You have found a job that interests you. You meet several of the qualifications, have relevant education or experience, and are ready to apply. But before submitting the same résumé you use for every application, take a few minutes to tailor it to the position.
Tailoring your résumé does not mean inventing experience or rewriting the entire document. It means helping an employer see the connection between what you have done and what the position requires.
A few thoughtful changes can make your application more relevant and easier to evaluate.
Here are six practical steps to help you tailor your résumé for a job.
1. Read the Job Description Carefully
Start by reading the entire job description, not just the job title and required qualifications.
Pay attention to the responsibilities, required skills, education, software, and experience the employer mentions. Look for tasks that appear repeatedly or receive particular emphasis.
For example, an administrative assistant position might emphasize:
- Scheduling and organization
- Written communication
- Microsoft Office
- Recordkeeping
- Customer service
A community outreach position might place greater emphasis on:
- Community engagement
- Communication with different groups
- Event coordination
- Documentation
- Teamwork
These differences matter. Two positions may use similar job titles but require different skills.
Your first task is to understand what the employer needs.
2. Identify the Skills You Can Honestly Demonstrate
Once you understand the job requirements, compare them with your own experience.
Create a short list of the skills the employer requests and examples from your education, employment, internships, volunteer activities, or academic projects that demonstrate those skills.
For example:
| Job requirement | Possible evidence |
|---|---|
| Written communication | Research papers or reports |
| Organization | Coordinating a student event |
| Data management | Maintaining project records |
| Teamwork | Completing a group assignment |
| Customer service | Assisting customers in a part-time job |
These are examples, not automatic qualifications. Include them only when they reflect activities you have actually completed.
You may not meet every preferred qualification. Focus on the requirements you can demonstrate rather than trying to make your background appear more extensive than it is.
3. Adjust Your Résumé Summary
If your résumé includes a professional summary, use it to connect your background with the position.
Avoid generic statements that could describe almost any applicant, such as “hardworking individual seeking an opportunity to grow.”
Instead, briefly identify your relevant background and strengths.
For example, a student applying for an administrative role might write:
“Business student with experience coordinating group projects, preparing reports, and organizing information. Interested in applying communication, organizational, and computer skills in an administrative position.”
This summary works because it connects the applicant’s education and experience to the type of work involved.
You do not need a summary on every résumé. If your education and experience already communicate your qualifications clearly, you can begin directly with those sections.
4. Put the Most Relevant Experience First
You do not always need to list every experience in the same order for every application.
If you are applying for a research assistant position, a research project may deserve more attention than an unrelated part-time job. If you are applying for a customer service role, your experience assisting customers may be more relevant.
You can also adjust the order of sections.
For a recent graduate, education and relevant projects may appear near the top. For someone with several years of relevant employment, the experience section will often deserve greater emphasis.
Keep dates and descriptions accurate. Tailoring changes the emphasis of your résumé, not the facts.
5. Use Clear, Specific Language
Job descriptions often use terms such as “coordinate,” “analyze,” “prepare,” “communicate,” and “maintain.”
When these terms accurately describe your experience, you can use similar language in your résumé.
For example, compare these descriptions:
Less specific:
“Helped with a group project.”
More specific:
“Worked with four classmates to review research findings and prepare a written report on a community issue.”
The second example explains the activity and gives the employer a clearer picture of your contribution.
Do not simply copy phrases from the job description. Show how your own experience relates to the work.
6. Review Your Résumé Before Submitting It
Before applying, compare your revised résumé with the job description one more time.
Ask yourself:
- Does my résumé emphasize the qualifications most relevant to this position?
- Have I included specific examples of my skills?
- Are the dates, qualifications, and responsibilities accurate?
- Have I included relevant words from the job description where appropriate?
- Is the document easy to read?
- Have I checked spelling, grammar, and formatting?
If the employer requests a particular file format, follow those instructions. Also check that your résumé remains readable when opened on another computer or uploaded to an application system.
Save a separate copy for each application if you make substantial changes. This makes it easier to remember which version you submitted.
Final Thoughts
Tailoring your résumé is about making relevant experience easier to recognize. It does not require a completely new document for every job.
Start with a clear résumé, understand what the employer is looking for, and make thoughtful changes to your summary, skills, and experience sections.
The result should be an honest account of your background that clearly explains why your experience is relevant to the position.
Ready to update your résumé?
Use the free CV Perfector résumé builder to organize your education, experience, and skills. You can also explore our résumé templates and examples to choose a layout that suits your needs.