Tailored is a fitting word for something that comes together for a specific purpose.  

Just like a tailor-made outfit comes together for you, having sections that highlight your strengths and give you an overall impressive look, a tailored resumé will likewise do the same for you.

So sections that make you look good, right?  What about a targeted resumé?  A tailored resumé is often confused with a targeted resumé.  However, the first has information in relevant sections, sections that employers expect to see, and the second is what you target for a specific job and send out in a job application.  Therefore, a targeted resumé is tailored, but not all tailored resumés are targeted.

But why do you need to go through the trouble of making a tailored resumé?  Because that's what employers expect to see.

And while you are job hunting, for the sake of organization... and your sanity, it is best to make all of your resumés tailored, even your master resumé.  That way, you can easily edit copies of it to make targeted resumés for jobs or to craft a networking resumé.

This article details how to tailor resumés with its typical sections, content-wise.  This arrangement suits a chronological resumé or a combination resumé, the two most common resumé styles acceptable in North America.  In these resumés, each experience and education entry is written in reverse chronological order. 

Let's first have a look at the sections at a glance.  You should also consider relevant content and appropriate format for these sections. 

The sections of a resumé

The sections of a tailored resumé in order are:

1. Cover letter.
2. Contact information.
3. Job title at the organization. 
4. Career profile (optional).
   
5. Highlights of qualifications (typical for Canadian resumés) or profile and skills (typical for U.S. resumés).
6. Experience.
   
7. Additional experience (if applicable).
8. Awards and achievements (optional).
9. Education and professional development.
10. Certifications and licenses (if relevant).

Let's examine each of them briefly one by one, with do's and don'ts, and then I'll point you to some examples. 

1. Cover Letter

The cover letter, aka letter of intent, meaning your intent to be considered for the job, is more of a one-page letter than it is a section. 

It introduces yourself and mentions that your resumé is attached. 

Including a cover letter with your resumé is not as optional as you might think as it is the first test of your written and formal communication skills to the employer. 

Do's:

• Date the cover letter. 
• Address the hiring manager or department manager at the organization.
• Include the job title at the organization as the subject line.
  
• Give a brief explanation of why you feel you're a good fit.
  
• Write the body of the cover letter within three to five paragraphs. 
• Optional: You can say you're open to discussing this or any other position they see as a fit. 

Don'ts:

• Don't write over a page.  The employer will think you have difficulties deciphering what is relevant. 
• Don't write one wall of text.  The employer is testing your organizational and interpersonal skills here. 
• Don't make it all about you.  Mention something you admire or respect about the employer. 

If the cover letter introduces a targeted resumé, cite the job title accurately and include the job ID if listed.  The body of the cover letter should be targeted to the job and organization.  If the cover letter introduces a master resumé or a networking resumé, the subject line should be your career title, and the body can be more generic. 

2. Contact information

Contact information is the first thing on a resumé.  Contact information includes your name, phone number, email address, location, and other information.  

Do's:

• Include at least your name, phone number, email address, and location. 
• It is best to include your legal first and last name as shown on a government piece of ID.  This shows your integrity.  If you have a preferred name, include it in brackets, e.g., Francis (Odette) Reina or Ramgoolam (Ram) Rabindranath.
  
• Use email domains which are most accepted, such as Gmail and Outlook.  Hotmail is considered outdated. 
• Include the area code of your phone number. 
• Optional: Include certain links such as to your LinkedIn profile, website, or portfolio.  This can also be mentioned in your cover letter, but it is also acceptable in the contact information section of your resumé. 
  

Don'ts:

• Don't put your full address as your location.  City/town and state or province would suffice. 
  
• Don't put your contact information in headers or footers, tables, text boxes, or graphics. 
  

Avoid sending out a targeted resumé with information in headers or footers, tables, text boxes, or graphics, altogether.  The information is either not picked up or scrambled by the ATS (applicant tracking software) employers use.  The only thing that should be in a header or footer is the page number, the number of pages (optional), and your name (optional) for the second page of the resumé.  You can always make a fancy resumé to share with the employer at the interview level.  

