After you have created a basic template for your resume to use for a job search, you may ask yourself whether you will need to make any necessary adjustments or not in order to tailor it to a specific job you are looking.
This is true for when you are applying for employment opportunities online, as well. The majority of employers, today, will require you to upload your resume or bring a copy of it with you on the interview. You may or may not need to make these adjustments depending on the job you are applying. In addition, you may need to evaluate further on how “put together” your resume is.
Custom Tailoring each Resume with each Application
The decision on whether or not to update your resume will depend upon if your resume touches upon key points, your personal information, and your career objective to any recent awards or references. This is especially true if you have not updated your resume in a while and have changed jobs since the last time you completed it. You will need to make updates to your resume if you plan on attending college while you are working. Many employers can appreciate those who show ambition and if it can be used as an advantage to their company.
- The Objective Section: This portion of the resume is the most crucial part that you will need to change. Review this section in order to ensure that you are being honest, ambitious and that you are writing it to follow what an interviewer is looking for when they are reviewing resumes. You do not want to lie or deceive on your resume but at the same time you don’t have to over share details either. For example, don’t talk of plans to become a CEO but rather talk about how you are ready to be a hard worker and work your way up the ladder.
- Design: If you have a specialized resume for a particular job such as a copywriter then the design of your resume is of the upmost importance. In a copywriter resume, you have a resume that will contain a lot of information, as opposed to applying for a graphic designer position. It is true that your resume should be concise, but you will also want your resume to stand out and be visually appealing. Review the template and make a decision as to whether it is appropriate towards the job you are applying.
- Specialized Content: Typically interviewers are only looking at the first few pages of resumes they receive. Therefore, you will want to ensure that all the information that is of utmost importance is on the first few pages. However, this also means that you could be cutting out a big chunk of your resume. This will provide you with the chance to add information that is tailored to fit the job you are applying. For example, IT Professionals will use programming language when they complete their application and resume if they are going to work at a bank as a coder while leaving out any information of hardware or telecommunications. A registered nurse will add his or her training in CPR; what they know of the medication and if they are applying for work in a nursing home. They would omit experience working with children’s cancer treatment as it is not relevant to the work they are applying. You will need to tailor your resume so that you are highlighting your skill sets. These will need to be specific to the job that you are applying. Having an abundance of data on different jobs is beneficial to employers but they also want to ensure that you are qualified to handle the job responsibilities. Remember, you are using your resume to help sell yourself to your potential employer.
Deeper insight on Prioritized Content
- Prioritized Content: You may also find that you need to make cuts and give tweaks to your resume in order to provide it to your target audience. If you have ten qualifications for the job, for example, then you won’t need to list all ten of them on your resume. Differentiate the most important ones and accent them while leaving the rest for a later time. The shorter and more put together that your resume is, the higher the chance of being chosen for an interview.
- Cover Letters: If you are applying for an employment opportunity that requires a cover letter, then you will want to avoid using a stock cover letter. If you use a stock letter then you are leaving a considerable amount of room for errors. In the rare occasion, you may have left a phrase you intended for a different employer. It can also help you in preparing for an interview if you are writing a tailored cover letter. This will help show the interviewer that you care about the employer, and it will also help you be more comfortable with working for their business. If you are more comfortable than the higher the chance, you will have of a smoother interview.
- Proof Read: Once you have completed tailoring your resume it is time to save it, print it out and read through it using a pen or marker to make any corrections. These corrections include the content, your grammar and the style you are using in your template. Look over your contact information to make sure that you haven’t left any numbers or letters out. If you tailored your resume for a specific employer then you clearly gave yourself a chance to catch any errors. This is why it is important to read through the resume so that you can catch and correct errors prior to your interview. If you have a mistake-free and tailored resume then you’ll have a greater chance for landing a job, you desire.
Some key points to include is the prominent usage of power words in your resume. Be sure to read through the job posting carefully, and check for a specific language that is being used. Being able to use the right language will prove to be useful when submitting your resume and job application. Keep in mind that if you are applying for something industry specific such as department store work, then you want to use language that is used in that industry, especially if you are applying at Target. However, if applying for a place such as Sears Auto Centers, then you will want to use the industry-specific language.
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After reviewing these tips, you should now be able to tailor your resume accordingly for the available position you are applying for no matter how big, or how small the company or the job you are applying. Following these tips and strategies will curate a more attractable resume.
Using this insight will also help you stand apart from the crowd of others applying for the same job.