Link to learn more about, and register for: Land Your Dream Job Accelerator:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu

I think most people have gotten the memo that you are supposed to tailor your resume, cover letter, and any other materials to the position you are applying for. This tailoring, if done correctly, will greatly increase your chances of making it through the ATS – and compelling the human on the other end to want to interview you.

I DON’T think most people know what tailoring actually means, so let’s dig into this today.

First off – let me say that my rule of thumb is you should spend about 30 minutes customizing your resume and another 30 minutes customizing your cover letter – and this includes careful proofreading. If you are having to do much more customizing than that, it’s likely that you either have a pretty generic, non-targeted resume to begin with, or you are trying to use a targeted resume for a position that is very different from what the resume was targeted for.

Your Resume

Customizing your resume for a specific position must start with analyzing the job description – which obviously means you must HAVE a job description. Make sure you get your hands on this document. If a recruiter has reached out to you, it doesn’t hurt to ask if he or she has any information in addition to the job description about the company and/or the job to help you with tailoring.

Your next step is to highlight keywords and phrases. You can do this manually, or you can dump the job description into ChatGPT with the question, “What are the most important qualifications for this job?”

Note that you are looking for hard skills, credentials, certifications, experience – rather than things like “hard worker,” “team player,” or “leadership.”

Once you’ve identified these qualifications, I use the “find” function in Word to see if I already have those terms in the resume. If I don’t, then I determine the best way to include them.

Can I add an achievement bullet that speaks to that qualification? Do I add the certification or credential to others I already have on my resume? Do I add the skill to my list of Competencies at the top of my resume? Have I taken a course or training on a subject mentioned in the job description?

Remember, you want to include the exact language used in the job description.

Another aspect of customizing your resume is possibly re-ordering your achievement bullets, eliminating some that aren’t relevant, and including others that are a better fit for this position.

As a reminder, your job duties should be condensed into a 2-3-line paragraph, followed by achievement bullets (no more than 5 per job). Achievement bullets should begin with an action verb, be front-loaded with the result you achieved, and include metrics whenever possible.

Cover Letter

One of the main reasons I am still an advocate for cover letters is that they give me the opportunity to address any skills, qualifications, or competencies mentioned in the job description that aren’t easily included in my resume – or that I want to expand on beyond how they are mentioned in my resume.

For example, if the job description asks for “Proven ability to effectively interact with individuals at all levels of the organization and build strong, trusted relationships,” I might mention something about building mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships in my resume.

However, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to pull together 2-3 examples of how I met this qualification in various positions.

Perhaps most importantly, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to express my interest in that specific position with that specific company – not just that I want A job. I want THIS job. In this section of the cover letter, talk about what you like about the company’s culture – and why this is a perfect fit for you and your strengths.

Other Materials

There’s a wide range of possibilities here – the job posting may ask for samples of your work or completion of some type of job application exercise.

The only points I want to make here are: 1. Provide what they ask for. Yes – some of my clients have told me about extensive, time-consuming exercises they have been put through during the hiring process. You can absolutely decide to bow out if you aren’t willing to do the exercises, but if you decide to move forward, do so at 100%. Don’t try to cut corners – they will see this as a representation of how you would perform the duties of the job.

Point #2: To the degree possible, choose work samples that most closely mirror the company and job. If they are asking for examples of your marketing work, when did you market a company similar to the one you are applying to? When did you solve a problem similar to the one stated in the exercise – or a problem similar to one you know the company is facing? The keyword here is RELEVANCE.

As I wrap this episode up, I want to emphasize once again how important this tailoring process is. I see so many clients who get frustrated with the job application process – and respond by applying to more jobs. In other words, quantity over quality.

I’d much rather see you limit your applications to those you are really interested in and at least 75% qualified for – and then give that process your full attention.

Finally – don’t forget the +1 approach I’ve spoken of so many times on this podcast. What is one more thing you can do, in addition to just applying like the rest of the world, to get yourself noticed?

DIY vs. DFY

DIY

This entire episode has been a DIY special, but here’s one more tip: Remember that your goal is to convince the reader you are a top candidate for the job. Everything you do should be with that in mind – it’s not about what you want (like the old school resume objective), and it’s not about just telling them what your job duties have been. It’s about marketing yourself!

DFY

While you’re still going to need to do the customization I’ve spoken about in this episode, having a strong resume and cover letter to start with makes all the difference.

When you work with a professional like me, you are getting someone who can pull things out of you that you wouldn’t think to include. You will have someone who understands ATS and how to write your resume for both the technology and the human. Also, you will work with someone who understands personal branding and can position you to really stand out in a crowded market.

If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult to discuss working with me, here’s the link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2