One CV does not fit all applications

How would you feel if you were going out for a night on the town and your partner turned up in a 'one size fits all' outfit?

Just as there are codes for clothes, whether you are going to the beach, a banquet or a wild night on the town, the same applies to resumes.
If you think that 'one resume fits all applications' - think again.

Resumes must be customised to meet the requirements of the job. You may have created a beautifully written masterpiece about yourself on paper.

However, if you are applying for a good job, you can bet that your CV is going to rub shoulders with the resumes of around 300 other hopefuls.

Little wonder that the 'one size fits all' approach does not work.

It does not matter how persistent you are. We helped one Melbourne man to get an interview by changing his approach to sending out resumes. The man had sent off 700 resumes and the response was a resounding silence. His problem centred around his use of the one size fits all approach to resume writing.

So, here is what to do. Think about what the employer wants in terms of the ideal candidate. Consider the competencies that are required to tempt the employer into seeing you and then reconstruct your resume accordingly.

If you have both technical and management skills and you are going for a management job then put all your management responsibilities and achievements first then put down your technical skills and qualifications.

You may be going for a job similar to the one you had before your current job. If so, keep details about your present role as brief as possible and expand information on your previous job thus changing the shape and emphasis of your resume.

It's also important to leave out the dates of the various courses you have been on.

Follow this advice and you'll list the training that's most relevant to the job application you are making first.

For instance, if you are going for a sales job it is much better to list the program you went on five years ago on Technical Selling first rather than the Equal Opportunity program you went on last month.

You can even alter the way you detail your interests.

Say, for instance, your interests are reading novels, dancing and playing squash and you are going for a sales job.

Obviously, you would put squash as your main interest because it is individual and a highly competitive sport. If the employer wants highly competitive and individual sales people you can automatically show the link between the job requirements and you the applicant.

Be successful!

* Interim is a career coaching firm based in Sydney that helps indivduals as well as companies to maximise career performance.