It is a good idea to include your contact information on your master resumé and your networking resumé as well. 

Making mistakes in the contact information section cost you the most as you won't get reached.  

3. Job title at the organization

This matches the cover letter's subject line of the job title at the organization for a targeted resumé, but if it is a master resumé or a networking resumé, you can use your career title instead. 

Do's:

• Match the job title and the organization to the subject line of your cover letter. 
  
• Include the Job ID if listed. 

Don'ts:

• Don't put multiple job titles on a resumé even if the jobs are at the same employer (unless the employer specifically asks you to do so).  Instead, create a different targeted resumé for each job. 

The job title at the organization is a line that replaces the generic objective statement many job seekers used to use on their resumés.  Your objective is to get that job at that organization.  

So state it there, especially for a targeted resumé.  And if you're applying for different jobs at the same organization, it is a good idea to make separate resumés targeting each job's requirements, and at the very least, this line would change.

4. Career profile

The career profile is optional and most of the time not needed for applications you're preparing for entry-level jobs or for survival jobs. 

Do's:

• Do keep it short.  
• It is best to write your career profile between one to an average of five lines. 
• Mention brief highlights in your career (background, education, and kind of work you do).
• In the kind of work you do, match it to the employer's kind of work they do.  Remember, they're looking for a fit, not a library. 

Don'ts:

• Don't make it all about you.  Instead, target the employer's needs as well here. 
• Don't make a long paragraph. 

Target your career profile to the employer's needs.

This is especially the case if you're writing a targeted resumé or the industry's needs if you're writing a master resumé or a networking resumé.

Some job seekers skip this section but instead incorporate the information as the first bullet of their highlights of qualifications section (typical for Canadian resumés) or in the profile and skills section (typical for U.S. resumés).  And this is perfectly acceptable. 

5. Highlights of qualifications or profile and skills

The highlights of qualifications section (typical for Canadian resumés) or profile and skills section (typical for U.S. resumés) is the most eye-catching part of a resumé.

This is what the employer zeroes in on to determine whether they should even read on.  

Do's:

• Do keep it relevant to the requirements listed on the job posting.
• Be organized in your structure, mention first your experience, then your education, then go into your skills and other qualifications. 
• Use brief descriptions of your skills (describe scope or depth, or mention an example) that will point them to the experience section of your resumé.

Don'ts:

• Don't make verbose paragraphs. 
• Don't be too generic. 

This section should answer the questions asked under the job requirements. 

This is especially the case for targeted resumé for a job posting, but if you're writing a master resumé or a networking resumé, you can research what requirements are typical to the jobs you're looking for and answer them. 

6. Experience

This section can be called experience or work experience, but experience suits just fine.   

Do's:

• Do keep it relevant to the job posting.
• Include experience entries and head up each entry by a job title, employer, and time frame.  You do not need to detail (bullet) each entry. 
• Include the job title.  If the job is not permanent, you can describe it as part-time, contract, freelance, volunteer, etc., and if it is not full-time hours, you can describe it as part-time, freelance, or state the hours, e.g., "Housing Evaluation Specialist (Part-Time)", or "Habitat for Humanity Crew Leader (Volunteer, 20 hrs./mth.)", or "Uber Eats (20 hrs./wk.)".
  
• It is best to include the job title as how it appears on your pay stub.  This shows integrity.  You can always include title descriptions, e.g., You can say "Financial Agent" or "Financial Agent (Corporate Accounts), you can say "IT Specialist" or "IT Specialist (Software and Hardware)", or you can say "Intern" or "Intern/Automobile Specialist". 
• Include the employer, area of business (optional), and location (city/town and state/province), e.g., "Bombardier Aerospace, Aircraft Manufacturer (Toronto, ON)", or "Green Giant, Food Brand (Parsippany NJ)".  Including the employer's location shows integrity and makes it easier for the employer to place your past employers on a map. 
• Include the time frame of each employment entry in months and years, e.g., "July 2021 to Jan 2023", or "Feb 2023 to Present". 
• Do show experience where you have built transferable skills relevant to the job posting, especially if you don't have much experience in the sector. 
• Detail relevant employment entries with bullets.  You can use a battlefield bullet, aka overview bullet, as the first bullet, and zero to an average of five bullets of accomplishment statements afterward.  
• Include experience within a time frame of 10 years (or up to 15 years) as employers tend to consider that as most relevant. 
• It is best to detail jobs by using one to an average of five bullets. 

