Marsha Hebert 
You only need one resume in your job-search arsenal, but it should be tailored to each job you apply to.
Everyone knows that you can't throw a single resume at a bunch of job openings and hope that something sticks. This has also brought about a common misconception that you need more than one resume to land a new role; the idea behind this is that separate resumes match different jobs.
The truth is, you only need ONE resume that you tailor (or customize) for each job description. Let's talk about how to tailor your resume to a specific job description.
A “keyword-rich” resume is a tailored resume
Every resume writer will tell you that it's important to have an accomplishment-driven resume that's keyword-rich. All job descriptions have specific duties listed that are requirements of the job they seek to fill.
That means the job seekers who stand out among other candidates are the ones who take the time to make their resume match the job description's keywords.
Your hard skills and soft skills are your keywords
The first step in building your resume doesn't begin with your resume — that's putting the cart before the horse. You first have to know which skills you possess.
The best way to identify your skills is to make a list. Obviously, you know what your skills are, but having them on paper (or a Word document) helps when it's time to wordsmith your resume.
Hard skills: These are skills that you've acquired over the course of your career. These are often measurable and are obtained through education and experience. Some examples include project management, technical skills, marketing, presentations, and financial analysis.
Soft skills: Soft skills are a reflection of your personality and the character traits you have which allow you to perform your job well. Some examples include leadership, emotional intelligence, team player, adaptability, and work ethic.
Compare your skills to a job description
Let's take a look at the Medical Assistant job description found in the article entitled “Sample Job Descriptions to Help You Enhance Your Resume.”
Job description title
Obviously, the first thing you'll notice is the title, “Medical Assistant.” Those two words should appear in the title or headline of your resume. Just like the title of the job description is the first thing you notice, the title/headline of your resume will be the first thing a hiring manager notices.
Position summary
After the title, you'll see a paragraph or two that is a high-level overview of the position. This is an excellent place for finding keywords. As you refer back to the Medical Assistant job description, here are some of the relevant keywords:
-
examine, treat, and interview patients
-
measure vital signs
-
patient charts
-
blood samples
-
prepare lab specimens
-
costs of care
-
dictation
-
greet visitors
-
medical assistant certificate
How many of these skills are on your list of hard and soft skills?
Responsibilities of the job
After the position summary, there's almost always a bulleted list of responsibilities; these are key tasks that you must perform on a daily basis. As you go through these bullets, you'll see a lot of repeated information from the summary.
While you don't want to be repetitive on your resume because redundancy is frowned upon, you do want to provide the proper emphasis to the appropriate keywords.
In revisiting the job description for Medical Assistant, the first five bullets relay the same basic information from the summary. However, you'll notice that the bullets provide more detail.
For example, while you already know that you will have to greet visitors, the bullets show that not only do you have to greet them, but you must also accompany them to the exam room. This means that patient relations is a key component of the job.
Job qualifications
While the Medical Assistant job description that we're using here doesn't specifically state the required qualifications, you'll often need to review this section of the job description for relevant information. This is where you'll find out the number of years of experience and the level of education you need, among other things.
At this point, you should have a solid list of skills that you can use to tailor your resume.
It's not enough to simply list the skills
As you weave the skills into the verbiage of your resume, avoid copying and pasting the skills directly from the job description. You have to provide details and, more importantly, the accomplishments you have surrounding those skills.
Many people get overwhelmed by having to come up with achievements but it isn't a difficult thing to do. Let's look at an example.
The Medical Assistant job description said that one of the skills you need to have is the ability to take and record vital signs. A great way to note this skill on your resume in a way that shows achievement is by using verbiage that looks something like this:
Employed advanced knowledge of patient interaction, medical office procedures, and charting to take and record the vital signs of approximately 20 patients per day.
How do you know if you've got a properly tailored resume?
The best way to know whether your resume is ready to be submitted for a job opening is to let TopResume review your resume — it's free. Here your resume will be tested to see if it will pass an ATS scan, and you'll know if you have the right keywords, if the resume is aesthetically pleasing to a hiring manager, and if it positions you as the candidate companies seek.
If your resume doesn't look too great after our free review, don't sweat just yet. Our professional resume writers can help you craft the perfect document.