How to Tailor your Resume to your Dream Job

Did you just find the perfect job opportunity online? Are you planning to apply for the new job as soon as possible? Then, we recommend using a tailored resume and cover letter for your job application.

The average recruiter of a large-scale company reviews around two hundred resumes per job posting. That is a lot of resumes to scan within a day or two. Therefore, they do not have a whole lot of time to spend on a single resume. What they do is use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to scan and filter job applications that match their requirements so that their job gets easier.

If you apply for your dream job without a tailored resume, there is a huge chance that your resume will get rejected by the bots. In fact, more than 70% of job applications do not make it past the ATS because they are not tailored to the job. Today, we will discuss all about tailoring your job application to your dream job.

Understand the job description

Take your time analyzing the job description. It is important that you clearly understand the employer’s demands and requirements if you want to write a tailored resume. Identify the priority order for experiences, skills, and qualifications. Research the company and understand the mission, vision, and values of the employer. Get some insight into the company culture as well.

Customize your resume

This step will take the longest to complete. You need to ensure that each section of your resume contains only the information relevant to the role for which you are applying. First, align your resume with your career goals by mentioning the target job title on top. Then, exclude any information that is not relevant to the job description. Highlight relevant experience, skills, and qualifications to the position so that your resume stands out.

Use keywords effectively

Keywords are what drive your job application forward in the hiring race. Using keywords effectively on your resume will have you seeing double the number of interview requests from hiring managers. First, extract keywords from the job description and incorporate them into your resume. You can even use online tools to compare how well your resume matches the job description. You should integrate keywords into the summary, work experience, skills, and education sections of your resume.

Adjust the formatting

The visual presentation of your resume matters a lot. If your resume looks busy and unorganized, no recruiter will want to read it. Choose a clean and easy-to-read format for your resume. Ensure that your resume employs bullet points and bold text to highlight important information. Decide the best fonts and font sizes for your resume and make sure that the document has uniform spacing and alignment.

Improve your job application

You have come a lot far in this journey of tailoring your job application for the position. Now, all you have to do is add a few key elements to make your job application stand out in the market. First, you can write a cover letter that matches your resume. A tailored cover letter will help bring out your biggest selling points related to the job and will convince the hiring manager to meet you for an interview. Next, you can polish your LinkedIn. An updated LinkedIn profile is a valuable asset for your job search.