Outdated resume features, like including a mailing address or an objective statement, can hinder your chances of landing the job you want. But one outdated resume strategy can kill your ability to get an interview. Let’s call it the “one size fits all” approach. If you only have one resume, and it lists every job you’ve ever had, you’re doing it wrong. Replace a bloated single resume that could overwhelm hiring managers with a fleet of resumes that have different areas of focus that depend on the type of job you’re seeking. That level of specificity will make your pitch to employers more effective. Here are six tips for customizing your resume.

1. Customize Your Title

Remember how we said placing an objective statement at the top of your resume is obsolete? In its place, consider a title or headline that showcases what you offer and that you can tailor to the job you’re applying for. Include keywords from the job posting itself to draw more attention. For instance, a service representative title that starts out as “Call Center Representative with 15 Years’ Experience” could be modified for a job that specifically mentions being bilingual and having remote work experience as preferred, like this: “Bilingual Call Center Representative with 15 Years’ Office and Remote Experience.”

2. Create a Qualifications Summary

Before you delve immediately into the experience that makes you a viable candidate, follow your title up with a list of your qualifications. Start with a master list, then pare it down so that only qualifications relevant to the job posting remain.

3. Use Keywords from the Job Listing to Rebuild Your Resume

Either copy the text from the posting into a blank Word document or, even better, go old school and print out a hard copy. Then highlight the verbs and nouns. These can be the building blocks of a customized resume that tells a recruiter exactly what they want to hear. Not only that, but you’ve put yourself in a good position to be positively flagged by the company’s applicant tracking system when it finds the words and phrases it’s been programmed to seek.

4. Prioritize Skills Over Experience

It’s not that your work history doesn’t matter, but a traditional experience section puts more emphasis on where and when you worked somewhere than what you did there. Instead, list skills (again, using the job listing language as a guide) and provide specific examples of how you used those skills in a past position.

5. Eliminate Irrelevant Work History

Your job as a waiter may have helped you build customer service skills, but actual call center experience later in your career is more relevant for, say, a job managing a customer service unit. Don’t be afraid to remove jobs that, while important, did little to prepare you for the job you want now.

Arrow Can Help You Get the Job You’re Aiming For

If you’re seeking work in Byron Center or the Grand Rapids area, Arrow Staffing can help you market yourself to get the right job for you. Get started today!