A Six Step Guide to Optimizing Your Resume.
Recruiters spend an average of six seconds reviewing a resume. As a job seeker, this six seconds is your chance to convey to the recruiter or hiring manager that you can do this specific job, based on your unique set of skills and experiences.
If this feels like a lot of pressure, it sure can be! Tailoring your resume for a specific role, especially one that you’re excited about, can feel daunting. The good news is that there is a framework that you can apply to do this work. Even better news is the more frequently you apply this framework, the easier it becomes. As a current job seeker, I have also learned some valuable lessons during the resume optimizing process:
Have compassion for yourself and patience -- optimizing your resume takes time.
Be honest and speak truthfully to your skills and abilities.
Use words and metrics to support your accomplishments.
Be concise and let go of content that is NOT relevant for the role (this may include major career accomplishments and that’s OK)!
Ready to get started? Let’s dive into the six steps.
1. Create your master resume. Before you begin your job search and resume tailoring journey, it is essential to take some time to reflect. As you reflect, jot down your experiences and accomplishments, degrees and certifications, volunteer commitments, computer software skills -- everything. This is one of the few moments in your search where you are NOT focused on brevity and where formatting does NOT count! You will end up with a master resume that you will lean on to tailor your resume effectively for specific roles moving forward.
2. Consider your options and start your search. Jennifer Aniston once said, “don’t make plans, make options.” This sage advice is especially relevant for job seekers right now during the global pandemic. Start big by thinking about the type of industry or sector you might want to be in and consider the skills and strengths needed to succeed. Then, refer back to your master resume from step one. What roles and specific tasks did you most enjoy? Your answers to these questions will help lead you to job postings that resonate.
3. Try the job description on for size. If you’re like me, you have come across a handful of job descriptions where the job title alone fully captivates you. Do yourself a favor and read the job description, each line, in full. Then, try the role on for size by describing it, in your own words, to a friend. Does it still sound like a good fit? If so, ask yourself three key questions that any hiring manager will want to know about you (and this time, answer them for yourself):
Can you do the job? Do you have the experiences, skills, knowledge of the day-to-day work to be successful in the role?
Will you do the job? Does it make sense as to why this role and organization are of interest to you and fit into your career journey?
Will you fit in with the organization/culture? Do you share the values of the organization?
If your answer is YES to the first two questions (it may be harder to know the answer to the third, so trusting your gut at this point in the process is key), then it is time to start tailoring your master resume.
4. Begin the resume tailoring process. Highlighters are your friend for this critical next step. Start by carefully reviewing each line of the job description, including the required skills section, to identify words or phrases that show up multiple times. As you go through the job description line by line, pay special attention to the bullets listed at the very top -- typically the first three to five lines -- depending on the length of the job description. This information often conveys the primary functions of the role, so it is especially important that you incorporate any alignment you have in these areas on your tailored resume.
5. Evolve your resume from a master version to a tailored version. Now that you have a very clear idea what the recruiter or hiring manager is seeking and a list of commonly used keywords from the job description, you are ready to get to work. Your end goal is to create a tailored resume that speaks to the skills and experiences for the specific job you want. Your choice of words and phrases and the order of your content matters. This step will likely involve completely re-working language and adding or removing content for relevancy.
For example, I recently applied for a role where the job description indicated the organization was looking for candidates experienced in building relationships and community in a virtual setting. The bullet point on my master resume stated that I facilitated an online learning series over Zoom. It did not specify community building specifically. I did some thinking around this and realized that community building, while not explicitly stated in the description of the online learning series, was a key intended outcome for the leaders that I supported, both individually and collectively. So, I chose to tweak that bullet to speak directly to what the hiring manager was seeking, while still being direct and honest about my ability to do the job well.
The initial bullet from my master resume read as:
“Managed the program’s online learning series, which consisted of monthly, one-hour webinars, on topics such as X, Y, and Z.”
The tailored bullet read as:
“Nurtured online community of program participants through monthly one-hour webinar series on topics covering X, Y and Z and weekly communications via WhatsApp.”
When tailoring resumes, I have also found it helpful to consider the following clarifying questions:
What information is most important to convey to the hiring manager?
Am I both showing and telling the hiring manager that I can do this specific job?
Am I incorporating skills that pop up on the job description, such as knowledge of Google Suite or Microsoft Office Suite?
Is there anything that I missed when putting together my master resume that should be included on my tailored resume?
This work can feel painstaking at moments, and it can be the deciding factor as to whether your application makes it through an applicant tracking system and into a recruiter’s inbox, or not. Remember to have compassion for yourself and make it count.
6. Check your score. If you have a competitive side, this final step to optimizing your resume may be your favorite. Thanks to free web-based tools such as Jobscan.co and SkillSyncer.com, you can copy and paste your job description and resume into an online field to determine how well you did on incorporating keywords and phrases. This includes not only your bullet points -- but also your hard skills, soft skills and other keywords throughout your resume. These systems, while not perfect, are extremely helpful. You can consider yourself in good shape with a score of 70 - 80% or above.
With your tailored resume complete, take some time to rest and recharge. Then, using a similar framework, craft your cover letter, and submit your application. Your efforts will be much more likely to capture the attention of recruiting and hiring managers, even in a quick six second window.
This piece was written by Lisa Dubler, a current Pivot Journeys client who specializes in talent development and is an aspiring leadership coach. You can learn more about Lisa’s background here on LinkedIn.