Effectively tailoring your resume and cover letter shows your role qualifications and fit with company culture. These activities help your information get past an applicant tracking system (ATS) and to the hiring manager. As a result, the manager is likely to contact you for an interview.
Benefits of Tailoring Your Resume and Cover Letter
Tailoring your resume and cover letter provides many benefits:
- A clear understanding of the role: Detailing your ability to blend with the culture and fulfill the job duties and responsibilities shows you care about the company’s needs.
- Demonstrated qualifications: Sharing your relevant qualifications emphasizes your ability to excel in the role and organization.
- Uniqueness from other candidates: Expressing how your unique personality and competencies differentiate you from other candidates shows genuine interest in the role.
- Attention to detail: Showing you put in additional effort to your resume and cover letter implies you do the same for your work.
- Likelihood of securing an interview: Demonstrating how your skills and experiences can help fill the hiring manager’s needs encourages the manager to schedule an interview.
Guidelines to Tailor Your Resume and Cover Letter
Follow these guidelines to tailor your resume and cover letter:
Research the company
Use the company’s website and social media pages to learn about the organization’s history, mission, vision, values, products or services, competitors, and other relevant details. Also, conduct an online search to learn the latest company news and developments.
Include relevant findings in your resume and cover letter to demonstrate your interest in the company. For instance, share specific ways you can contribute to help reach a business objective. These details encourage the hiring manager to reach out for an interview.
Focus on the job description
Read the job description to determine the job duties and responsibilities, skill requirements, and qualifications. These are the details to emphasize in your resume and cover letter.
For instance, use bullet points to highlight your top 3-5 relevant skills and achievements. Show how these elements benefitted previous employers and can benefit your next employer.
Summarize your relevant experience
Provide a brief overview of your relevant skills and work experience. Include the skills, duties, and responsibilities from the job description. Also, emphasize your role qualifications and cultural fit.
Use relevant keywords
Include throughout your resume and cover letter relevant keywords from the job description. Demonstrating your skills, qualifications, and cultural fit helps your information move past the ATS and to the hiring manager for review.
Proofread
Review your resume and cover letter several times. Ensure your information flows and is free from spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Demonstrating attention to detail and professionalism encourages the hiring manager to connect with you for an interview.
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