According to a study by Glassdoor, a single job opening attracts at least 250 candidates and only 2% of the job applicants are called for a face-to-face interview.
To get a shot at making the final cut, you need to be in the top 2%.
A resume plays a key role in getting you shortlisted, but an average resume won’t do. Considering the overwhelming competition that you must beat for a single job, it becomes extremely important to modify your resume as per the job requirement.
Read on to learn the art of curating a job-specific resume.
Job Description
When you tailor your resume to a particular job description, it is called a job description resume.
Writing onecan boost your chances of a shortlist as many professionals tend to send a generic resume. All you have to do is scrutinize the job description of your target job and customize your resume according to the requirements of that job.
Here’s how you can utilize the job description to write a tailored resume:
Skills/Tools: List out all the skills & tools that are mentioned in the description, and highlight them in your resume as long as you match the skills requirements outlined by the hiring body..
Interpersonal skills: Most job descriptions mention a few interpersonal skills that are essential for the job. But do not directly mention them as mere soft skills, re-construct points in your resume to bring forth these skills. For example, “Liaising with the product team…” This showcases that you have the ability to take charge and coordinate with other members.
Profile title: Modify the profile title of your resume as per the job title or the responsibility mentioned in the job description. For example, you are looking for a digital marketing job. But the JD is looking for marketers with expertise in graphic design. Given that you are a Digital Marketer with a graphic designing certification, you can optimize your profile title in the given manner: “Digital Marketing Associate with a certification in graphic design”.
ATS
ATS stands for the applicant tracking system. It is a screening software that helps companies shortlist resumes based on a set of keywords. Most companies are turning to this software to acquire talent by filtering out those candidates that do not possess relevant expertise.
Here are a few tips to help you modify your resume as per the ATS:
Keywords: Research your job-relevant keywords and identify keywords used in the job description. After you do this, strategically incorporate keywords in your resume to modify your resume as per ATS. Pro Tip: Instead of blatantly incorporating all thinkable keywords, include only those keywords that you have actual exposure or experience in.
Quantitative impact: Include as many numbers as you can to showcase your contributions efficiently. Let’s say a given keyword for the job is digital marketing and the JD says ‘looking for professionals with digital marketing skills’. You can demonstrate your skills in the following manner: “Executed 10+ monthly campaigns using digital marketing to increase brand visibility”. Formulating your work experience in this manner helps you show that you possess the required skills. It also helps you show the visible contributions you can make using the given skill. Quantifying your achievements makes your resume ATS-compliant and gives it a higher chance at getting shortlisted.
Action verbs: Include power/action verbs in your resume to showcase your abilities to get the work done. For example, include words like oversaw, developed, created, etc.
Employee Research
Researching the employees working in the organization you are hoping to be a part of, can be immensely helpful in making your resume job-specific.
Use platforms such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc. to find professionals that are employed in your target organization. Finding these professionals who already have the job will help you identify their skills and the work they are performing.
After doing so, include relevant points that you can validate in your resume.
Function-specific
As a resume is achievements based, make sure that you include information in the form of functions. Here is a list to help you write an achievement-based resume:
Club points: Club 3-4 points under relevant sub-headings to present the function you were performing. For example, “Team Incubation & Reports Generation”, “Team Management & Budget Forecasting”, etc. Further, this method not only increases the readability of your resume but also helps you filter skills from your resume.
Key Skills: The key skills section is one the most important sections for placing keywords in your resume. You can also make this section function-oriented by using simple tactics. For example, if your JD includes making reports, then instead of just writing “Reports”, rephrase it using a professional terminology such as “Reports Generation”.
Modules: Mention the key modules covered in your certifications/educational degrees that are important for your target profile.
Summary
A few tweaks in your resume summary as per the skills demand of the job can be immensely helpful in writing a job specific resume. Emphasize more on the required skills in the job post and include the career highlights that carry that expertise.
Further, write the job title and number of years of experience you carry. For example, if the job specified the following requirements:
2 years minimum work experience
Should be exceptionally good at business development and client acquisition
Should be an MBA degree holder...
Then you can optimize your resume for the given job in the following manner:
“2+ years experienced Business Development Professional with a masters degree in business administration. Highly adept at building business models and executing business campaigns for top priority clients with 100% satisfaction. Adept at drafting strategic business proposals to acquire new clients and retain old ones. Awarded ‘Employee of the year’ for closing business deals with top A-list partners such as Goldman Sachs, EY, and Deloitte. ”.
Key Takeaways
Here is a brief overview of the key takeaways of this article:
Scrutinize the job description of your target to look for keywords.
Do not include information that you cannot substantiate to the recruiter. The efforts to make your resume job-specific will go in vain if you are unable to validate your skills.
After crafting your resume, check to see if it is in line with the job description. Before you send your resume to potential employers, proofread it to correct mistakes.
Look up employees in your target organization for the roles you are targeting. Identify their skills and incorporate them in your resume as long as you possess the same skills.
Optimize all sections of your resume to make a job-specific resume.
