The Importance of a Personalized Resume in Your Job Search

Your resume is the one thing that stands between you getting a call or getting passed over for the interview.

When you personalize your resume, you help your changes of getting the interview and you show that you have done your research of the organization, how your skills will help and how you will contribute to team.

When I was looking for a new position in early 2021, I tested a “non-personalized” resume versus and “personalized” resume. What my testing found is that a personalized resume got me in the door and eventually helped me land where I’m at today. It was an important part of my job search – the non-personalized resume didn’t provide many leads.

Areas of opportunity for resume personalization

Customize your cover letter – The cover letter is where you can really personalize for each positions. You kewords, requirements and data that backs up your experiences. Use the cover letter as a way to really share what you bring to the table and how you can help the team with your experiences.

Title – Your resume title is one the first things that a prospective employer will see. Include your current job title or the title you are applying for along with a good elevator pitch to grab attention. Another way to pull in some experience and areas of expertise.

Summary of qualifications – This is a brief summary of your qualifications that can be tailor to match what the job description is asking for. Make sure to include any measurable examples if you can…helps to backup your qualification.

Keyword matches – We have all heard about the ATS (applicant tracking system) and how important key works are within that system. Pull out the important keywords that are within the job description and strategically place keywords or phrases within your resume.

Display relevant skills – Being able to highlight your skills and experiences are important especially if you are looking to change careers or don’t meet all the requirements that the job is looking for. These other tangible items are important to showcase.

Minimize the irrelevant experiences – I focus on the positions that are the most relevant to beef those up with keywords, experiences and data to back up the qualifications. Keep the older on relevant positions as a reference

Update your LinkedIn profile – I see your LinkedIn profile as an extension of your resume where you can provide even more detail that you can’t within your resume. Most recruiters and hiring managers will do a search for you and your LinkedIn profile will most likely come up in search results – fully utilize your profile to be as professional as possible and as informative that also compliments your resume.

Connect with your network – This seems like it is obvious, but continue to network even while you are not job searching. Let people know what you are looking for, what you bring to the table and what your areas of expertise are. Many job opportunities aren’t posted and it is who you know that will help you. Be active and engaged.

Never lie – Enough said here, not being truthful will come back to hurt you.

Always start your search with a job search plan. Click here to download the template

Not sure where to start your search? Click here for a link to a wide range of career resources for all industries and for professionals who are seeking new career opportunities. This includes some resources to get you noticed and how to best utilize your LinkedIn profile.

About Bernie

Connect on LinkedIn – Focused on improving your sales, channel visits and customer experiences with a combination of data, strategy, Marketing programs & tactics to drive desired results. Helping job seekers & recruiters daily.

Chief Cheese – Strategy & Engagement at B2The7 – Helping brands Reach, Retain & Regain customers with Omni-Channel data-driven strategies and tactics that focus on increasing sales, transactions, comps and customer engagement.

B2The7 Photography – Sharing experiences with photography: nature, landscapes, sunsets, flowers, animals and more. Check out our photos on Instagram.

Helping job seekers & recruiters daily…Founder of Careerbarn.com – Bringing jobseekers and employers together since 2000 and why I do what I do each day to help.