During the shortlisting step of a hiring process, employers today look for personalized, and streamlined resumes that match the provided job descriptions and experience requirements. However, most of the applicants tend to prepare a common resume and send it with all applications. As a result many deserving candidates often miss interview calls. Let’s discuss why this traditional method does not work any more and ways to rework your resume according to the specific job circulars.
Why Not to Submit the Same Resume for Every Job Application
The best way to make the most out of any job application would be to customize the resume according to the job need. Fortunately, it isn’t as tedious a process as it sounds.
The main reason why you shouldn’t submit the same resume to every job application is because of relevance. Different jobs have different requirements. Tailoring your resume allows you to highlight the specific skills and experiences that are most relevant to each position.
Most companies these days use ATS or Application Tracking System which is designed to filter out resumes based on keywords. Customizing the resume targeting a specific job will allow you to incorporate as many keywords as possible.
Think of what recruiters are looking for in your resume. How well you fit in the role and what competitive advantage do you bring to the position? For example, you might want to highlight and link your projects for a data scientist role rather than including your organizational responsibilities. It will allow you to demonstrate skills that make you a good fit and also showcase your competitive edge.
Submitting the same resume for every job will not only reduce the response rate but will also fail to highlight your true potential to the recruiters.
10 Simple Steps to Tailor Your Resume for a Job
Understand the Job Description
Every job advertisement comes with a detailed job description. Carefully read it and highlight the important points. Now compare the points with your experience and how you might be able to show your expertise according to the pointers. It can be projects, education, or technical skills. Make sure to highlight them in order of the pointers listed in the job description.
Create a Base Resume
The first step to customizing a resume is to have everything ready at hand. To make sure you have all of your skills, education, and experience in one place, create a base resume.
A base resume doesn’t have to be template-based like a traditional one. Rather think of it as a repository that mirrors you.
Make a bold heading of resume pointers and put everything there. Now based on your applications, take the relevant information from the base resume and customize accordingly.
Include a Title
Having an objective section at the start of your resume is honestly a faux pas. Recruiters today know that you will write something sentimental to stand out from the crowd. But what you also need to know is that everyone is using the same tactic here. You might want to consider replacing objectives with personal goals to give it a personal touch.
The best approach would be to skip the objective section entirely and replace it with a title. Use the title as a keyword. It can be your current designation or the role you’re applying for. For example, you might include,
Prospective HR Partner/ HR Generalist
This way you get to target keywords and make your resume compact at the same time.
Summarizing Personal Goals
Recruiters want to see your commitment to the organization and the role you are applying to. So naturally, make pointers that are relevant to the role you’re being hired for. Consider adding short-term and long-term goals and deliverables. Highlight your personal growth strategy and how it will positively impact the organization.
Customize the Job Experience Section
If you’re applying for a mid-career position, your work experience could be a make-or-break deal in your resume. Again go back to the job description and check which experiences align with your prospective role.
Do not add roles that are irrelevant or simply because you excelled at it.
Target the Skills Keywords
The ATS will specifically look for the keywords related to skills in your resume. If you are on LinkedIn, you will notice that every job description comes with a separate skills section with relevant keywords.
For example, if the JD requires Python, highlight Python as a programming skill and add your level of expertise in it.
Adjust the Education Segment
How you highlight your education honestly depends on the type of job you’re applying for. If you’re applying to be an academician, then all your education and related experiences take center stage. If it is a technical or mid-level position, then the work experience should take precedence.
Just like listing the work experience, make sure to include relevant educational milestones from each stage of study.
Quantify Achievements
Rather than simply including your responsibilities in the current role, quantify your achievements. It can have pointers like, “I took XYZ steps to boost growth that translated into XYZ % of new customer acquisition”. Recruiters love numbers and it’s one of the most effective ways to assess someone’s prospects in a new role.
Hyperlink Portfolio
This one’s for those who will be applying for technical positions. If you’re a data scientist, programmer, developer, or even artist, you should have a portfolio of your works and projects.
Rather than jumbling everything in one place, diversify your portfolio based on its theme and technicalities. This will help you to hyperlink individual portfolios that are specifically tailored according to the job description.
Include a Targeted Cover Letter
Cover letters are still not out of style. While most employers today don’t require a cover letter, some might ask for it or some might ask you to apply through email.
If you’re applying through email, your email body is the perfect place to summarize your resume. Again, use the pointers from the JD and write a crisp cover letter that highlights your skill, experience, and what you bring to the table for the hiring organization.
Final Words
The current job market is more competitive than ever. There is cutthroat competition in every sector with hundreds and thousands of applicants. The only way to stand out from the crowd is to prepare a compelling resume that will at least get you an interview.
With ATS in place, being genuine and heartfelt alone may not be enough. You need to be strategic in preparing your resume to make sure it lands on the recruiter’s desk. Follow the above steps to customize your resume for each specific recruitment application and you’ll be one step closer to your dream position.