When you are in the market to change careers or find a job with another organization, you probably heard the idea, “tailor your resume”. But what does it mean to tailor your resume? What changes do you need to make to tailor your resume? It may sound like a big task, but it is manageable. I will provide a few tips on how to tailor your resume for success.
The first step is to identify the job/career you are interested in and understand it completely. This entails reading the job announcement entirely; from the description to the qualifications. Take control by breaking up the job announcement into line statements. Go through each line and identify the keywords, especially the keywords that have a direct relationship to your experience. This is where you make your money! The first step is universal and applicable to any position since you must understand what any job announcement is asking for before you apply.
The next step is to identify the areas in your current resume that have a direct relationship with what the job announcement is looking for. Redevelop weak areas (or less relevant areas) and create it in a way that is similar to the job announcement and qualification sections by utilizing the identified keywords. If your current position is relevant, GREAT, your current position comes first. If you have the education, a certification, or job training that is relevant, move it up to the first section of your resume.
The final step is to read over and edit the resume to see if it’s clear why you are applying for the position. Even better have a professional or someone else read it to identify if you successfully tailored your resume to the position. If the reader cannot recognize why you are applying for a specific position, more tailoring is necessary.
Of course more can be done to tailor your resume, but these are a few tips. In some cases, when your career is completely relevant to the job announcement, no tailoring may be necessary. The only recommendation may be an “objective statement” explaining your ability and interest in the position. Some individuals may accomplish this through the “values offered” or “skills” section as well. The resume is a very important piece of paper that determines if you get a job or not so spending time developing your resume is essential. Take notes and use tips that work!
