Tailoring Your Resume
View our online resume writing workshop at http://www.stpaulcareers.umn.edu/workshops.html.
Once you have a basic resume together, you should individualize this resume to the unique needs of the organization and the position. To do this you need to ask yourself the following questions:
What are the critical skills that are required for this position?
What qualities and experiences is this employer seeking from the ideal candidate?
If I were only able to describe 3-5 of my qualifications, which of them would be most important?
Of my experiences, which would the employer see as most important or relevant?
Objective revisited
In a targeted resume the objective serves as a thesis statement for your resume. All other information on the resume should support your stated objective. Remember to focus on what the employer will want to read rather than on what you want to tell.
Prioritize information
Develop categories so that the most relevant and important information is first (i.e. Related Experience & Other Experience). Within paragraphs or lists be sure the most important information is listed first.
Describe transferable skills in context
What does is it mean to be a good leader? That will conjure different images for different readers. You will be much more convincing if you describe specifically how and in what context you developed or demonstrated that skill.
Vague: Leadership skills
Specific: Initiated and successfully implemented a new member recruitment program for rugby team resulting in five new members
Use the language of the industry
You want the employer to believe you are going to fit in and understand their work. Using language of their field will help. Here are examples for education and sales.
Education: “Discipline”, “Students”, “Classroom Management”
Sales: “Prospects”, “Market expansion”, “Sales plan”
Use descriptive category headings
“Sales Experience” is more descriptive and impressive than “Experience”. Be careful not to overstate your qualifications, however; be sure everything you describe under “Sales Experience” really will be regarded as sales experience.
Clump related information together
Sometimes it is useful to combine paid and volunteer experience into one section. The depth and extent of your experience will be emphasized if you separate your relevant experience from other part-time jobs you held just to pay bills.
