Many professionals write one resume and send it everywhere.
Then they wonder why nobody calls.
Recruiters aren’t looking for the best resume.
They’re looking for the most relevant resume.
Every organisation has different priorities. Every role emphasises different skills.
If you’re applying for a Talent Acquisition role, your hiring achievements should take centre stage.
If you’re applying for an HR Business Partner role, showcase business partnering, workforce planning and stakeholder management.
Read the job description carefully.
Highlight the skills, technologies and competencies the employer repeatedly mentions.
Then reflect those naturally in your resume.
You’re not changing your experience.
You’re changing the emphasis.
This approach also helps your resume perform better in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which search for relevant keywords before a recruiter even opens your application.
Tailoring your resume may take an extra 20 minutes.
It could save you months of unsuccessful applications.
Takeaway: The best resume isn’t the one you’ve already written. It’s the one you’ve written for this job.
Next in the series: The ATS myth, and how to make technology work for you.