As a life science professional, finding ways to stand out from other candidates is essential when you’re looking for a new position. Often, the competition for opportunities is surprisingly fierce. Since that’s the case, ensuring your resume rises to the top typically seems challenging.
Fortunately, there are strategies life science candidates can use to increase their odds of success. By tailoring your resume to the role, you can showcase your value more effectively. Here’s what you need to know about tailoring your resume to ensure maximum results.
Why Tailoring Your Resume Is Essential
Many life science candidates assume that using a single resume for every application can lead to job search success. While there’s always a chance that you’ll get lucky, relying on one version of your resume isn’t ideal.
Instead, you want to tailor your resume to the job. By doing so, you’re speaking directly to a specific hiring manager’s or company’s needs. With a targeted resume, it’s far easier to showcase your value to them and position yourself as the strongest match possible. Plus, many of the tailoring steps also ensure you appear like a good fit when you’re application is scanned by any automated resume screening technologies used by the organization. As a result, you dramatically increase your odds of moving forward in the hiring process.
How to Tailor Your Resume to the Job
In the simplest sense, tailoring your resume is a process where you ensure the content is as relevant to the position you’re trying to land as possible. Often, you’ll need to adjust what’s written to ensure it speaks directly to the employer’s or hiring manager’s needs, using the job description and the company’s mission and values as references to make that happen.
As you review your professional summary, skills list, and any achievements discussed in your work history, consider whether they align with the duties and responsibilities outlined in the job description. If not, adjust the content to focus on how you can provide value in the role you’re specifically trying to land, leading to a higher degree of relevancy.
Additionally, you want to incorporate keywords when you tailor your resume. Reread the job description and identify the terms and phrases used to discuss the required skills, competencies, and experience. Then, use those exact words when describing your capabilities in your resume. By doing so, you not only show the hiring manager that you have what’s requested; you also increase your odds of making it through an automated screening. Typically, automated screeners are programmed with the keywords found in the job description, so having exact matches makes you seem like a stronger fit.
Ultimately, tailoring your resume makes a difference when you’re seeking out life science jobs, allowing you to increase your odds of job search success. If you’re looking for a new position in the life science industry, the Staffing Resource Group can simplify your job search by providing access to more opportunities with leading life science employers. Apply Today and SuRGe your career forward.
