Customized Resumes and Cover Letters are Better for Your Job Search - FlexJobs

Customized Resumes and Cover Letters are Better for Yur Job Search - FlexJobsCustomized Resumes and Cover Letters are Better for Your Job Search -8One complaint that recruiters often express is that candidates dont take the time to craft a unique titelblatt letter or edit their resume to fit the job for which they are applying. Instead, they simply send in their generic resume and cover letter, inserting the company name and job title into the proper locations beforehand (hopefully). But customized resumes and cover letters are vital to your success as a job seeker, especially with the prominent use of applicant tracking systems.Of course, we understand that crafting a unique resume and cover letter for each job application takes time- time that, all too often, isnt viewed as worth our while. However, the fact of the matter is that taking a little extra time to tweak yourcover letters and resumescan decrease the amount of time it takes you to land interviews, which can shorten your j ob search process significantly. Instead of applying to 10 jobs with the same cover letter and resume, you will have more success if you apply to five jobs with more partiealized documents.Here are a few tips for creating customized resumes and cover letters1. First, the unique cover letter.We arent suggesting you write every cover letter from scratch, but we are saying that the more applicable the letter is to the job, the better the chance a recruiter will want to continue onto your resume. How can youmake your cover letter uniquefor each job?Research the companys website and mention, in one sentence, why you are interested in working for them specifically. Is it their mission statement? Is it their community involvement? Is it the impact their products make on the world?Write several lines that speak directly to some of the main qualifications outlined in the job description. This makes it easy for the recruiter to discover that you are qualified for the position.Clearly explain why you are passionate and excited about the job, and give them a positive sense of who you are and why youd be the right person for them to hire. Can you help them solve a problem? Fill a need? Why do you wantthis job?2. Now, the unique resume.Just like your cover letter, your resume doesnt have to be written from scratch every time you apply for a job (imagining that is simply terrifying). But it does help if you change up some of the wording and emphasis on your resume to be aligned with the job description.When reading the job description, circle the keywords in the job description and requirements sections to help you pay attention to what the employer is looking for in an employee. Then, focus your skills and experience on your resume to those qualifications.Appropriately integrate some of these keywords into your resume and make the related skills and experience stand out. This might require rewriting a bullet or two in your work histories.Include top sections like a Summary, Key Skills, and/or a Professional Headline. Those can be easily edited and updated for each job to which youre applying.The Summary section should have three to four bullets that describe why you are uniquely qualified for the position(s) you want.The Key Skills should list six to nine of your best skills that are required for this job.The Headline should tell a reader exactly what kind of professional you are (and will hopefully closely align with the job title youre after)If you have an Objective or Executive Summary on your resume, make sure that it is in-line with the specific job you are applying for- if this is out of sync, your resume will likely be out of the running immediately3. One last, but HIGHLY important note.Hopefully, we dont have to mention this, but just in case- whentailoring your cover letters and resumesto each specific job,you absolutely only want to state what is true about your professional and educational history.If you find that a job description has keyw ords like PC and MAC proficiency but youve only ever worked on a PC, dont stretch the truth when tailoring your documents. To recruiters, the only thing worse than generic job search documents and typos are documents that dont tell the truth. So, rather thanlie on your resume, highlight the skills and experience you have that are related to the job. Then, to sweeten the deal, provide employers with a sample of your work through awebsite or portfolio.Interested in reading more about customized resumes? Check out our resume tipsReaders, what do you do to make sure you have customized resumes and cover letters for each application? Share your tipsJessica Howington contributed to this post.