YMCA Employment Programs
How to tailor your résumé to each job posting
13 August 2020 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
A solid résumé is your chance to let your skills, experience, and credentials shine. But believe it or not, a résumé isn’t all about you! You need to show employers why you’re the right pick for them and their company. Our experts from YMCA Employment Services are back with the third blog in a four-part series they created to help you craft your ultimate résumé.
Now that you know your options for résumé formats and what pieces of information belong on a résumé, it’s time to tailor your résumé to each job you’re applying for. Pick one of the postings you’re eying and follow along with these steps to make your résumé impossible to ignore!
1. Do a deep dive on the job posting
Try this exercise to help you examine the job posting and figure out which of your skills, experiences, and qualifications align best with it.
To start, you’ll need two coloured highlighters. Go through the job posting line by line. Use one colour to highlight the skills you possess. Use the other to highlight items or skills that require you to expand your knowledge.
As you go, you’ll start to think about the skills you are highlighting and match them to your own work experiences. This thought process will help you tailor your resume.
2. Research aspects of the posting that aren’t familiar to you
Now you’ve got a job posting with a bunch of unfamiliar items highlighted. Do a little independent research! Check out the company website to learn more about certain aspects of the job responsibilities that may not have seemed clear to you, or Google around to figure out what the employer meant by some of the skills they listed.
Investigating aspects of the job posting you didn’t understand will show the employer your resourcefulness and willingness to learn — great skills you want to show off! When you’re interviewed later, you’ll be able to show how well you understand the company and the role. Even if you’re researching skills you don’t have yet, or work experience you’ve yet to gain, looking into these things will help you demonstrate to the employer that you have a general understanding and, with further training, you can learn much more.
3. Adding your skills to your resume
It’s time to take everything you’ve learned through steps one and two and make your résumé shine!
Go back to your highlighted job posting. Take the skills you highlighted in the first colour — the ones you possess — and start adding them to your résumé using your own words. Check off each highlighted skill as you go until there are no more left to add.
4. Formatting your skills
Depending on the résumé format you’ve chosen, you’ll display your skills a little differently.
When adding skills to your chronological résumé, you’ll place them in two different sections. First, in the “Summary of Skills” section, note the skills in general terms. Then, in the “Employment History” (or “Work Experience”) section, briefly explain how you used the skill in the workplace.
For example, your chronological résumé might look something like this:
Summary of Skills
Employment History
Customer Service Representative March 2014 – Jan 2020
ABC Company
When adding skills to your functional résumé, you’ll do the exact same thing for your “Summary of Skills” section, but then briefly explain how you used the skill in your “Relevant Skills” section.
For example, you’d present the same information we discussed above in the chronological résumé as follows for a functional résumé:
Summary of Skills
Relevant Skills
Communication Skills:
Administrative Skills:
Work Experience
Customer Service Representative ABC Company March 2014 – Jan 2020
That’s it! You now have a résumé that shows exactly how your skills and work experience align with the employer’s needs. Not sure if you nailed it? Get FREE, custom, one-on-one help building your résumé from one of our YMCA Employment Specialists. Book your free appointment today.
Now that you know your options for résumé formats and what pieces of information belong on a résumé, it’s time to tailor your résumé to each job you’re applying for. Pick one of the postings you’re eying and follow along with these steps to make your résumé impossible to ignore!
1. Do a deep dive on the job posting
Try this exercise to help you examine the job posting and figure out which of your skills, experiences, and qualifications align best with it.
To start, you’ll need two coloured highlighters. Go through the job posting line by line. Use one colour to highlight the skills you possess. Use the other to highlight items or skills that require you to expand your knowledge.
As you go, you’ll start to think about the skills you are highlighting and match them to your own work experiences. This thought process will help you tailor your resume.
2. Research aspects of the posting that aren’t familiar to you
Now you’ve got a job posting with a bunch of unfamiliar items highlighted. Do a little independent research! Check out the company website to learn more about certain aspects of the job responsibilities that may not have seemed clear to you, or Google around to figure out what the employer meant by some of the skills they listed.
Investigating aspects of the job posting you didn’t understand will show the employer your resourcefulness and willingness to learn — great skills you want to show off! When you’re interviewed later, you’ll be able to show how well you understand the company and the role. Even if you’re researching skills you don’t have yet, or work experience you’ve yet to gain, looking into these things will help you demonstrate to the employer that you have a general understanding and, with further training, you can learn much more.
3. Adding your skills to your resume
It’s time to take everything you’ve learned through steps one and two and make your résumé shine!
Go back to your highlighted job posting. Take the skills you highlighted in the first colour — the ones you possess — and start adding them to your résumé using your own words. Check off each highlighted skill as you go until there are no more left to add.
4. Formatting your skills
Depending on the résumé format you’ve chosen, you’ll display your skills a little differently.
When adding skills to your chronological résumé, you’ll place them in two different sections. First, in the “Summary of Skills” section, note the skills in general terms. Then, in the “Employment History” (or “Work Experience”) section, briefly explain how you used the skill in the workplace.
For example, your chronological résumé might look something like this:
Summary of Skills
- Outstanding English communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Team player who also works well independently with minimal supervision.
Employment History
Customer Service Representative March 2014 – Jan 2020
ABC Company
- Communicated with 50+ clients daily over the phone and via email providing troubleshooting and billing support.
- Created and participated in team engagement events; won Most Valuable Team Player Award 2019.
When adding skills to your functional résumé, you’ll do the exact same thing for your “Summary of Skills” section, but then briefly explain how you used the skill in your “Relevant Skills” section.
For example, you’d present the same information we discussed above in the chronological résumé as follows for a functional résumé:
Summary of Skills
- Outstanding English communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Team player who also works well independently with minimal supervision.
- Exceptional organization skills with a strong ability to draft statistical reports.
Relevant Skills
Communication Skills:
- Communicated with 50+ clients daily over the phone and via email providing troubleshooting and billing support.
- Created and participated in team engagement events; won Most Valuable Team Player Award 2019.
Administrative Skills:
- Organized and stored client data to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
- Extracted data and drafted reports for end of month statistics.
Work Experience
Customer Service Representative ABC Company March 2014 – Jan 2020
That’s it! You now have a résumé that shows exactly how your skills and work experience align with the employer’s needs. Not sure if you nailed it? Get FREE, custom, one-on-one help building your résumé from one of our YMCA Employment Specialists. Book your free appointment today.
