The basics are starting to become clear: format your resume cleanly and logically, use action verbs to start your bullets, and don’t be afraid to brag. Ready? Go!
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Did you get an interview for your dream job? If so, awesome. If not, here are a few tips for advanced job seekers:
- Create Resume and Cover Letter Sets
Let’s talk about resume and cover letter sets. A set is a tailored template for a specific industry, function, geography, or any other category. For example, let’s say you’re interested in two different careers after college: one in marketing for an electronics company, and one in the financial services industry as an analyst. Recruiters are looking for some similar skills between the two positions, but a lot of differing skills, too. Enter: resume and cover letter sets. For your marketing resume and cover letter(s), you should be highlighting those marketing-specific skills and experiences. For the analyst positions you’re looking for, you should customize the resumes & cover letters accordingly.
- Keyword Hunt
Resume and Cover Letter Sets are the starting point for customization your job search basics. What if you wanted to take it a step farther? Become a Keyword Hunter (trademark not pending). What’s a Keyword Hunter? It’s a way to tailor your resume using a job posting. Let’s say you find a job posting for Marketing Director at Apple’s iPhone division. The job posting will likely state what Apple is looking for – things like "out-of-the-box thinking", "creative energy", and "world-class communication skills". Here’s where you can insert some of their terms in your resume. Instead of saying –"Communicated regularly with senior staff, you could say "Demonstrated world-class communication through working senior staff regularly.". Why does this matter? Sometimes, the terms an employer uses will jump out to a recruiter when he or she glances over a stack of hundreds of resumes. Other times, it’s more scientific. Business Insider reports that recruiters are literally searching resumes by keywords.
- Be Bold, Be Different (if you want to be)
There’s nothing wrong with the standard resume: filling up a page top to bottom, left to right, with the classic structure. But, don’t be afraid to try something different.
There are several websites and resources that house template ideas for slick, exciting, and unique resumes. Some are more unique than others. Here are three great sites and articles that provide traditional and non-traditional resume templates: