Targeted resumes highlight skills relevant to job

Published 8:48 pm Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Question: In the past, you said that people should tweak their resumes for each position they apply for. Can you tell me how to do that T.S., Fla.

Answer: Before you reach out to a potential employer, it’s important to learn about the company in advance.

Your research will make you stand out from other candidates. Plus, your effort will show that you are truly interested in the company, rather than blindly responding to help-wanted ads.

Once you gather a sufficient amount of data, revise your resume based on what you find. Look through your entire document, from top to bottom, and pinpoint ways that you can tweak or “target” the language to align with the company’s needs and priorities.

I am not telling you to insert exaggerated or untrue statements in your document. Lies have no place in a legitimate job hunt. I am suggesting that you simply modify the text and formatting to call attention to your relevant experience and skills.

Remember that your resume has a singular and definite purpose: To prompt an employer to call you for an interview. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you are targeting an international sales organization, but your resume lists 10 years of straightforward administrative experience, you probably won’t get the call. However, most administrative personnel have performed tasks and coordinated projects that would immediately benefit a sales team. When you target your resume, you call attention to these facts.

Maybe you helped close deals by interacting with clients during the sales cycle. Perhaps you increased client satisfaction through communication and problem-solving. Or you generated leads or initiated relationships which resulted in new accounts. Maybe you supported a team of sales and marketing associates by tracking performance and drafting reports.

In your targeted resume, remove details that don’t directly align with the new company’s vision and goals. Replace them with information about your sales knowledge and experience. Next, fine-tune the language to make an impact in a sales-oriented culture. For example, the line “streamlined office procedures to improve efficiency” can be changed to “streamlined procedures to eliminate roadblocks in the sales process.”

Finally, don’t forget to use bullets, underlined phrases and bolded text to draw the reader’s eye to certain places in your document. Showcase impressive achievements. You may even create a separate page of sales-related accomplishments.

Follow up question: I applied for a job yesterday. After I hit “send,” I realized that I forgot to customize my letter to make sure I stand out for the position. What is your recommendation for following up with a better letter T.S., Fla.

Answer: When you contact an employer for the second time, it is once again essential to demonstrate your sincere interest in the company. It’s also a good idea to mention your previous correspondence in the new letter so that the employer knows you are a savvy job hunter with a clear and deliberate goal in mind.

I suggest waiting at least a week. Then, begin your new letter with something like this: “I am genuinely excited about this opportunity and feel strongly that I have the talent and expertise to improve your bottom line. For this reason, I am contacting you again to provide additional details about my ability to drive up revenue and reduce costs.”

Good luck.

Eve Nicholas: Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.