How to Tailor a Resume: Tips to Stand Out and Land Your Dream Job

Want to land your dream job? Recruiters spend as little as seven seconds reviewing each new resume. It stands to reason that generic resumes are likely to fail to hit the mark. Instead, if you want to grab their attention quickly, you have to deliver a perfectly pitched application for the job.  

Learning how to tailor a resume is the answer. By aligning your application with the position and company, you can instantly increase your chances of success. In the following guide, we’ll share the best ways to adapt your resume to the role you’re applying for.

Why tailoring your resume is important

If you’re not tailoring your resume before you submit it, you’re seriously making a mistake. Taking the time to do this can boost your chances of landing an interview and, ultimately, the job. Understanding the benefits could be the first step towards your long-term success.

Customizing your resume takes less time than you expect. Next up, we’ll explain how to understand the job description and gain the information you need from it.

How keywords help you to tailor your resume

When tailoring your resume to meet the vacancy, you have one secret weapon: keywords.

By using the right terminology in your resume, you instantly increase your chances of landing that all-important interview.

Here are the ways that using the exact keywords will help you:

Speak the hiring manager’s language

Chances are, the hiring manager is looking for specific words in your resume. When they look through your application, they’ll be hoping that these words and phrases pop out. By making sure you include the right words in your document, you give them the opportunity to quickly see why you’re a good fit.

Rank well in the ATS

It’s not simply the hiring manager who is looking for certain words. The ATS software will also be scanning your resume for these phrases. By ensuring that you use the exact words from the job advert—rather than any synonyms—you can increase your chances of ranking well.

Understanding the job description

When it comes to how to tailor a resume, there’s only one place to start—the job description. Firstly, refer back to the original advert and know what you’re looking for.

Here’s how to get started with this task:

Note down the required skills

Whether it’s called ‘core competencies,’ ‘must-haves,’ or ‘required skills,’ this section is a real gold mine. You should review this part of the job advert first and make a note of the bullet points. You’ll be able to use these when writing your Skills section, but you can also weave them throughout the document.

Check out the qualifications

Of course, you need to meet the educational requirements of the job. These are typically listed within the job advert. You should also jot down what the hiring manager needs from applicants and any ‘preferred’ qualifications. You’ll be able to add these to your Education section.

Look at the main duties

Next, look at the main duties of the role and figure out how they overlap with your existing experience. You may have previously done similar tasks in roles and you’ve used different wording on your resume. By ensuring the terminology matches up, you can boost your chances of overall success. So, consider the similarities between previous roles and the vacancy you’re applying for.

Highlight any keywords and phrases

The job description is the best place to find keywords and phrases you can use in your resume. The wording in the original posting is likely the same words the ATS software is scanning for. Go through the job advert and highlight any industry or job-specific words used. You can include these terms throughout your resume to increase your chances of ranking well in the ATS system.

How to tailor each section of your resume to the job

Now that you’ve read (and, crucially, understood) the job description, it’s time to get started. In this part of the guide, we’ll break down your resume section by section, and look at the ways you can adapt them.

Skills section

Next up, it’s time to tackle your Skills section. You’ll have already made a note of the skills that the hiring manager expects you to have. Take a look at the listed criteria on the job advert and consider the ones that you already have. If they aren’t already are not listed in your Skills section, now’s the time to add them to your resume.

Focus on matching your relevant soft skills and hard skills to the job requirements. In your Skills section, list the hard skills that you have under your belt. Match these as closely to the criteria as you can.

Here are some example skills you might find in a job advert:

• Proficient in Java, Python, and JavaScript
• Strong SQL and NoSQL database skills (MySQL, MongoDB)
• Cloud deployment experience (AWS, Google Cloud)
• Skilled in Git version control
• Agile team collaboration
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Knowledge of testing frameworks (JUnit, Selenium)

You can include these exact skills—so long as you have them!—in this resume section as follows:  

Professional summary

Your Professional Summary is a snapshot of your experience so far. Chances are, you already have a summary at the top of your resume. However, by tweaking it and aligning it with the demands of the vacancy, you can change how the hiring manager views you.

To tailor this part of your resume, pick out the main things the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate. Mentioning you have these attributes at the top of your resume could make all the difference. The best way to understand how to approach this task is to look at a simple example.

For instance, here are some of the points you might find in a software engineer job advert:

• Knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases
• Proficiency in Java and Python
• Strong analytical skills to identify and troubleshoot issues

While you may already have a summary, you should tailor it to include the above criteria. Use the exact same words you found in the job advert for the best results.

You can immensely improve the above by adding in the criteria, as follows:

Work experience

To tailor your Work Experience section to the job advert, you’ll need to look at the “tasks” or “duties” part. Here, you’ll find the basics of the role you’re applying for. Consider how your prior experience lines up.

Once again, you want to use the same terminology as the job advert. Swap any synonyms so you’re using the exact phrases from the original posting. That way, when the hiring manager reviews your resume, they can instantly see you’re a good match for the job.

To help you, let’s look at an example of the criteria you might find in a software engineer advert:

• Develop, test, and maintain software applications to meet user needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement new features.
• Write clean, scalable, and efficient code following best practices.
• Debug and troubleshoot software issues to ensure optimal performance.
• Conduct code reviews to ensure code quality and consistency.

Let’s take a look at a tailored work experience section example:

As you can see here, the example has been tailored to align with the needs of the business. You can do the same when you’re tailoring your resume to meet the needs of a particular vacancy.

Education and certificates

You can’t change much about your Education section—it’s a straightforward account of the training and certificates you have. However, you should look out for any details the job advert asks for.

For example, if the original posting states to include your GPA on your resume, you should do that. If, on the other hand, it asks you to include honors, such as cum laude on your resume, add that.

Additionally, add any coursework or projects that align with the role criteria. For instance, if the advert requires you to have an "understanding of ethics," mention a college course on ethics.

Here’s an example of how to include the course in your Education section:

Conclusion

Tailoring your resume is a must. First up, you need to review the job advert. Next, add relevant keywords and phrases and match your skills, experience, and education to the role criteria. By following this straightforward process, you can adapt your resume to meet the needs of the business and improve your chances of landing an interview.