your accomplishments.
- Re-order accomplishment bullets to prioritize achievements related to the job being targeted.
- When possible, have the job posting in front of you so you can customize the resume to the job description. Identify the problems this job is designed to solve and help the prospective employer see how you can help them solve these specific problems.
- Analyze the job posting and identify the keywords and phrases used in the job description. Edit your resume. Make a list of key skills, job requirements, and responsibilities desired. Note the qualifications you already possess that are mentioned in the job posting.
- Be sure to incorporate keywords in the Summary, Skills, and Experience sections of your resume. Keywords can also be used in the Education, Training, and Affiliations sections.
- As important as it is to include targeted information, it’s just as important to remove irrelevant information. Remove information that is not relevant — any education, experience, training, or affiliations that are not relevant to this job.
- Rearrange sections of the resume, if necessary, to match the priorities established in the job posting.
- Review the company website and/or LinkedIn company page to gain insight into the company’s values, mission, and culture. What values do they highlight? Identify specific keywords that indicate cultural fit. When customizing the resume, give specific instances of these values, such as: teamwork, communication, initiative, honesty, etc.
SOURCE: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/customize-your-resume
About the Author
Mandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes.
Feel free to connect with Mandy Fard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyfard/
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