So, what is a targeted resumé, why do so many employers want them, and how to write exactly that?

What is a targeted resumé?

A targeted resumé is a tailored resumé you write for a particular job.  But while a targeted resumé is a tailored resumé, not all tailored resumés are targeted resumés. 

The style of the targeted resumé

So what's the difference?  While they both have sections the employer expects to see, the targeted resumé is more edited to the requirements of a particular job, whereas a tailored resumé can be over ten pages long!   Even your master resumé should be tailored.  That way, it can be organized well enough so you can keep track of your career progress, and you can use it as reference material to create as many targeted resumés as you want!

As its purpose suggests, since a targeted resumé aims for a particular job, you should write one for each.  Ah, but that’s time-consuming, not the mention confusing!

This is where working smart partners with working hard.  Continually updating tools such as your master resumé and a spreadsheet of jobs you've applied for helps you immensely in your job search. 

But what if you're applying to a bunch of employers or applying for multiple similar jobs at the same time?  Employers still like the extra effort.  They like knowing that you took the time to address them well and think about their specific needs.  Besides… 

If you want to irritate an employer, send them the same generic resumé every two weeks.  That's why targeted resumés land you in more interview seats.

That rhymes!  At least that way you might remember it more.

There is an exception to creating a targeted resumé  for every job, however.  When you are applying for jobs in a particular industry, and you're going to job fairs, or emailing your resumé to people in your network who can help you find a job or can refer you to someone who can, the resumé that you use will be a form of targeted resumé called a networking resumé.  It is a bit more generic, doesn't address a specific employer, but still has all the keywords they would expect, especially pertaining to skills they require. 

If you write every resumé as a tailored resumé, it will have all the sections employers expect to see.  At the very least, these are: contact information, job title (or career title), highlights (for Canadian resumés) or profile and skills (for  U.S. resumés), experience, and education and training. 

Each experience entry and education entry should be written in reverse chronological order. 

The type of targeted resumé

The type of resumé you write matters.  Use the type that showcases your skills and experience the best. 

Although the job market has advanced in the past decades, many employers still prefer the traditional resumé which is the chronological resumé that focuses more on experience.  Whereas, functional resumés are preferred by more creative industries, and that resumé type focuses more on skills.  However, because of the focus on both skills and experience as of two decades ago, the hybrid resumé that focuses on both skills and experience is most advantageous for candidates. 

Many employers may say they want a chronological resumé, but the way they describe the required skills on their job posting means that you are writing a hybrid resumé for them anyways.  Detailing skills will also get you more interviews, as employers are interested in your proficiency with these skills and how you are using them. 

In every resumé, when mentioning experience entries and education and training entries, they are done in reverse chronological order. 

The cover letter precedes it

Regardless of the type of resumé (chronological, targeted, or hybrid) you choose to write for your targeted resumé, having a (cover letter) that precedes the it is a good idea to show that you can address someone properly, and respond to them letter format.  And a resumé is often a response to a posting or need.

Since the resumé is more of a structured document, you can add a bit more of your personality in a cover letter. 

Job applications may ask you to copy and paste the body of your cover letter in a text box.  And when you are emailing your resumé to someone, the email body can act as the cover letter.  Even so, it is still a good idea to include the cover letter as an attachment as you would the resumé , or make the resumé a combination resumé by having the first page be the cover letter.  This way, whoever your resumé gets forwarded to gets to see your cover letter as well.  If you were to only include your cover letter in the email body, it could get piled on by a long string of emails. 

The first half of page one (job title, and highlights or profile and skills)

The first half of page one of the resumé is often taken up by your contact information, job title, and highlights (or profile and skills).  If this goes over half a page, that’s acceptable.

Contact information shows your name (preferred name in brackets), phone number and email address.  (It might also include a link to your LinkedIn profile or a link to your portfolio.)

Objective statements are 

 becoming obsolete, because what you’d write there is included in either the highlights or profile anyway.  Therefore, objective statements are better replaced with job titles instead.  It is acceptable to use the job title with the employer, e.g. Barista at Starbucks.  That way, when your resumé is printed or forwarded, and things get mixed up (and things do get mixed up!) no one is confused about the job you’re applying for.  The job title should also match the subject line of your cover letter or email. 

This section usually follows a general order as a tailored resumé.  This order can be used a sa framework for targeted resumés relevant to what a posting is asking for.  The order is years of experience, education and training, hard skills, soft skills, and other qualifications. 

But what exactly do you write for this content?  The job posting requirements section is a great guide.  You can also research the organization online to learn more about their values.  Find keywords from the posting and your research.

The highlights or profile and skills section uses the most keywords on a resumé.  This is often why employers at it first.  

In this section, detail your skills well by including proficiency levels for the most important ones (the ones the employer seems to be prioritizing).  You can also detail your skills by giving an example of how you use them.  If you find this section getting too crowded, you can use some of those examples under experience or education instead. 

Experience on the targeted resumé

If the highlights is the most editable section of the resumé, the experience is the second most editable one.

What you include as experience is heavily dependent on the type of job you are applying for, especially its requirements.  

But what counts as experience on a resumé might not be cut and dry for you.  If you have plenty of experience, a total of ten years is more than sufficient going back up to fifteen years.  If you lack experience, and the job you’re applying for is more entry-level, detail your education more and include volunteer and part-time experience even if they’re not in the relevant field, as this will show transferable skills (soft skills). 

And if the volunteer and part-time experience is relevant to the field or shows required soft skills, they’re a good idea to include.  They’re also handy to bridge experience gaps in your resumé when you might have been in between jobs, or if you took a break from work to raise a family or address your health. 

You can include as many employment entries that cover the years of experience you declare in your highlights.  But detail (bullet) only  two to four entries that are most relevant.

But how do write each experience entry?  You head them up by including the job title, organization (and organization location in terms of city and province/state/territory or country if not in North America), and duration (month and year to month and year or present). 

An average of five bullets would suffice for each employment entry you detail.  If there’s not much to say, one bullet would do.  If the job is very relevant, around seven bullets can work.  Bullets may be one or two lines (use three lines sparingly).  Using plentiful bullets is not expected anymore since employers prefer to see how you did the jobs instead of receiving a full job description for each of them.  This is why these bullets should primarily be accomplishment statements.  These help to personalize your resumé.

That first bullet under every employment entry is crucial.  Many job seekers end up loading it with detailed tasks immediately and this can be jarring to the employer going from the job title and the organization to heavy detail.  Transition them better with overview bullets instead.  I like to call these battlefield bullets, because they give a flyover view of you operating in that job and where you fit into the bigger scheme of things.  Write them well and not only does the employer picture you in this job, they begin to picture you in theirs. 

Education on a targeted resumé

Details for both a present or completed program may include courses that interest the employer.  Or may mention projects, like the capstone project, to showcase skills developed that the job requires.  Job seekers who detail their education entries appropriately as such are the ones who get more interviews, especially when they are recent graduates or lack employment experience in their field. 

References

Summary