Several hiring managers at a range of companies from all over the United States were interviewed by e-mail in late 2008 about what they look for in a resume. The single most important piece of advice that almost every member of this diverse group of managers gave was: the job seeker should personalize or customize his resume and cover letter for the specific job he's applying for and the specific employer at hand.
How to Customize a Resume for Each Job Listing
The job seeker should change the wording in both his resume and cover letter to emphasize certain parts of his background, based on his best information on what this particular employer is looking for. It's surprising how many job seekers don't do this. For example, a candidate with a lot of experience in magazine layout and in copyediting should make sure his resume offers plenty of information on his background in both of those skills.
Many people have one "general" resume that describes almost everything they've done, up to and including the proverbial kitchen sink. A job seeker who doesn't know a lot about a job opening – having to shoot in the dark, so to speak – can certainly submit this type of resume. It simply is much less effective. Instead, use the many Internet resources available to find out more about the prospective job and the employer. Local libraries often have a great deal of information on local businesses in both their brick-and-mortar branches and their online catalogs.
Small Resume Changes Can Make a Big Difference
Take as an example a job opening as a copyeditor for a textbook publishing company. The candidate should first check the company’s website and other resources to find out more about the company, its products, and if possible, the job itself.
Then, the job seeker should make a copy of his resume that emphasizes copyediting training and accomplishments. These resume tweaks might be very minor; it can be a simple matter of rearranging some bullet points so that copyediting points are higher than anything else. It’s also important to select one or two major advantages in the job candidate’s background and include those in a customized, well-written cover letter. Needless to say this letter should impress the hiring manager with the applicant’s enthusiasm for the job and his or her great “fit” for the organization.
Emphasize Accomplishments
Hiring managers also want to see concrete accomplishments, including specific numbers for cost savings, sales increases and the like. Instead of writing, "Managed corporate public relations campaign," write: "Earned more than $25,000 in free media for company in my first year on the job through effective public relations."
An applicant who doesn't have such specific numbers to report should at least use dynamic, active verbs that show personal involvement in each job. Some examples might include:
- Directly contributed to a significant increase in sales over the previous year. ?
- Developed a spreadsheet system for tracking clients that helped my department cut costs and increase product inquiries.
- Sold enough advertising for annual membership directory to pay for color cover and more pages.
One of the hiring managers interviewed had some succinct advice on the subject. He wrote, "I suggest folks emphasize what they accomplished that was an improvement/helped some process/made or saved money/included more staff ... rather than a 'laundry list' of job description items. In other words, sell yourself, and tailor the words to the company or position or industry for which you are applying."
Be Specific on Resumes
While most of these examples have to do with marketing and public relations, they are easily applied to other fields. Just remember that hiring managers in today's world want to know specifics and details. Spend some time remembering and writing down some specific examples of key contributions to each previous employer or even to college projects and organizations, for those looking for their first job.
Effective, consistent work with volunteer groups can be a source of marketing, promotion and people skills valuable to many future employers. Job seekers should find ways to incorporate these specifics into their resumes and cover letters, tailoring them for each job they apply for.
Make the Effort
In the end, a job seeker who customizes his resume and cover letter for each potential job by emphasizing key elements of his background and adding specific accomplishments has a good shot at catching the hiring manager's eye with these details. Investing a little time in research and in creating customized resumes for each position could pay dividends in the form of interviews and interest from potential employers.
 |
