If You Want the Job, Customize Your Resume

When you’re looking for a new position, it’s unlikely you are only considering one position at one company. Most job seekers have at least a few opportunities they would be open to, and that means you need to customize your resume each time you apply.

In the majority of cases, different jobs come with varying job titles and prioritize a different set of skills. Your resume needs to speak to the needs of each hiring manager individually to be effective, so certain changes will likely be required. To help you manage the process, here are some tips about customizing your resume to help you land the job.

Read the Job Posting Thoroughly

Each vacancy announcement is a wealth of information that can help you update your resume based on what that company is seeking. Read through the must-have and preferred skills to understand what the hiring manager is hoping to find. These points will serve as the foundation of your customized resume.

Review Your Summary

Even though your experiences don’t change each time you open your resume, you want to make sure the summary highlights accomplishments that will be most relevant to the hiring manager who will read it. Based on the information you learned from the job posting, adjust your summary to speak to those requirements.

First, remove any statements on your resume that aren’t relevant to the job to which you are applying. Next, rearrange any remaining pieces based on the company’s stated priorities. Finally, add in new information as needed to fill out the section and cover any of your qualifications that are important and aren’t already represented in the content.

Reorder Your Skills

Just as you want your summary to reflect the hiring manager’s priorities, do the same with the skills section of your resume. Make sure any of their must-haves are featured prominently at the top and all of your applicable competencies (based on the job posting) are included. Focus on matching this list to their requirements, but feel free to add others that could also relate to the work, even if they aren’t specifically expressed.

Adjust Your Prior Experience

You’ll also need to go through each entry pertaining to your previous jobs and change the information based on the employer’s stated needs. Treat this process similarly to how you managed the summary by removing details that aren’t relevant and reordering the information based on their stated priorities. Focus on experiences and accomplishments that best speak to the hiring manager’s needs, and avoid anything unnecessary.

Follow this same process every time you apply to a new position, as it allows you to make the necessary updates efficiently.

If you want to speed the process up in the future, consider creating a master resume that includes all of your skills and accomplishments. Then, you can simply pick and choose the ones you need for every position, creating a refreshed resume for every application without the need to write much else.

If you’re looking for a new position or would like additional guidance on crafting a resume that will get you noticed for all the right reason, the professionals at The Squires Group can assist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with a member of our skilled team of recruiters.


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