Ways to Customize Your Resume for Different Positions

Ways to Customize Your Resume for Different Positions Are you applying for similar roles but with different companies? Maybe youve decided to save yourself time by submitting the exact same resume to each position. It may be tempting, but don’t do it!  You may think you can get away with submitting carbon-copy resumes, but employers can spot them a mile away. If you are applying for very similar jobs within the same industry but among different companies and need to find ways to customize your resume, here are four ways to make subtle, simple changes that can have a great impact on your resume response rate. 1. Change the Title/Job Target One way to customize your resume to the different positions you’re applying for is to adjust the title/job target of your resume so that it reflects your unique skills.  This works well if you are posting your resume online and want to attract slightly different recruiters and hiring managers or are submitting directly to employers. For example, if you are a registered nurse (RN) who is skilled in cardiac medicine and experienced as a travel nurse, you may write two resumesâ€"one with the title “Cardiac RN with 10 Years’ Experience in Diagnosis and Intervention” and another titled “Skilled Travel RN with 10 Years’ Cardiac Experience and Flexible Schedule” to help you reach different audiences effectively. 2. Reorder the Keywords Another way to customize your resume is to reorder your keywords.  This is especially important if you’re posting your resume online and don’t want to post the same resume multiple times.  But even if you’re submitting resumes to different employers, it’s good to create unique resumesâ€"even if you’re simply shifting keywords to create subtle differences. 3. Rearrange Your Bullet Points As you adjust your resumes for each job you’re applying for, you can try rearranging your bullet points so that the most important information for that position is listed first.  For instance, if you are the travel RN with cardiac experience, you could rearrange your accomplishments so that your stellar cardiac background is listed first in one resume and, in the other, your travel experience is listed first. 4. Revise Your Career Summary Your career summary is your chance to highlight moments that stand out the most in your time as a professional.  You want this summary to be tailored as closely as possible to the job you want.  This means it’s time to dig through the job posting to explore the critical requirements of the job.  You want to make sure that you list your greatest moments that also mirror what the employer wants most in a candidate. Customizing your resume is a sure-fire way to get an employer’s attention when applying for jobs.  So take time to make some subtle and not-so-subtle adjustments and see what a difference it makes in your search. For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow @GreatResume or visit our blog. I love to connect and network. Feel free to send me an invite on LinkedIn here. You can also find me at Great Resumes Fast, where I help busy job seekers create interviewing-winning resumes, shorten their job searches, and increase their earning potential.