The extra bit The purpose of your resume is to make your application stand out in astack. Many experts feel that this would be possible if you were to customise your resume for each application. KNOWLEDGE shows you how
One size
doesnalt39t fit all and neither does the same resume.
They say that the purpose of a resume is to show that you are qualified for the job, and the purpose of the cover letter is to show them that you want the job. For the most part this is true. However, to be very pointed in your applications and showing off your skills, may want to customise your resume for every single prospective employer.
Resume writing can be a very tough job, and there are many first timers who heave a sigh of relief when they get that hurdle out of the way. They think that they will literally spam prospective employers with the resume that they have carved out of hard work, and boom it will work its magic. Well, that is not entirely untrue.
However, the effect is not even that instantaneous.
” Every prospective employer wants to check if the applicant fits the bill. If the applicant has catered to the employers needs, he sure will!” says career counsellor Anuradha Prabhudesai.
She says that if the recruiter reads exactly what he wants, there is a greater chance of your resume standing out.
Customisation of resumes has been an ongoing practice is developed countries for a long time. ” Say I have many skills to my advantage, and have also worked on many projects during my college years to show the employers.
But it certainly helps if I were to put the most appropriate projects and skills upfront, so that the employer does not have to look for them. And these skills can vary from job to job. So, in simple terms, customisation just means alt39 tweakingalt39 your alt39 masteralt39 resume a little bit each time you are applying,” informs Swat Kumar, who after completing her MS in Computer Science in New York, is working as a developer with Barclays Bank. Owing to her resume customisation among other things, she had several offers when she was out to seek a job.
The most popular question asked then, is ” What should change from resume to resume?” For each job description, you should look at your job history and decide what jobs from the past make you most qualified for the prospective job. You should put extra emphasis on the descriptions of these past jobs pointing out what you accomplished while working there.
Likewise for past jobs that in no way relate to the prospective job, list the job and any accomplishments that speak to your overall strengths.
Understand the job List out everything you know about the requirements of the job and what company is looking for. Sources for this information include: œ The job description œ What you learn from researching the job and company œ Industry expectations for the job, such as things a person with this title are normally responsible for that may not have been stated in the job description œ Insider information from those in the company or elsewhere œ Competitive information about the industry and the company including current challenges Group together the needs and desires of the company into categories. For example there may be specific technologies required, there may be soft skills such as ” team player” and there may be required background such as domain.
Create a list of keywords for this position.
These are words a hiring manager or recruiter is likely to include in a search for good matches.
Examine each area of your resume.
Rewrite or eliminate anything in your resume that does not relate directly to your list of what the company is looking for.
œ If you have a summary at the beginning of your resume, it should explicitly bring out your proven ability to do exactly what this company needs done œ Your past job experience should elaborate on achievements and successes that speak to your ability to do the new job well œ If you have experience that
