How to customize your resume based on the position — Jessica’s Career Tip of the Week

A resume is something many students struggle with as they start applying to jobs and internships. There are countless ways to write it with so many factors to keep in mind while writing it. It is easy to get caught up in focusing on your own skills and experiences and forget about the qualifications required for the position you are applying for. Tailoring your resume to the position you’re applying for is essential when applying to jobs and internships for a number of reasons. It is necessary to capture the attention of the employer, effectively demonstrate what you have to offer and express your interest in the company. Here are a few ways you can customize your resume based on the position you are applying for.

We can start off at the summary at the top of your resume. Your summary should tell the person reading your resume a little more about yourself. This is a perfect place to mention the technical skills you are strong in and are interested in working with. To take it a step further, you could take a look at the job description for the position you are applying to. Most positions list the technical skills required for the job. If you notice that you are strong in any of the skills they mentioned, great! You can include those in your summary and when the recruiter reads your resume, they will immediately notice that the skills you mentioned in your summary match up with what they were looking for.

Another way to customize your resume to the position is in the skills section. Similar to your summary, if you take a look at the job description and find out that you have some of the skills that the position is looking for, make sure to mention all of those in your skills section. Unlike your summary, you can list as many skills as you have in this section, and you can mention them explicitly so it is good to take advantage of this.

The best way to customize your resume and have it stand out is by showing off your projects and work experiences. Make sure to list all the projects and internships/jobs you have had that use the skills listed in the job description. Getting projects and work experience that use the technical skills listed on job descriptions is the best way to get noticed and move on in the hiring process because it shows the employers that you have worked with these skills in the past and don’t need to learn how to use them once you start working.

If you are looking through the job descriptions and feel that you don’t have any of the skills they are looking for, don’t worry! This is an amazing opportunity to go out and work on a project or find a lab/class where you can learn the skills. By doing so, you will gain more experience and have a good chance of getting an interview when you apply in the future.

**This blog was written by Prashant Mokkapati