How to Tailor Your Resume to the Job You Want

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  1. Writing about yourself objectively is one of the hardest things for job seekers to do, and is one of the key reasons resume writers exist. The majority of job seekers aren’t familiar with customising their resume for a specific position let alone how to do it.

So here are my three top tips that you can use to “tailor” your resume properly.

 

Focus on the position you want to apply

This might sound obvious, but many job seekers think their resume and job search is “focused,” when in reality, it’s generalised.

In order for your resume to be effective, it needs to be targeted and tailored to the position you seek. If you tell me you want to be a Human Resource Manager, this might sound specific, but actually HR managers come from all walks of life. You actually need to drill down further, so consider things like:

  • Industry – do you want to work in the same industry, a previous industry or a totally new one?
  • Size of employer – Micro, Small, Medium, Corporate, Government etc.
  • Skills – Is there a specific skill you want to leverage that is in demand or unique to you?

These are just some examples, but the more focused you are, on the position you want, the more you can tailor your resume to match what the employer is looking for and stand out.

Case in point

I had a client who wanted to apply for Business Development roles. He had a long-standing history of sales, management and business ownership. The positions he presented to me were niched specifically in the industries he had previously been involved in. These included automotive, maintenance, mining, petrochemical and manufacturing.

His resume was then targeted to talk about relationships he built in these industries, work in these sectors, sales produced, new business forged etc.

Each position also had similar requirements from the prospective employers. This meant the majority of his resume was targeted and tailored and he only needed to make some small amendments for each application (see The Mirroring Technique below).

There is also something to be said for writing down your wish list. Like putting it out there to the universe and seeing what comes back.

 

Change Your Perspective

Your resume isn’t supposed to be an autobiography. You must put your “hiring manager” hat on and think about what potential employers would be looking for.

This means you need to change your perspective and only include the parts of your background that are relevant to this position.

For example, if you have a background of experience in operations AND marketing and you are focusing on a marketing position, you will want to minimise your operations experience and highlight your marketing experience, skills, knowledge, and achievements.

Don’t be attached to your career history. It’s ok to leave out information!


Tailor Your Resume

Coming back to my first point, part of focussing on your preferred position means you need to undertake some research on what that might look like.

First – get onto seek or a job aggregator like indeed. Start looking for positions that meet your requirements.

Second – highlight ALL the keywords and phrases used in the job advertisement the ideal candidate and also match your skills and strengths.

Third – Incorporate these keywords into the first page of your resume. This is what is known as “mirroring”.

Here’s an example:

  1. Write down your focus position ie – A Sales role in a mid-size technology company.
  2. Locate three or four advertisements that are a match for you (include all locations and any company at this stage).
  3. Cut and paste each of these descriptions into a Word document.
  4. Highlight all of the keywords and phrases that match your skills and strengths.
  5. Look at the patterns of keywords – you’ll notice there are similarities across the job ads.
  6. Add these keywords and phrases to tailor your resume ie: your professional summary, core competencies etc.

Bonus Tip

Use keywords at the very beginning of your resume (top 1/3 page) so that the reader can quickly get a good idea of what you are about. This is not only good for your personal branding but will also clearly communicate your expertise.

Doing this subtly tweaks your keywords to “mirror” a particular industry or position.

For example, let’s say you have both Enterprise software and SaaS sales experience. “Enterprise Software” might be one of your keyword phrases at the top of your resume.

But if you are reaching out to a company that needs a SaaS expert, you can replace “Enterprise Software” with “SaaS Expert.”

These simple techniques should increase your interviews and interest from potential employers. Remember – only include keywords that are relevant to your skills and strengths.

Lisa Mahar Close Up In Office

Hi, I'm Lisa.

Known as a resume master and job search accelerator, I’m obsessed with Barefoot investing, English breakfast tea, and my local Buy Nothing group. What motivates me each day is helping YOU land your next role – all through a successful job search.

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