Tailoring Your Resume Isn't Cheating
Some job-seekers paint their skills and experiences in identical language whenever they send out a resume or go to an interview. That's a mistake.
Do you ever feel pigeonholed when you’re looking for a job? Well, make sure that it’s not you who’s doing pigeonholing.
pigeonhole - place intoa small compartment
Some job-seekers paint their skills and experiences in identical language whenever they send out a resume or go to the interview. That is a mistake. You absolutely have to reposition yourself for each opportunity. Ask yourself what would be a most interest to this employer. Then you have to answer with things that are most important to them.
Is it dishonest to playup those parts of your background that related to the role that youseek? No! We’re not talking about misstating facts or lying which you obviously should never do. We are talking about positioning yourself so the first thing, a potential employer sees is how well you fit with their organization.
- Play up: v. foreground: move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
It’s perfectly legitimate to rephrase past job titles as long as rewarding reflects either the actual function you performed or your level of responsibility. It’s also legitimate to modify job descriptions. Moving to the top those achievements or activities that related most closely to specific role applying for now (example of ‘play up’).
For example, maybe you’re a programmer, but you’ve demonstrated exceptional interpersonal skills, suitable for marketing or sales. Techies have made moves like that based on how well they’ve managed their internal relationships. In that case the thing to do is emphasize your communications ability.
Another example, if you’ve got tons of international experience, but the jobs you’re applying for are all domestic, just remove the word ‘international’ from your resume where you can. Your accomplishments are still valid without it. And you’ll put yourself into the context of the job you see posted.
I’m cat Miller, this has been DiceTV. And now we return to your regular desktop.