Don'ts:

• Don't overpopulate the experience section with every job you've done. 
• Don't over-detail employment entries.  
• Don't detail employment entries as generic job descriptions.  Instead, use accomplishment statements or describe the scope or depth of your particular contributions. 
• Don't include a bulky job summary paragraph under each employment entry.  Instead, you can opt for an overview bullet.
• Don't detail too many employment entries.  Detailing one to an average of four employment entries is sufficient. 
• Don't be too generic. 

Not all experience is paid full-time hour jobs.  

This section can still be populated well if you have more years of experience raising a family than you have experience with employers.

What counts as experience on a resumé varies depending on what job you're targeting.  Experience can be co-ops, externships, internships, volunteer positions, part-time work, freelance jobs, and business work.  Specify them as such and you earn credibility points with the employer.  These specifications may come in handy if you have more years of experience raising a family than you have experience with employers.

The best way to use your real estate under experience is to detail each experience entry using accomplishment statements since you have already described your skills in earlier sections.  This allows the employer to see you in these jobs so they can see you in theirs. 

When writing a targeted resumé, include experience entries that are relevant to the requirements of the job you're applying for.   When writing a master resumé, it should be a catalogue of everything and there is no limitation on length.  And when writing a networking resumé, choose to include and detail employment entries that are relevant to the kinds of jobs you're targeting or to the industry. 

7. Additional experience

This section is optional.  

You may have seen job seekers name this section by other names like volunteer experience.  

Do's:

• Do show entries where you have built transferable skills relevant to the job posting.
  
• Do consider including your club or board experience, e.g., "Toastmasters", "Captain of UCLA Marching Band", or "City Council Board Member".
• It can also be paid work, e.g., "Uber". 
• You can detail them with bullets as you would an experience entry, or leave them bullet-less. 

Don'ts:

• Don't include volunteer experience relevant to the requirements of the job you're applying for under this section, especially if it is in the same field of work or sector.  Instead, include it under experience, with the job title appropriately labelled, e.g., "Women's Program Coordinator (Volunteer, 20 hrs./mth.) or "Welfare Specialist (Volunteer, 10 hrs./wk.) when applying for a social work position, or "Habitat for Humanity, Build-Site Volunteer (15 hrs./mth.)" when applying for a position in design or construction. 

This is another section that might come in handy if you have more years of experience raising a family than you have experience with employers.

8. Awards and achievements

This section is optional.  

Do's:

• Do show entries where you have built transferable skills relevant to the job posting. 
  
• Consider including achievements from "employee of the month" to track and field awards in high school. 

Don'ts:

• Don't over-detail them. 

Many job seekers use this section when their resumé looks a bit sparse.  They can be fresh out of school with little to no experience.  

This section is great for recent graduates or career reentries.  

You can still opt to use your club experience under experience. 

When writing a targeted resumé, include entries that are relevant.  When writing a master resumé, catalogue all entries.  And when you're writing a networking resumé, include entries relevant to the industry. 

Some jobs might be physically demanding, so showing that you completed a marathon would be impressive.  And some jobs are labour-intensive in different ways, so showing that you won the best group award at youth camp can demonstrate you're the team player with leadership skills the employer is looking for. 

9. Educational and professional development

This section contains your education and professional development as entries. 

Education is usually formal, whereas professional development can be either formal or informal. 

