Before you even start, make sure that you truly have the experience that the company is looking for. Or at least, that you can make the case that you can do the job well. Assess your experience, your strengths and your education. Does it fit with the position? Don’t waste the hiring manager’s time by applying to a manager position that requires 5 years of management experience when you are an entry level applicant. If this is the company that you want to work for but you don’t have the experience for the job, start networking with people who already work there. Gain connections. That way when a job opens up that really does need someone with your experience, you will be ready.

After making sure that you are an appropriate candidate, it’s time to adapt your resume to appeal to the specific recruiter or hiring manager.

How to do that? Here are some tips:

Tip #1 Research Research Research!

We are living in the age of information overload. Use it to your advantage! LinkedIn, Glassdoor, even just a simple google search will bring up loads of information regarding the company that you are applying. You can read reviews from current employees, find out what questions were asked in interviews and how long the hiring process generally takes, look at multiple job listings to see what type of employee that they value the most, research the company’s market segment and figure out who your position will report to, among other things! Use this information to tailor your resume to highlight your skills and experience that the company representatives would want to see. Obviously, be truthful, but know who they are looking for!

Tip #2 Catch their attention quickly.

Know that your audience is busy and will take a mere 6 seconds to look at your resume – sometimes less. If they don’t see something that interests them in the first 6 seconds, that resume is going in the trash folder.

Notice I said trash “folder”. Assume that your audience will be looking at your resume on a computer screen – not printed out. Make it attractive for someone looking at the screen. This means white space, easy to read, easy to pick keywords out and have it draw the eye down the page.

Tip #3 Adapt your resume to the needs of the company

It’s easy to fall into a “me-me-me” mindset when you’re knee deep in a job search. After all, you’re making a huge change in your life. The more you can put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager, the better your resume will appear. The hiring manager’s job is not to hire the person that wants the job the most (although, of course, excitement for the company can go a long way). The hiring manager’s job is to find the person that fits the requirements of the position and the culture of the company.

One of the best ways to do this, is to ditch the objective section and, instead, write a Summary of Qualifications. If you were trying to get through a stack of 200 resumes looking for someone with 10 years of experience managing a retail store, which resume would make you want to read more:

Of course the resume with the Summary of Qualifications! Recruiters are skimmers. They want to look at your resume and immediately see a reason to look closer. If not… into the trash folder!

Tip #4 Follow up… kindly.

Give it some time. If you still haven’t heard anything from the hiring manager or recruiter after 2 weeks, send a follow up email or give them a call. But please be kind. There is nothing that turns a hiring manager off more than a candidate who is rude on the follow up. Don’t burn bridges!

Do you have any tips for writing your resume to address your audience? I’d love to hear them in the comments!