The Quick Start Guide to Writing a Targeted Resume

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You might be tempted to use the same resume for every job application.?

But don’t.

A general resume is just that – generic, forgettable, and simply not effective in achieving the end goal of getting the interview.

Still, everyone should have one.

It’s important to keep a master document with a detailed record of your professional career — one that includes all of your acquired skills (including software programs), work experience, education, and accomplishments. This document allows you to identify your core strengths and areas of expertise while establishing your overall professional brand. It also helps you define your value proposition and how you can contribute to an employer’s bottom line.

Your master resume is a “big picture” look at your career, and it's a great foundation for your targeted resume.?

- - - > If you need help writing your master resume, we highly recommend Hire Heroes USA for FREE career guidance and resume support.

So, what’s a targeted resume?

It’s a resume written with a particular job in mind, and (besides LinkedIn) it’s your most important marketing tool. In essence, it’s your sales pitch to a hiring manager!

Every time you apply for a job, you should modify your resume to make it applicable to that particular role. If you can show a hiring manager that you meet the majority of the qualifications and requirements listed in the job description, you'll make an immediate connection and increase your chances of getting an interview.?

Keep reading for tips on how to target your resume to get the job you want.?

1. Study the job description.?

Everything you need to know is in there – insights about the company you’re applying to, the type of person they’re looking for, their business goals, customers, and the problems they’re trying to solve.

A job description at a tech company like Apple, for example, will be written much differently than a job description at Wells Fargo, a traditional banking company. Pay attention to the tone of voice; it will say a lot about the company culture.

The job description is where you’ll find the duties, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required to perform a specific role. Use it as your cheat sheet with all the information you’ll need to write your targeted resume.

2. Customize your professional summary.?

Your summary is the first thing a hiring manager will read, so make sure it resonates with them by proving you’re the best candidate right away. Here’s how –

• Position yourself with the same job title as the one in the job description. Example: If you’re applying for a project manager role, call yourself a “Project Management Professional,” even if your current job title is something different.
• Include the most important qualifications the employer is looking for – using the same language used in the job description.*?
• If the job requires X years of experience, make it obvious you have them.

* Pro Tip: Assume the person reading your resume has no expertise in your field and no understanding of your military or professional background. If they compare your resume to the job vacancy, will they immediately understand that you’re the right person for the job? Make their life easy! Use the same keywords, phrases, and terminology used in the job description.

3. Add a targeted skills section.?

If you can’t include all the qualifications and requirements in your professional summary, you can list them as bullet points in the skills section directly beneath your summary. Be sure to add any specific software the employer has identified in the job description.

The skills included in this section should also be referenced in your work experience section. It’s not enough to simply say you’ve got the skills; you must show the employer how you utilized those skills and what you accomplished by using them.

4. Include your relevant work experience.

The hiring manager isn’t interested in every job you’ve ever held – only those that have prepared you for the role they’re trying to fill.

However, to avoid gaps on your resume, it’s important to provide a continuous work history from the past 10 years – even if you have unrelated experience. If you can find ways to align your unrelated work to the job description of the role you’re applying for, you might be able to transform an unrelated job into relevant work experience!

Use the experience section of your resume to explicitly show a hiring manager you’ve got the skills, experience, and knowledge they’re looking for.

• Add supporting bullet points for each role. (If you include unrelated work, you only need to provide a brief overview; one bullet point is sufficient.)
• Weave the duties and responsibilities from the job description into your work history, showcasing the strongest alignment pieces at the top of each bulleted section.
• Include phrases that end with "resulting in (the impact you facilitated)" to help show the quantifiable results of your work.
• Use the X-Y-Z formula to frame your career achievements. X = what you achieved. Y = how the achievement was measured. Z = what you did to achieve it. Example: Grew revenue for 15 small business clients (X) by 10% quarter over quarter (Y) by mapping new software features as solutions to their business goals (Z).
• If you’re wondering whether volunteer work belongs in the work experience section, the short answer is… yes, as long as it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for.?

- - - > Here’s an article that shows you how to put volunteer work on your resume.

5. Use a template to help get you started.

No resume template is perfect, and everyone’s situation is different. So, use the following example as a starting point. If you get stuck and need further help, connect with one of the many organizations providing FREE career/resume services to our Military Community. Some of our favorites include Hire Heroes USA , USO Transitions , and American Corporate Partners (ACP) .

?????? Hot Tip: Your targeted resume should be no longer than two pages. If you find it creeping into three-page territory, go back and make some edits. You have about 10 seconds to capture a hiring manager's attention, so make every word count!

Important Note: Never add skills or qualifications to your resume that you don't actually possess. Honesty is always the best policy – especially when it comes to representing your professional history.

HireMilitary can help.

If you apply for a role on our website and we determine that you’re a qualified candidate, we’ll help you target your resume, prepare you for interviews, and advocate on your behalf.

Our recruiters are Veterans and Military Spouses who understand the value of your military background and can help translate your experience into language that will resonate with employers. You don’t have to compete against all the other candidates when our recruiters can cut the line for you!

- - - > Head to HireMilitary.us to find career opportunities for Transitioning Service Members, Veterans, and Military Spouses.