Do's:

• Do include education entries.  Education entries can be a certificate, diploma or degree from a post-secondary institution, and can include your high school diploma or equivalency, e.g., G.E.D., as requested by the employer.
• Do include professional development entries.  Professional development can include any courses or programs you did to upgrade your skills.
• You can detail them with bullets as you would an experience entry, or leave them bullet-less.  

Don'ts:

• Don't over-detail them. 
• Don't include too many entries when the educational background and the field of work for the job you're applying for are not much of a match. 

When writing a targeted resumé, include education and professional development entries that are relevant, or include them to avoid showing years of gaps in your resumé.  When writing a master resumé, catalogue all entries.  And when you're writing a networking resumé, include entries relevant to the industry. 

10. Certifications and licenses

This is an optional section. 

Do's:

• Do include certificates (or certifications) and licenses as requested by the employer or that are relevant to the field of work or industry. 

Don'ts:

• Don't include too many entries when the educational background and the field of work for the job you're applying for are not much of a match. 

When writing a targeted resumé, include entries that are relevant.  When writing a master resumé, catalogue all entries.  And when you're writing a networking resumé, include entries relevant to the industry. 

Your First Aid CPR-AED certification is always relevant. 

Examples

Here are some examples of tailored resumé.  Since they are two-page resumés, they can be considered targeted resumé or networking resumés. 

1. Resumé Sample: Francisca Silva_Mechanical Engineering EIT_Dec 2022
2. Resumé Sample: Jeanie Bess_Restaurant Managing Professional_Nov 2022
3. Resumé Sample: Ashley Ming Hua_Customer Service Professional_Sept 2022

Summary

I've got you for a summary.  Tailored resumes typical sections with relevant content and in appropriate formats.  Here are the sections of a resumé in order:

1. Cover letter: This is a one-page letter than introduces yourself and states your resumé is attached. 
   
2. Contact information: This includes your name, phone number, email address, and location (city/town and state/province). 
3. Job title at the organization: This is the job title of the job you're applying for and the organization, and should match the subject line of the cover letter. 
4. Career profile (optional): This is a paragraph that is one to an average of five lines about brief highlights in your career (background, education, and kind of work you do).  This section can be incorporated instead into the first bullet of the highlights of qualifications section or into the profile and skills section.
   
5. Highlights of qualifications (typical for Canadian resumés) or profile and skills (typical for U.S. resumés): This addresses the requirements section of the job posting.  Use brief descriptions of your skills (describe scope or depth, or mention an example) that will point them to the experience section of your resumé.
6. Experience: This includes experience entries relevant to the job posting, and details them with bullets.  It is best to detail one to an average of four jobs with bullets.  You can use a battlefield bullet, aka overview bullet, as the first bullet, and zero to an average of five bullets of accomplishment statements afterward.  Do show experience where you have built transferable skills relevant to the job posting, especially if you don't have much experience in the sector.  This section can still be populated well if you have more years of experience raising a family than you have experience with employers.
7. Additional experience (if applicable): This includes other experience like volunteer, club or board experience.  
8. Awards and achievements (optional): Do include especially if you are a recent graduate. 
9. Education and professional development: Education entries can be a certificate, diploma or degree from a post-secondary institution, and can include your high school diploma or equivalency. Professional development can include any courses or programs you did to upgrade your skills.
10. Certifications and licenses (if relevant): include as required by the employer, or if relevant to the industry. 

Notes

This article contains no text pictures to ensure that every word can be read aloud by a text-to-speech application. And was tested using Google Chrome’s “Read Aloud” add-on.

Bio

Tiffany Persaud is a freelance writer and resumé writer who has helped dozens of people find jobs they like during the pandemic and coming out of it.

Resources

Want to land more interviews with your resumé?  Book me for more information. Rates apply.

References

Pettersson, Ida.: "How to Write Work Experience on a Resume".  ResumeGenius.com.  < https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/work-experience-resume >  September 22, 2022.  Accessed on April 3, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.: “Find A Better Job”.

< https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/self-reliance/course-materials/find-a-better-job > 2016. Accessed on Nov 22, 2022.