How to customize your resume for a specific job

I don’t think anyone sends generic cover letters any more when applying for roles in organisations. But how often do we customise resumes? It’s said that on average, a recruiter spends between three and eight seconds scanning your resume before deciding if it warrants a closer look. On the flip side, customising your cover letter and resume for every single job you are applying for may seem like an inordinate amount of time on the application process, especially if you are applying for many roles at a time.

With a few tricks, you can cut the amount of time you need for this process. Remember what you want is to stand out so that a potential employer looks at the rest of your application. This also applies to organisations with an online application process.

Evaluate the job description

When putting together a job description, hiring managers and unit heads put the most essential skills and responsibilities at the top of this section. Therefore, the top half of the job description will undoubtedly represent the most important titles, skills, duties and responsibilities for the role you are applying for. Ensure you take note of the specific wording and terms used and make sure that these show up early on in your application, and that you are able to demonstrate expertise in delivering results with reference to these areas.

In the same way, the job description could also save you time especially if you’re not sure that you are a good candidate for the role. If on evaluating the top half of each section on the application you find that you do not tick all the boxes, feel free to reconsider reapplying said role. Remember the top section represents 50 per cent of the requirements and if you fulfill this, you should consider yourself a viable candidate. Most candidates who apply for roles fulfill between 50-60 per cent of the requirements as long as they can exhibit that they have other transferable skills.

Tracking systems

Organisations that use application tracking systems also look for specific key words so ensure you make note of these and use them in their exact form both in your cover letter and resume. If, for example the job posting asks for a candidate who is proficient in ‘Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint’, ensure that you use these specific phrases instead of ‘proficient in spreadsheets and computer programmes’.

Be specific

If you have some work experience, it is not enough to just list your accomplishment in generic terms any more. Which of these statements would make you view a candidate more positively? ‘Exceeded my sales target for the year’ versus ‘Achieved sales of Sh1.8m against a target of Sh1.5m, increasing customer retention by 30 per cent in the year 2017’. As much as you can, use specific figures and percentages and quantify your achievements and accomplishments.