When applying for a position online, you may wonder:
What happens when I apply to a job online?Is my résumé being taken over by robots? (AKA applicant tracking systems)Is an actual human being ever going to read my résumé?
These are all excellent questions, and the only way to give your résumé the best chance possible to beat the applicant tracking systems is to tailor your résumé. This is a phrase that is often used in the job seeking world, but it is rarely explained.
Step #1: Establish an excellent master résumé:
Constantly needing to tailor your résumé can wear you down. Therefore, the best tool for you job search is to have a résumé that can be tailored fairly quickly and easily.By having a master résumé that encompasses all of your experience and skills you will have a resource that you can consistently pull information from in order to target your résumé.. Hire Heroes USA offers specialized résumé writing support, and a Veteran Transition Specialist can help you identify what your top accomplishments are while simultaneously adding quantitative and qualitative information to your résumé. Hire Heroes USA also provides you with a résumé template that can be easily tailored towards a specific job opening. When you work with a Veteran Transition Specialist, you have someone on your team who has the skills to review your résumé to ensure it is tailored correctly.
Step #2: Ask yourself one question:
Ultimately your résumé is a strategic marketing document and the information within needs to emphasize your skills and experience that is most relevant to the position you are applying for. When deciding what to include in your résumé, be sure to ask yourself the following question:
Is this experience relevant to the position I am applying for?
On average, recruiters only look at your résumé for 6-7 seconds. Therefore, they need to see your most significant and relevant experience quickly and easily. Because of this quick scan, you need to have a strong summary of qualifications within your résumé which highlights your top industry-related accomplishments.
Step #3: Identify keywords/phrases:
The best rule of thumb when identifying keywords/phrases is to determine the number of times a specific word shows up within that job description. There are two resources you can use: Wordle and Word Counter. Also, you want to make sure to identify the action words within the job description. Here is an example job description with keywords in bold:
3-5 years project management experienceBachelor’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Logistics, or other relevant field preferredDetail oriented with strong organization skillsExperience developing custom manufactured retail products a plusExperience with vendor relationship managementExperience with Microsoft Word and ExcelExcellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present information clearly and concisely
Step #4: Contact Cassie Olson at Career Confidence, or if you are an active duty service member, veterans, or spouse contact a Veteran Transition Specialist at Hire Heroes USA today!
The best way to give your résumé a fighting chance is to talk to a Veteran Transition Specialist, who will help ensure your résumé is on-target. At Hire Heroes USA, we specialize in translating your military experience while guiding and supporting you throughout your job search. If you are a military member, veteran, or a spouse and are interested in your free résumé revision, visit us atwww.hireheroesusa.org
Post by Cassie Olson, Veteran Transition Specialist and Professional Resume Writer, Colorado Springs. If you are interested in working with the Colorado Springs Office, please contact Cassie at colson@hireheroesusa.org or call 719-358-3691.