Constructing your resume can be a tedious task and typically entails long hours of determining the most important details of your past work experience to list to represent your work capabilities. A quality resume can often be the difference between getting invited to an interview and being rejected immediately. However, instead of simply compiling one general resume for all jobs, it is actually an excellent plan to choose to create several job-specific resumes.
• A job-specific resume should show potential employers that you actually have experience specific to that field and not just work experience in general. This factor may be important for setting your application apart from those of other applicants, and this will most certainly give you an edge up when being considered for a job. To best do this, avoid listing too many non job-specific past career experiences on your resume. A resume is traditionally written in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent point of employment and working backwards from there. Choose only the most job-relevant past work experiences to record on your resume so that your resume is not cluttered with unrelated, random experiences that might distract a potential employer from seeing that you actually have qualifications specific for the job to which you are applying.
• Creating a specialized resume better showcases your strong desire to acquire the job. Employers and hiring staff can easily determine the difference between a generalized application that has submitted to a dozen different jobs and a specified resume that has been created for an exact position. Although creating such a job-specific resume will undoubtedly take more time, potential employers also usually appreciate this extra step that shows to them how much you truly want the job.
• Additionally, a job-specific resume can include a highlighted focus of your educational background if necessary. Often entry level applicants do not have an extensive job-related history of employment simply because they have been spending most of their time being trained in educational settings. If this is your case, take advantage of a job-specific resume to include a section dedicated to the classroom experiences that may be relevant to the job to which you are applying. For example, if you are seeking a position in a chemistry laboratory setting, a job-specific resume gives you an appropriate place to list all of the courses (such as Chemical Instrumentation, Physical Chemistry Lab, Quantitative Analysis, etc.) that provide you with an educational qualification for the job.
• Finally, a job-specific resume can be easily strengthened by a job-specific cover letter. Whereas general resumes often seem to be unrelated to job-specific cover letters, carefully constructed resumes correlate perfectly with them. Take advantage of your cover letter to highlight the key experiences and qualifications (later detailed in your resume) that make you the ideal candidate for this specific job—not just any job in general. This will further impress upon the hiring employers your desire to work for their company and not to just work anywhere in general.
Although taking the time to compile specific resumes for each job you apply to may seem too tedious and time consuming, doing so can definitely increase your chance of getting a job. Show the best of yourself to all potential employees by taking a little extra time when constructing your application. Once you get the job, it will definitely be well worth the extra time in the long run.
Will writes on behalf of a number of businesses on topics ranging from Flexible Benefits Administration to holiday destinations. He enjoys reading design and technology blogs and is currently leaning HTML coding. Any opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the businesses Will writes for.
Originally posted 2012-12-24 14:01:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
