A Lesson in the Importance of Customizing Each Resume

I know, I know ... it takes a lot of time to "tweak" each resume and cover letter. I've had clients who send me new job postings and invest in my expertise. A quick tweak may take me 20 minutes and more complex roles could take an hour's time.

It's a lot of cross-checking and replacing language and even reconstructing bullets to fit the role beautifully!

The other day a new client worried that her resume does not contain the same info as her on-line application. She realized it after the fact and wondered how she might address it at an interview, if asked. (If you are not asked about something, please don't bring the team's attention to something that is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.)

At worst, it demonstrates that she does not customize her resumes; at best, it won't be noticed.

How to handle at the interview? In her case it was a case of training completed in the 1980s, which she is right to leave off her resume, but which for some reason she felt compelled to include in the on-line questionnaire. (Those on-line applications can be tedious, as many clients have lamented, and that may lull us into forgetting to think strategically. And perhaps we are rushing through, in an effort to get through those darned things!)

A good start to a strategic response might be:

"Yes, I realized afterwards that I don't typically mention that training any more as what I learned there is now a bit behind the times, and what I've learned on the job is so much more advanced."

- Offering effective interview coaching, and working to your job search success - Stephanie :-)