Did you know one simple strategy can give you a competitive edge over 54% of the job market?
And what if I told you that not using this strategy could result in a 75% chance your resume gets rejected before it's even seen by human eyes?
Tailoring your resume isn't just a good practice—it's a necessity. With ATS filtering resumes based on job-specific keywords, a generic resume risks being filtered out before anyone sees it. This could cost you the job opportunity you’re eyeing.
If you've ever applied for a job and wondered why you never heard back, your resume may have faced any of the following:
Filtered Out by ATS: Automated systems may reject your resume for lacking job-specific keywords (Hint: from the job description).
Failure to Stand Out: Generic resumes are often overlooked in favor of those that are tailored to the job requirements (Hint: tailored).
Perceived Lack of Interest: An untailored resume might suggest you're not genuinely interested in the role. If you're simply mass-applying, you could appear less enthusiastic about any specific role.
Missed Opportunity to Highlight Relevant Skills: You may miss highlighting key skills relevant to the job.
Increased Competition: As more candidates tailor their resumes, those who don't are likely to be outshined.
Consider this: According to CareerBuilder, 84% of resumes are rejected due to impersonal applications. This means that by not customizing your resume, you’re potentially missing out on the majority of opportunities.
The next logical question becomes, "How much tailoring is necessary to turn a good resume into a great one?" My initial response is it's a balancing act.
You want to balance:
Instead of impersonal applications, show the hiring manager you understand what matters to them (i.e., you read the full job posting) and tailor your resume and cover letter to show interest in the role and company.
Customize your resume to make it more desirable and increase your percentage match (%) to the job description.
Avoid keyword dumping and overloading with buzzwords.
How to find this balance? Let's review a typical job description to understand the insight employers already provide. If you know what to look for, you are nearly there.
Typical job postings includes:
Detailed list of required skills, including hard and often soft skills.
Activities you would be involved in.
Required Qualifications.
Specific keywords. Every job description is rich with keywords to glean from. Systems, tools, cross-functional teams, departments, external clients, culture, values, performance metrics, and goals.
Most job postings include optional "nice to have" requirements. Find them and note them.
Also, read what they tell you about the company at the top of the job posting. You will often see corporate values mentioned. This is a great opportunity to tailor your branding, cover letter, and accomplishment statements to better align with the company, appearing as a strong culture fit out of the gate.
As you review, every skill, activity, keyword, and qualification your experience lines up with begins to show how you're a match. Your goal is for your resume to reflect this without losing the authenticity of your career story. We're tailoring, not rewriting.
Also, a key note. If your starting point is a strong, well-written resume with a modern, ATS-friendly design, you will struggle less with tailoring. Modern simply means that all the right sections recruiters look for are in the right places and include the right details based on your target job. It would also include branding, which is who you are and how you want to be known. If you are attempting to tailor with an outdated or poorly written resume, you will struggle because parts of your story are likely missing, and it will take added time.
Once resolved, tailoring can then be a matter of:
Am I missing key skills?
Do I need to tailor my job descriptions to emphasize particular skills over others because "this" matters to this company?
Would swapping out this accomplishment statement, which will speak louder to the hiring manager, make me a stronger fit?
Did I forget any other details that apply to the industry or company I'd like to include? Should these be included in the cover letter?
Do I meet any "nice to have" requirements that will give me an edge over other applicants who do not have them? Did I mention these in the cover letter as well to highlight them?
Remember, tailoring resumes will always have a higher Return on Investment (ROI) in your job search than submitting a larger volume of generic resumes.
"Work smarter, not harder" comes to mind.
Definition of Insanity as well.
Overall, the goal is to customize your resume enough to align with the specific job description and showcase your fit for the role. However, not so much that you lose your unique career narrative. It's essential to maintain consistency in your overall career story, brand, and broader expertise and accomplishments.
Ready to give your resume the competitive edge it needs?
All resumes include a branding and a free guide to "Tailoring Your Resume Made Simple," which includes a checklist to help you efficiently work through the considerations to find that balance.
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