Author: Liz Frome
If you read a job posting carefully, you will find all the information about the position that you will need to tailor your resume to the job within. With this in mind, you should be sending a custom resume to each job you apply to.
There are some useful points in a job posting you can use when writing a professional resume and cover letter. In fact, you can use the information the company provides to make resumes that get you hired by matching it up with precisely what they are looking for. Here are some tips for tweaking your resume to match the position you are trying to obtain.
Match Your Skills to the Posting
Most job postings list many of the skills necessary to perform the job properly. First, remember you most likely don’t need to have mastered all the skills they are seeking. Don’t disqualify yourself if you don’t have every single skill listed. Think about your skills versus the ones they are looking for and ask yourself these questions:
• Do I have most of the hard and soft skills mentioned?
• Do I have the experience or knowledge needed to do this job?
• What is my success rate and experience with these skills in the past?
• What other complementary skills do I possess?
Many skills can fall under broader categories, so you can compare your present skills and level of experience to what the company needs. When you are writing a professional resume, include the skills related to what is listed, as well as your skills sets and experiences that are complementary to what they are looking for.
Match Your Soft Skills and Attributes with Their Description
Often, the job posting will list soft skills, or attributes the employer wants to see in a potential candidate. They use words like self-starter, ambitious, team player, or organized. As you are reading the job description, think about the characteristics they listed and which ones may apply to you.
Can you think of examples in your work history that demonstrate these specific attributes? The point is to make a connection with the company between what they want and what you have to offer. Use the attributes from the job listing on your cover letter and resume, if applicable, keeping in mind it is all about customizing your cover letter and resume to each job you apply.
Match Specific “Buzz” Words with Their Listing
When reading through the job listing, pay close attention to words that are repeated frequently through the job posting. For instance, do they consider themselves a business? An organization? A company?
Make sure you or your professional executive resume writers use these terms when drawing up a resume and cover letter. Resumes that get you hired will have the same tone and terminology the hiring agent uses in their descriptions of the job and qualifications they provide.
You can learn a lot about the company by the tone they use in the description, and you’ll get a sense of being a good fit for the position. Using the same language, they use will demonstrate to them, you are the perfect match.
The main key is to keep in mind your resume will be going to the person whose job it is to identify the qualified candidates. This person may not be doing the interviewing or the hiring, but they will be looking for keywords & attributes to make the hiring process streamlined.
Whether you are writing your own or hiring professional executive resume writers, it’s beneficial to know how to use your resume to show how well you match the position. Once you are in the door then you can sell yourself, but the key is to get that first interview.
To succeed in today’s job market, you have to think of your resume as an advertisement towards your future company / boss.
Stay tuned for more tips from The Job Shop.
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