Resume editing tips and CV editing tips to enable you get shortlisted by recruiters.
You’re most likely losing out on prospects if you apply for jobs using the same résumé. Customising your CV for each job function is not only a smart idea, but also required in the competitive job market of today.
Hiring managers and recruiters scan resumes for an average of 6–8 seconds. Thus, you have a very short window of opportunity to make an impression. A résumé that is generic and one-size-fits-all won’t attract attention. However, a tailored CV that specifically addresses the needs of the employer? Your secret to getting more interviews is that.
This article will discuss the importance of resume customisation and provide step-by-step instructions for doing so.
Why Tailoring Your Resume Is So Important
1. It Shows You Understand the Role
Even within the same industry or job title, every job has its own set of qualifications. Customising your CV shows that you have studied the job description, are aware of the demands of the organisation, and share their objectives.
2. Heard of Applicant Tracking System – ATS? It Helps You Beat the ATS
The majority of businesses filter resumes using applicant tracking systems (ATS) before a human reviewer sees them. The job posting’s keywords are scanned by these programs. Regardless of your qualifications, your resume may be automatically rejected if it omits them.
3. It Increases your Chances of Getting an Interview
For the recruiter, a customised resume is more essential. Employers are more likely to say “yes” to the next step when you highlight your most relevant accomplishments, abilities, and experience.
How to Tailor Your Resume for a Specific Job Role
Step 1: Analyze the Job Description
Start by carefully reading the job description. Seek out:
(i) Essential duties of the position
(ii) Essential abilities / skills (both hard and soft)
(iii) Preferred credentials / Nice to have
(iv) Keywords or industry jargon
(v) Values and culture of the organisation
Either highlight the text or copy and paste it into a document. Make a note of anything that looks stressed or significant. For instance, the job description for the position of Digital Marketing Manager may state:
(i) SEM and SEO
(ii) Experience managing campaigns
(iii) Google Analytics proficiency
(iv) Paid social media
(v) ROI monitoring and tracking etc.
These are your hints about what your CV should highlight. Ensure that your CV incorporate some of the key words or industry jargon enlisted in the job description as must have or good to have items. Remember, you are the one who is proving that you have what ‘whoever is hiring wants’. They will be enticed by your CV if they believe you are speaking ‘their language’ or ‘have what they are looking for’.
Step 2: Match Your Skills and Experience
Determine which of your experiences and talents align with the employer’s requirements now that you know what they are. emember – don’t just list things for the sake or it, ensure you are proficient as alleged or at least have an idea of everything that you have on your CV not just copy pasting a JD.
Consider this:
(i) Which of my previous positions called for these abilities?
(ii) Have I handled comparable projects or utilised the same tools?
(iii) Are my accomplishments in these areas measurable?
Your experience may still be valuable even if your titles are different. When making comparisons, prioritise function above title – basically, what you enlist as summary of a job experience of accomplishments should ideally speak the language of job you are looking for. Edit your CV accordingly.
Step 3: Customize Your Summary/Objective
A recruiter frequently glances over your resume summary, also known as your objective. Make use of it to address the job directly.
An ineffective generic summary is “Experienced professional seeking a challenging role in a fast-paced company.”
“Results-driven Digital Marketing Manager with 6+ years of experience leading SEO/SEM strategies, managing $500K+ ad budgets, and improving lead conversion rates by 40%” is the effective summary that has been tailored for this individual; enthusiastic to increase ROI at [Company Name] and passionate about data-driven growth.
This is key especially if ROI and data-driven decision making and growth are attributes a potential employer greatly appreciates. They will be impressed by the second example above a generic summary.
This type of synopsis demonstrates experience, passion, and connection to the particular role. Ensure yours is passionate, quantifiable and speaks to what the potential employer is looking for. Yes – it is your profile summary, but also the honors of being impressed or not rest with a recruiter!
Step 4: Rewrite Your Work Experience With a Focus
Highlight accomplishments that are relevant to the position you’re applying for rather than just listing job responsibilities.
