Hunting for a new job position is not always something we do willingly. In the modern world filled with all sorts of challenges and difficulties, especially in the economy, it is definitely not easy to keep a job even if you have one. Those who are actively looking for a new source of income know the situation all too well and can confirm that everything you can do to better your case is game.
A candidate cannot really do much about their education and skills when they are looking for a new job. It is something that takes time to improve or expand, meaning you are kind of stuck with what or who you are. This is not always a bad thing, but it is problematic when it is all you can work with in terms of finding work.
The Resume
There is however a very clever thing you can do with your resume that not many people know about. Your resume, or CV as it is more commonly known, is an insight into your professional and personal life. It is an information rundown of who you are as a person, as well as who you can be as an employee. A single sheet of paper (physical or digital) with all the key data that makes you qualified for the position you are interested in. But what happens when the resume is missing something or if you believe it to be weak for the kind of job listing you came across? Well, this is where resume tailoring enters the frame.
About Tailoring
You already know what tailoring implies as a term. Changing something (usually fabric) by cutting it, expanding it, or otherwise tinkering with it to make it more comfortable. In this case, we prefer to describe tailoring as making the resume more suitable. Suitable for the job position, suitable for review, and suitable for evaluation by the person in charge of employing new people. When you tailor a resume to suit the job you want, it implies making it look as good as it can for that specific job.
Most qualifications and skillets allow you to perform a few different roles in a company. A one-type-fits-all resume is therefore not the right strategy to employ. Instead, you have to think about the job you want and make the resume-example the best and most interesting it can be for that specific job.
It takes knowing a few different things to properly tailor a resume and we talk about it in the following sections. If you want to learn more about it as well as a service that offers it, make sure to check here.
Understand the Job
The first thing you have to do in the process of changing the resume is to understand the job and what the employer is asking of the candidates. Read the job description carefully and thoroughly, explore their website, and make sure to learn a thing or two about the industry. You can highlight the important sides of the job advertisement as well as what is currently popular on the market.
If there are any points repeated throughout the whole job offer, those are the key points to change your resume around. This is the initial step you need to take because those are the points you will talk about when (not if, provided you tailor the resume well) you are invited to the interview. In case you have an extensive resume that spans a few pages, make sure to narrow it down to the key points. You can always bring other information to the interview and talk about them if they ask. Not everything is equally relevant for every position.
Put Everything Relevant First
When you actually start changing and tailoring the resume, you have to make sure to put in everything the job ad asks for. It should not just be somewhere in there for the evaluator to eventually find. It needs to be highlighted and easy to spot. They put those requirements for a reason so as a candidate you have to make it clear you fit the position well. The hiring manager will look for the experience, skills, and education, but they need to also be excited about your application. What is at the top is the most important thing.
If they ask for freelance experience, put that as your current position. In case they put emphasis on education or experience, you can write your current position or your title under your name. Such attention grabbers are how you hook the person reading the application and how you make sure your resume ends up on the right pile. Do not worry if some key aspect is not recent. It does not matter as long as it is included. Also, it does not matter what section you put first. Nobody says that work experience or education should be at the very top.
Keep it Clear and Simple
An often-made mistake with resumes is people thinking they have to put in descriptions and personal opinions in there. That is what the cover letter is for, or other supplementary material. A resume should be a set of facts about you and nothing more. The simpler and cleaner it looks, the better. It is much better to describe things in person than to put everything in writing. The schools you graduated from, the work experience, and your personal skills are what make the evaluator interested in you as a potential employee.
There is nothing worse in terms of resumes than a page that looks more like an article than a CV. You risk your resume being disregarded and not even taken into consideration if you fill it up with a ton of text even if it is all actually relevant and good for the job. Meeting the candidate is done during the interview and the hiring managers like it that way. It is when you get to know them and when they get to evaluate you in person. Tailor the resume in a way that the facts and qualifications stand out, not your subsequent descriptions and full sentences about each entry.
