A great resume is the first step in getting the job you want. Many employers require that you submit a resume with your initial application, and they use it to decide whether you make it through their initial screening process. That’s why getting your resume right is so important.
The secret to writing a resume involves job descriptions. In job descriptions, employers tell you exactly what they want to see. All you have to do to move your resume to the top of their stack is use key words from job descriptions to polish your resume.
Finding the job descriptions should be easy. Typically, employers will include them on the websites where their job openings are posted. If not, you can contact your targeted employers to see if they’ll send you their job descriptions directly.
Once you have a few job descriptions for the types of jobs you want, start circling key words like “analyze data, conduct research, and manage timelines.” Then, put as many of those key words on your resume as possible. Most employers love seeing words from their job descriptions repeated back to them on resumes. It shows that you understand the type of work to be done and you have experience doing it.
Obviously, you should only include experiences on your resume that you have actually done. You should never lie on your resume. That could have severe consequences. Plus, it’s just plain wrong. You should, however, include your experiences that most closely match what employers have listed on their job descriptions.
More than ever, employers are using software programs called application tracking systems (ATS) to filter through resumes. Many employers only look at resumes that make it through their ATS software’s screening process. This job description trick is your ticket for getting the ATS software to choose your resume. If the software program uses a job description for its search criteria, which is often the case, putting key words from the job description on your resume will increase your odds of getting selected.
If you already have a draft of your resume, put it next to your targeted job descriptions. Check to see how well your bullet points match the duties on those job descriptions. If the job descriptions say that you’ll be developing training programs, your resume should list any experience you have developing training programs. If the job descriptions say that the employer wants someone to design brochures, your resume should include any experience you have designing brochures.
Typically, people write their resumes based on the amount of time they’ve spent on the tasks in their previous jobs. Most employers don’t care about your time allocation on previous jobs. They care about the relevant experience you’ve gained. In their job descriptions, they tell you exactly what experience is relevant. You just have to repeat it back to them on your resume.
You should go through your work history and think about experiences you’ve had that are most closely related to the duties for the jobs you want. Write your experiences in brief phrases that match the job description language as closely as possible.
Is that cheating? As a corporate recruiter, I don’t think so. I consider it taking initiative. If a candidate puts forth the effort to customize their resume in a way that shows their experiences related to the job description duties, that’s the kind of person I want working at my company. Again, we don’t care how much time you’ve spent on all the tasks you’ve ever done. We care about the experiences you gained that are related to the duties on our job descriptions. Using this trick will make it easy for us to see your relevant experiences and select you for the next stage of the process, which is the job interview.
For more tips about job hunting, check out my book Start-to-Finish Job Search Guide. It includes everything you’ll need to know about creating a winning resume and becoming amazing at answering interview questions.
About the Author:
Richard Blazevich is the author of Amazing Interview Answers, Start-to-Finish Job Search Guide, and That’s a Bullseye. For the past 20 years, he’s been a corporate recruiter for a Fortune 100 company. In that role, he’s interviewed hundreds of candidates for a wide variety of jobs. He’s also led interview workshops at some of the top universities in the United States.
Richard received an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing and Business Strategy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Montana State University.
To see Richard’s books, online classes, and other job hunting tools, go to www.AmazingJobSkills.com.