Five Steps to a Customized Resume System

Looking for a job and submitting your resume to different companies and not getting a callback can be frustrating. Applying to several different companies using the same resume could be one contributor to this problem.

In order to stand out in this competitive market, it becomes necessary to take actions we wouldn't normally take, such as customizing a resume for each employer you are submitting it to.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? With a system, you can achieve this and make progress in your job search.

1. Make a spreadsheet tracking your job search. Name and save your file.
   
   
2. Create the following columns:
   (a) Contact Information,
   (b) Position Applied,
   (c) Job Description Main points,
   (d) Company Information, i.e., mission and values, culture.
   
   Understandably, this file may become huge if you are applying for 50-100 or more employers. Use this sytem only for those employers that you think are best suited for your background and interests.
   
   
3. Create a master resume file. Put your master resume, the one you have been submitting to all prospective employers up until now, into a folder called, "Master Resume."
   
   
4. Create a folder for each prospective employer. This is where you will be saving each resume you customize for prospective employers. You must treat each prospective employer like its own entity (which it is, in fact). No two employers are the same, even though you may be applying for the same type of position.
   
   
5. Start customizing! Armed with this organization and information from your spreadsheet, you can now begin to tackle each employer by:
   
   (a) copying your master resume ("Save as"),
   
   (b) saving it with the employer's name,
   
   (c) placing it in that employer's folder which you created,
   
   (d) based upon the information you collected in your spreadsheet, think about how you can use that information to customize some key points in your past experience that you already indicate on your resume to better create a "match" between you and the company you are applying for,
   
   (e) try to use the company's "language" in terms of values and the mission statement; you may want to check their website for this.

Once you've implemented this sytem, customizing your resume for each employer will put you in a much stronger position to finding that suitable job, as employers will pick up on this and see that you are serious about working for them and have done your homework on them.

Suggested reading:
Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer

EditNY can help you create customized resumes, spruce up an existing resume, or create a resume in general, if you have none. Contact EditNY.

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