Include the following bullet points for each previous role:
(i) Utilise the job description’s keywords.
(ii) Display quantifiable outcomes.
(iii) Display experience or transferable abilities that are pertinent to the job you are applying to
For instance, if the position calls for “project management and stakeholder communication,” modify your background to match:
Oversaw multidisciplinary project teams of up to 12 people to deliver client campaigns 15% ahead of schedule.
Using Asana and Trello, I managed budgets, schedules, and stakeholder updates, guaranteeing complete satisfaction in post-project evaluations.
Every bullet point should be specifically related to the position you’re looking for. This shows you have hard skills, soft skills and knowledge of technology / tools essential to successful execution of role. Every line in your CV needs to be focused and concise.
Step 5: Update the Skills Section
A well-rounded combination of job-specific hard and soft talents should be included in your skills section.
When appropriate, use the precise words from the job description. For instance:
“Data analysis using Excel and Google Analytics“
“Cross-functional collaboration with a team of X number of experts“
“Agile project management using X, X tools“
“Content marketing and SEO leadership that resulted in X impact“
Don’t include obsolete or irrelevant abilities merely to make up space. Each line should be valuable.
Step 6: Incorporate Keywords Naturally
Make sure to include keywords in your summary, job descriptions, accomplishments, and skills sections of your resume because recruiters (and applicant tracking systems) search for them.
However, refrain from “keyword stuffing,” which is the practice of listing terms out of context. Rather, include them organically into your achievements and when necessary to include them.
A poor example would be CRM, email marketing, campaign strategy, SEO, SEM, etc. – all enlisted in one sentence
Good Example: Using HubSpot CRM, I oversaw integrated email marketing campaigns that increased subscriber engagement by 25%.
This example is very specific and targeted to once skills that potential employer is looking for and covers what is needed comprehensively, its not keyword stuffed. Above example make sense?
Step 7: Customize the File Name and Save Format
Make sure the file name is updated to include your name and the job before sending your resume:
✅ Project Manager Resume by Jane Doe.pdf OR ✅ Jane_Doe_Project Manager_Resume
Steer clear of generic names such as:
❌ Resume2024.pdf.
Unless otherwise directed, resumes should always be sent as PDFs to maintain desired formatting. Saving in other formats could mean that – a recruiter might have a challenge opening your files or even, the format might change due to default settings in a recruiters software. PDF works best so save in PDF before sending our resume and application, unless otherwise directed.
Step 8: Write a Complementary Cover Letter
You should include a personalised cover letter with your resume. This enables you to clarify:
(i) Why you are drawn to this particular business – this can’t typically come out in a CV
(ii) How your background fits the position – you can appreciate company news, way of working, values etc to elaborate fit
(iii) Why you would fit in so well with the culture
Consider the cover letter as your personal pitch and the resume as your highlight reel. These two complement each other and enhance your prospects if both are concisely written.
Final Thoughts
Writing a solid CV requires skill, intent and understanding of role you are applying to (via reading the job description keenly). Avoid key mistakes that most applicants make an you will be fine – you will enhance chance of being shortlisted by the recruiter. These mistakes are:
- Applying the same CV for each job – edit accordingly as guided in this article
- Ignoring the language in the job description
- Adding too many unrelated experiences on the resume
- Leaving job titles that are out of date or incorrect
- Not measuring accomplishments – quantification is key, don’t be abstract recruiter needs to have sense of “weight you put in before”
- Not proofreading – grammar mistakes are credibility killers, ensure your CV reads good (requesting another person to proofread for you could assist catch errors that might have slipped)
You don’t have to start again when tailoring your resume. Maintain an all-inclusive “master resume” and extract pertinent portions for every application and you will be fine. Remember the goal is to be intentional about each application and ensure your CV and cover letter are in tandem with what a job is looking for. That way you enhance your chances of being shortlisted by a recruiter.
I hope the above tips are useful in your job hunting. Best wishes champion!
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