Creating a Customized Résumé

After choosing a résumé format and creating your résumé, you are not done! While you now have a résumé, any time you use it to apply for a job, you should review the job description carefully and revise your résumé so that it is customized for that job. This is especially important if the organization that you are applying to uses an applicant tracking system to help them screen a large volume of applicants.

applicant tracking system

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a kind of software that helps human resource professionals manage the hiring process more efficiently. Importantly, it can automatically select and disqualify applicants based on résumé’ contents.

Similar to how technology has changed many aspects of how businesses operate, applicant tracking systems have changed how applicants are reviewed. Because it’s relatively easy to submit a job application online, either through a company’s website or a platform like LinkedIn, sometimes a single job posting will attract hundreds of applicants.

The ATS is set up to scan your résumé for the skills and experiences that the employer wants for the particular position. The software will scan all the résumés submitted by applicants and rank them according to how well they match the employer’s preferences. The higher your résumé ranks, the more likely it is that you will get past that initial screening and have your résumé read by a real person, like the hiring manager.

Often, the ATS has been programmed to look for key skills and job titles on your résumé that match the skills and title of the job you are seeking. Your résumé will be more likely to rank higher if you edit your résumé to match these key skills as closely as possible. You should be honest but also think critically about how your past experiences can be described to match what are listed as minimum and preferred qualifications.

In this section, we will demonstrate how the common building blocks of a résumé may be constructed and reorganized to help you look your best.

First, let us address how to build each building block. At this point, they are offered in no particular order. We will talk about formatting later as well. This section is written for the typical chronological résumé since it is the most common. The skills learned here may be modified to match the types identified earlier in the chapter.

Building Block Section	Example	Comments
Your contact information	Max P Kimble 345 Baxter Street Columbus, TX 12345 749-234-2839 max.kimble@resume.com	While most employers will call or use email, the postal address adds an air of stability. Avoid any “sillybaby@yahoo.com” type email address or KimbleandKids@home.com.”  Open a new email account that is just yours and has a professional tone. Never use your current employer’s email address when applying to a new employer. An employer’s email address is only suitable when applying within the same company. The phone number you use is likely a cell. Be sure your voicemail message is updated to a professional greeting. Ensure that the number is not shared or answered by anyone else who might offer a less-than-professional greeting.
Objective or Career Objective		Do not use. All this does is talk about what you want. Employers are not hiring you to make you happy, but to satisfy their own needs.
Skills or Career Summary	Skills: Leadership, CPA, type 100 wpm, able to work in a fast-paced environment. Career Summary: Experiences in sales management with five years in sales and three years in sales management. All years meeting or exceeding quotas. Customer satisfaction levels exceed those of all peers.	Fill this section with six to eight specific skills and abilities needed by the job you are applying to. Or use short sentences or phrases to highlight relevant successes. Here you can quickly tell a workplace story to verify your ability. Use the words and order of skills to match the ad. Focus on minimum requirements before preferred requirements.
Work Experience	Sales Manager, Friedo Inc, 2014–present Exceeded annual objective by 10% in seven of ten years. Delivered seventeen unsolicited proposals every year. Guided team of three to on-time delivery of sales bids in 100% of opportunities.	Notice how the job title, company, and year anchor the important part. The important part is describing what you did in terms of the measurable successes you had. Take note, the bullets are written with parallel construction. Repeat this process for each relevant job. Use the most current positions that relate to the ad. Add non-related jobs only to fill in a page to at least three-quarters full. This should not be a job description. Instead, it should focus on your accomplishments and your role in the work. The bullets below represent what not to do. Can you see the difference? Sales Manager, Friedo Inc, 2014–present Sold systems based on annual sales objectives Created unsolicited proposals as requested Work with team to create sales proposals and presentations as assigned.
Education	MBA, University of Florida, 2003BA Communication, St Charles University, 2001	The examples of education are the simplest listings. If you have a GPA of 3.5 or above, list it. You worked hard and earned it. Some will list at 3.0. Below that no one will ask or will particularly care—the fact that you graduated is the point. If your experiences in college match the ad, help the hiring company see that by listing them. There is no need to list high school or G.E.D. if you are in college or have attended college. If not, then list the high school from which you graduated. Here are more detailed options for listing education when someone is applying for an accounting position. MBA, University of Florida, 2003 12 credit hours in advanced accounting including Cost Accounting, Inventory and Material Accounting, and Investment Accounting BA Communication, St Charles University, 2001 16 hours in Accounting, Minor in Accounting
Other Sections: Certifications Volunteer		Use as needed.

With these building blocks in mind, you may build your first résumé. With that solid foundation, you will reorder and reword to match the requirements of the job that you are applying for. It’s often a good idea to create a primary résumé that contains all of your experiences and qualifications, then when applying for a new position, you can make a copy of that and edit it to only include relevant experience.

Perhaps the most important part of creating your résumé is proofreading. Your résumé should follow standard American English conventions (assuming you’re applying to a job in the U.S.) for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Once you have finished creating your document, take a short break and then return to your résumé with fresh eyes (or have someone else take a look!).