#GRADUANTOP10: How to Tailor Your Resume

Wouldn’t it be easier to have one stellar resume and send that out to everyone?

Don’t press the send button yet.

Only one thing stands between you and 99 other applicants when it comes to being hired: A resume that is relevant and has everything the hiring manager is looking for in a potential hire.

Which is why it is necessary for you to tailor your resume for the job you are applying for. Tailoring doesn’t mean you rewrite a new resume each time you apply. What you need is have a core resume and tweak it so that it is relevant and more importantly, will attract the hiring manager’s attention at once.

How do you tailor your resume? Here are 10 tips.

#1 Make sure you understand what the employer is looking for
For your resume to be a good match, you need to know the employer’s requirements for the position. When looking through a job description, jot down the major keywords and use this as a guide to tailor your resume.

#2 Make the first few bullet points under your work experience as relevant as possible
You want to attract the hiring manager’s attention almost immediately. Best way is to rework your resume so whatever that is relevant is right at the top. There’s no rule that your work experience must be in chronological order. In fact, you can create a whole new section for it and call it Marketing Experience if that’s what the job requires, and then place everything else in a separate work experience section.

Don’t have work experience? You can tweak your study experience and education to tailor your resume.

#3 Tailor your objectives too
The hiring manager wants to know that your career aspirations are in line with the company’s culture and expectations. You can use the list of keywords to craft this section.

#4 Back it up with evidence
Being relevant means have the right experience for the job. Make sure you have evidence that supports the role you are applying for.

#5 Update your skills and strengths section
Different companies have different needs in terms of skills and strengths. Look through the job description again and highlight the qualities (leadership, communication and presentation skills are some examples) Try to incorporate these into your resume to show you are a great fit.

#6 Cut out what’s not relevant
You may have interned at an accounting firm but if that’s not even close to the job you’re applying for (which could be social media manager), then push it down in your resume or omit completely.

#7 Think keywords
Some companies might use a software to vet through resumes. Which means the programme is picking out keywords to see if your resume fits the role. That list of important keywords you did in the beginning will come in handy.

#8 Layout and style
Applying for a creative role or with a startup? You may want to be creative with your resume so that it stands out from the crowd.

#9 Any additional experience
Sometimes, your hobbies or volunteering stint will give you an edge over other applicants. Do your research – if you know the company has a strong CSR programme that includes volunteering, this will be a good fact to include in your resume to communicate that you’re a good cultural fit for the company.

#10 Naming your resume
Last but not least – if you’re sending your resume via email, it is a good idea to save it under a name that stands out. Don’t title it resume.doc (think of how many others with the similar name the hiring manager might receive!). Instead, save it under your name followed by the job title to make it easy to identify as well as for you to ensure you send the right document across.

It is also recommended to save your resume as a PDF file – any formatting done with Word Document may not appear as intended on a different computer.