Adapting your Resume
Remember that your resume is your very own advertisment, and you should adapt it to fit whatever job you are applying for. It is very important to know how to read and understand the job advert, so you can find out what the company is really looking for. Armed with this information, you can go about creating a resume that is tailor-made for the job.
Looking at the Advertisment
When you're looking at any job advertisement, there are usually two levels to be aware of:
- The surface level: The basic requirements that you need to make sure you satisfy; for instance, particular qualifications.
- Below the surface: The language of the advert, and the way they describe themselves and the job may tell you a great deal about the company and the type of person that they are looking for.
For example, take a look at the following example advertisement:
THE BRIGHT COMPANY Come and join one of Chicago's fastest growing companies. We are dynamic and innovative, and based in brand-new, high-tech offices in the heart of Chicago. We are currently looking to recruit a part-time receptionist(hours 1pm - 5pm). We want a well-presented, enthusiastic and experienced person to help in the busy atmosphere of our front-of-house reception. You need excellent communication skills and to be super confident in liaising with clients. You will need to show a flexible approach and be able to work without supervision. Please write in confidence, enclosing your current resume with a daytime telephone number to: |
This advert tells us a lot about the company and the type of person they are looking for:
- They use the words dynamic and innovative, and so it's probably a lively and rapidly changing company, unlikely to be particularly stuffy or staid.
- The advert also asks for a well-presented person, so you need to be smart, clean and tidy. It may also mean that the company is very concerned with image.
- The ad stresses the importance of enthusiasm and confidence. It's a front-line post dealing with lots of people and enquiries, and may well involve dealing with problems or irate clients.
- You will need to work without supervision, so you might have to solve most problems yourself.
So your resume would need to stress your:
- ability to deal with people
- independent and dynamic nature
- ability to get things done
- self-reliance
- ability to manage yourself
Looking at the Specifications
Most jobs these days will send out a person and job specification. Use this to tailor your work experience and achievements in your resume so that they match all the necessary requirements.
Go through the job and person specification and pull out all the:
- Experience: the areas that you need demonstrate that you have worked in over the years.
- Special skills: the things you need to show that you can do.
Write these down, and then for each one, note down your experience and skills to match. If you find you do not have a perfect match with your work experience you may be able to use your experiences and achievements outside work. Working through the specifications in this way will help you put only the relevant details into your resume. Try to avoid including information that seems interesting just for the sake of it, you can always bring this out in the interview.