Tailor a resume according to your targeted job
Tailoring your resume for a specific job application will get you the favor of 55.32% of recruiters.
Don’t know how to tailor a resume?
Let’s explore together.
How do you tailor a resume?
Tailoring a resume means customizing it according to a specific job application you want to apply for.
A career coach, Krystal Yates, on Quora explained about tailoring resumes.
Krystal Yates stated, “To tailor a resume for a specific job, focus on what skills they are looking for. I recommend going through each qualification and writing out how you fit it and what you have done in the past to back that up.”
Why do you need a tailored resume?
A tailored resume can help you with the following things:
- It will help you in demonstrating your enthusiasm to work.
- It will let a hiring manager know that you care about the role and the organization.
- It will help you achieve a high ATS score.
6 tips on how to tailor a resume to a job description
Follow these tips for tailoring your resume to a specific job description:
Create a Master resume
Tailoring your resume helps, but let’s be real, you can’t build a resume from scratch every time. This is why certified career coaches recommend keeping a master resume document. A master resume is a personalized document filled with comprehensive details about a job seeker’s career story.
You can build a master resume by listing all your work experiences with every little detail. This way, you can extract specific information at any time to tailor your resume to the job description.
Build a habit to update your master resume on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.
Analyze the job description
In this step, you’ve to read the job description thoroughly to analyze it for specific keywords, language, and job requirements. You can use the keywords and their language to tailor your resume and make it ATS-friendly. Analyzing the requirements will help you highlight relevant skills and experience while tailoring your resume.
Analyze and compare your resume with the job description
Once you’re done with the job application analysis, compare it with your master resume and tailor it accordingly. Collect all the relevant information from your master resume and decide on the best resume format to tailor your resume.
Tailor your resume for specific job application
Start tailoring your resume by listing basic information like contact information, name, and professional title. Use your professional summary to highlight the keywords, professional title, key skills, and work experience according to the job application.
Analyze your relevant work experience and fill in the key details while tailoring your resume’s job description. Emphasize your relevant hard and soft skills, then list them properly while tailoring the resume.
Optimize it for the Applicant Tracking System
Collect all the technical and industry-specific keywords from job application analysis and use them to tailor your resume. Using keywords and proper structuring will help you pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) test.
Don’t know how to optimize your resume and use the best keywords according to ATS standards? Drop a line for ProResumes and get a high ATS score on your resume tailored by certified resume writers.
Proofread your tailored resume
Once you’re done with tailoring your resume, proofread for potential errors.
You can read it repeatedly to spot grammatical or technical errors. Moreover, ask friends or mentors to proofread it for you. Proofreading your tailored resume will help you measure its relevance to the job you’re applying for.
Tailor a resume effectively using the STAR method
You can also use the popular STAR method to tailor a resume and to highlight your best:
What is the STAR method?
The STAR method is a structuring technique used by people to explain their experiences in resumes or interviews. STAR is an acronym used for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
This is an effective technique and can be utilized to highlight and emphasize on your experiences while creating bullet points.
How to use the STAR method to tailor a resume?
- Explain the situation by highlighting the experience.
- Explain your role and tasks that contributed to the experience.
- Explain the action you took to complete the task during the specific experience.
- Explain the measurable results achieved through your contribution.
Learn more about using the STAR method for answering interview questions.
Don’t make these mistakes when you tailor a resume for a specific job application
We’ve learned everything about tailoring a resume for a specific job application. However, there are some things that you should avoid when you tailor a resume:
Don’t stuff keywords
We often hear resume writers or career coaches recommending the use of optimized keywords to build a resume. However, overstuffing your resume with keywords might help you get a high ATS score but you might lose the job.
Avoid stuffing keywords in your resume by proofreading to ensure that the keywords complement the context.
Don’t lie
Don’t exaggerate your qualifications or work experience when you tailor a resume. Even if you get the job, you might end up losing it because of the lack of experience and expertise.
Don’t use too much resume templates
Using too many resume templates might lead to having a generic resume rather than a tailored one. You can use resume templates or builders as a starting point to get a general idea about building a resume.
However, following templates step by step with zero creativity might sound as too generic to a hiring manager.
Don’t use a single cover letter for every job application
Imagine you tailored your resume for a specific job application but forgot to tailor your cover letter and lost a chance. Job seekers have too much to do, and we understand the frustration. However, submitting a general cover letter might kill your chances.
To avoid this, you can learn more about how to tailor a cover letter according to a job application.
Don’t forget basic resume rules
Done with tailoring your resume for a specific job application? It’s time to proofread and analyze your resume for formatting or grammatical errors. Skipping the basic resume rules when you tailor your resume is not a good choice.
Should you customize your resume for each job application?
Yes, tailoring a resume highlights a job seeker’s enthusiasm and increases their chances of getting hired. Moreover, it attracts the recruiter’s attention and builds credibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does it mean by tweaking your resume?
Tweaking your resume simply means tailoring it according to certain job standards.
Q. Do employers prefer generic or tailored resumes?
According to Jobscans, more than 50 percent of employers prefer tailored resumes over generic resumes. Tailoring a resume according to a specific job application demonstrates the dedication of the job seeker.
Q. How to tailor your resume and cover letter?
You can tailor a resume and cover letter according to a specific job description by highlighting relevant experience and qualifications.
Q. How to tailor a resume for a career change?
Career changers can tailor a resume for a specific job application by emphasizing transferable skills and experience.