How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description
Wondering how to make your resume stand out from the rest? One of the best ways to get noticed is by tailoring your resume to the position that is being advertised. Tailoring your resume involves customizing your resume to include relevant details from the job posting to match what an employer is looking for. As long as you’re honestly portraying your skills and experience, it can be the difference between landing and acing an interview or not getting a call back.
How to Tailor Your Resume
Tailoring your resume can mean different things depending on the outcome you’re looking for. For instance, if you’re applying for a position in the same career field you have experience in, you may want to highlight:- How your skills align with the job.
- Your keen interest in particular job tasks.
- How you believe you’d be a good culture fit.
- The added value you bring to the company.
Getting Help on Tailoring Your Resume
It can be difficult at times to read between the lines of a job description to know how and where to tailor your resume. That’s when working with an IT recruiter can be extremely valuable, as they know the companies they work for inside and out. They’re familiar with certain nuances that aren’t necessarily listed in a job description, too. If a company says they’re looking for a “technical lead,” you might not know just what skills you should put a spotlight on. As opposed to an IT recruiter who knows what skills or experience the employer is specifically looking for.Steps to Tailoring Your Resume
First and foremost, you want to actually read and try to understand the job you’re applying for. After that, we suggest you:- Talk to a recruiter. Because even if you think you have a good understanding of the position, a recruiter has spoken with the hiring managers and acts as a second set of eyes to ensure your claimed strengths match the role. It’s not unheard of for a job candidate to stress their excellent attention to detail, yet have a resume with multiple errors in the first paragraph!
- Keep it real. Don’t assert expertise in an area that you aren’t prepared to discuss in detail during an interview. Not only will the interviewer know you won’t be able to do the job, but it also puts you in a bad light personally.
- Beware the easy application process. Many online sites now make it so easy to apply for a job, with it often taking only one click to send your resume on its way. To avoid a disappointing cycle of hearing nothing back, take the time to tailor your resume for each and every position you apply for.