Targeted Resume

"Even though preparing a ‘Targeted Resume’ may simply seem to be just fine-tuning your existing resume, however, we understand that it is easier said than done."

Resumes can be of many types depending upon their format. Every company has set a particular format of resume in order to accept applications from candidates. Considering the standard format, the different types of resumes are as follows -

In order to understand the true purport of a ‘Targeted Resume’ we need to understand the meaning of ‘Targeted Recruitment’ first. Many companies and organisations keep a particular variant of applicants in mind before they jump into the process of hiring. It is, as if, they brief their hiring managers or third party recruiters as to what kind of potential employees they are looking to hire.

It is therefore quite possible that even in a particular industry, employers may have different brackets within which they are looking to hire. It is quite natural for companies to look for certain types of people or a particular grade of potential employees to fill in a specific job position. Not every job description is suitable for you, even if there is any vacation.

That is why it is a real possibility that your application may go unnoticed even before it reaches the small pool of applications which are selected for job interviews.

However, with a ‘Targeted Resume’ you will be able to keep your resume dead straight, meant to crack the particular job description you are applying for. It is therefore clear from the title that you need to push the job specific qualities and skills ahead of other skill sets in order to get through.

Even though preparing a ‘Targeted Resume’ may simply seem to be just fine-tuning your existing resume, however, we understand that it is easier said than done.

How to write a Targeted Resume?

It is obvious that you are not expected to re-write the entirety of your resume every time you are applying for a job. However, if you can manage to adjust your profile in the correct way, chances of you landing yourself with a job becomes higher.

When an organization goes for job specific hiring or recruitment they look to tick off a few checkboxes on the way to the selection process. Here is what you should do -

Emphasize on your profile description

Every good resume has a section describing your profile as a suitable candidate in a summarized manner. So the first step would be to highlight those areas of you or your career which closely resembles the job position on offer. Make sure that you put forward the best-suited qualities and skill sets required for the specific job right at the top beneath your contact details.

Why do I need a summary statement or a profile description?

  • We will be able to stand out in the crowd
  • The reader will know that you are crafty enough to sell yourself in the best possible manner you could fathom
  • Such a relief for your recruiter or the hiring manager because he/she need not scan the entire document in order to understand who you are
  • Your recruiter will know that you are capable of handling professional communication with a tinge of panache and this is always a beneficial factor which will work in favour of you

    • If you are writing a cover letter you should highlight some points like the qualificatGet this straight - This twenty second read is the hammer and your recruiter’s mind is the nail.

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    How should I write my own professional summary statement?

    • Try to think of a few words which define you and your work ethics as a professional. This use of words is likely to differ from job to job as well as one industry to the other.
    • These keywords and the statement as a whole should be informative. All your credentials, acquired knowledge, your educational qualifications and your work experience must be put forward as precisely as possible.
    • You must ensure that your recruiter or the hiring manager understands that you enjoy your work. With an appropriate use of humour, you can grab their attention irretrievably.
    • Make sure you put forward your work ethics and work culture in there somewhere in order to make a good impression.
    • Amidst all of this, do not waver from the original idea of enlisting your job specific abilities.


    Example 1

    Strongly driven by ethics, unwavering focus, goal oriented, perfectionist and a reliable team player with excellent capabilities to control and manage teams. Energy powerhouse, sound technical understanding of key managerial work load. Creatively handling personnel for over 15 years. Believer in the omnipotence of knowledge. Yoga practitioner with a love for ‘The Beatles’. Hardworking and hopeful instead of ‘hopefully hardworking’ or even worse ‘hardly hopeful’. A solution seeker and a go-getter. Large scale social media networking to get valuable words across. Ability to explain situations and instructions to everyone with an empathetic approach. Astounding analytical bent of mind with a voice against environmental degradation.

    Edit your resume to fit in the job description as closely as possible -

    Your qualification in a ‘Targeted resume’ is not the college degree or a simpliciter 5 to 7 years of experience in a job environment. Your qualification here would be a combination of your skill sets, your experience and your educational background which is closely suitable to the job.

    When you are fine-tuning your resume, make sure you focus predominantly on selling yourself to the recruiter or the hiring manager.

    Try to sit over for an afternoon session of a detailed research and analysis of a particular job position. Once you are done researching you will be able to see for yourself what are the essentials of that particular job position.

    Many times a particular job uses a set of keywords. Use a set of keywords and make it your pillar based on which you prepare the resume or edit the existing one accordingly. Most importantly, always remember that the overall tenor of your story (read Resume) and the backdrop (in your CV) must aid the frontline story i.e., your Summary Statement.

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    Essentials only

    It is important to note that just because you will carry keywords in your resume won’t necessarily cut the ice for you. We already know that keywords are there to ensure we do better in the ‘Applicant Tracking System’. However, once your resume gets through the system it is left for human eyes to judge you and they will take a few seconds to do it.

    Do not be over enthusiastic about what you put in your ‘Targeted Resume’. Try to keep it as minimal and sophisticated as possible. It is not just about pushing the important credentials upwards in your resume and then leaving everything else as it is.

    If you do that, it will look cumbersome and your one page crisp resume will become two pages of literature. So make sure you keep your resume crisp, clean and to the point as indicated above.

    Proofreading

    As usual you need to go over your resume several times to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Try to make someone read your resume who knows how hiring agencies go through CV or resumes.

    Visit our series"The HR Talk” where we help you know everything about your job interview from the recruiters. Try CV Owl as we help you furnish a fully-formatted in a chronological order resume or cover letter.

    You can also try our CV Review service, through which you get a CV writing expert reviewing the insight of your CV and advising you, so that you can make your CV stand out.

    Namratta Sarkar
    Career Expert at CV Owl
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