I’m amazed at the number of resumes we receive at Alexander Appointments which fail to address the actual requirements of the job applied for.

Some resumes and letters are, not only off-track, but completely wrong! Take for example this lead sentence for an accounts all-rounder position: “I am very eager to apply for the Accounts Payable role advertised.” It is obvious that this is the lead sentence from a previously-applied position and is not intended for the actual position advertised. This cut-and-paste approach to job applications does not look good.

When applying for specific roles, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of tailoring your resume to the specifications of the ad. That is, addressing the advertised essentials and desirables will maximise your chances of moving to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Resumes are usually the first point of contact between job applicants and their prospective employers. They should be viewed like a personal advertisement, billboard or marketing tool to showcase your skills and experience. Your resume is the first opportunity to really stand out and get a foot in the door.

Understanding how recruiters and employers assess resumes is vital because it highlights just how detrimental it is to flick out generic versions of your experience. Time and time again, we see the same resume used for one job application after another. Often, a resume contains information not relevant to the application while, at other times, a crucial skill-set or experience is completely omitted.

We learn and develop many skills throughout our working lives. However, we don’t often realise that some of these are valuable and definitely worth mentioning in our resumes. Take for example, an accountant who has covered a receptionist’s duties for a period while their department was understaffed. At first, this may not seem like something worthy of inclusion in a resume. However, let’s say a future opportunity is advertised which requires some level of customer service, even as a desirable. Mentioning this experience could be what gets this person across to the next stage of the recruitment process!

Therefore, you need to step back and carefully analyse all your experience. You should then be prepared to highlight this on your resume when it is applicable to the role and advertised requirements. An example of this could be, changing the words “I relieved reception” to “I relieved reception - dealt with a variety of different client types.” This slight change to your resume could prove advantageous if the job required experience interacting with diverse communities.

I’m sure you are now starting to see that resume-writing is, and should be, a constantly-evolving exercise. Your resume must change and adapt to best match your skills to the advertised role.

In my opinion, candidates need to employ a level of creativity in presenting their experience on their resume. The only way to maximise your chances of selection to the next stage of a job application is to take the time to tailor the information you present to highlight the relevance of your experience. Just like a marketing specialist needs to look for an angle when working on a campaign, so too must a job seeker work out how to highlight their obvious, and more importantly, “hidden experience”. It could well be the secret to catching the eye of the recruiter!

If you feel you need some tips on how to better present your resume for a specific role, our consultants at Alexander Appointments are happy to assist.