About the writer:
Hi, I'm Rachel. I was a top student in all my business classes and received my Bachelor's Degree in Marketing. I began working as a marketer at a marketing agency, but after two years discovered my passion for reviewing resumes. Now I'm a Resume Expert at Skillhub, and I love it!
Whether you are applying for a job or seeking employment, you will need to match your experience to the specific requirements of the job description. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help you do this.
Find out more about the company and job requirements
Creating job requirements can save you time and sanity while helping you hire the right person for the job. A good requirement should include the obvious likes and dislikes but should also include some more obscure qualifications.
One of the best ways to figure out what a company needs is to read the description. If the description is written in plain language, it is easier to glean what is being asked for and what is not. In a typical job listing, you will find a list of responsibilities and skills, as well as specific tools and equipment. Often, these items are listed in the context of what you need, not what you want. If you do not understand the job requirements, you will not be able to give your employer the best possible response.
Put your experience section on the top half of your resume
Putting your experience section on the top half of your resume to match job descriptions is an important step in the application process. Your resume is the first thing that a hiring manager sees, so make sure it catches his or her attention. It should be easy to read and demonstrate accomplishments that are relevant to the position.
Depending on the industry, your resume may be divided into different sections. Each section should be tailored to emphasize the qualifications and experience that best fit the employer's needs. These sections include your work history, skills, and education. Each should be designed to make it easy to find the information you need.
Your skills section should include hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills that you have acquired through your experience. The ATS will analyze your resume for these skills.
Beef up your resume job description with key achievements
Adding key achievements to your resume can be a great way to make yourself stand out from other candidates. You can focus on specific accomplishments that highlight your skills and experience, while also showing that you're a good fit for the job.
In addition to hard skills, it's also important to emphasize soft skills, such as leadership and interpersonal skills. These are often transferable to different industries and are worth noting. You can also highlight these qualifications by using a sample job description to help you identify what you've done in the past.
For example, if you're applying for a job as a customer service representative, you might highlight how you managed a new process. You might also mention how you trained new team members. Other accomplishments you might choose to include on your resume are projects led and completed on time, as well as conversion rates and social media engagement.
Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
Whenever you are writing a job description, you should avoid using abbreviations. These shortenings can help you keep your message simple, but they can also make it difficult for others to understand. In fact, they can even confuse the reader.
The purpose of using acronyms is to save time. However, you should be careful to only use them when it makes sense. For example, you may want to use them when referring to a department.
Acronyms are formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase. They are commonly used in scientific and technical writing because they reduce repetition. But it's important to spell them out completely in the text. A good rule of thumb is to only introduce acronyms three or four times.
You should also avoid contractions. These are used when the full word is too long. They usually include the first and last letters of the full word.