Customize Your Resume for the Current Recession

The current job market is at its most competitive phase. This is not surprising given the current economic crisis, which is logically affecting every industry throughout the country. If you are applying for a specific job, chances are that you are actually competing with thousands of other job seekers; many of them may actually be having higher qualifications than you do. So how could you get through the current job market and outpace competitors? You should start by making your resume as impressive and comprehensive as ever.

The basic goal you should set when writing your resume is to make it stand out. You could still have a chance to upstage and outpace competing applicants who may have more impressive credentials. Here are five useful tips on how you could customize your resume so it could speak for yourself very well and make it through the current intense job market due to the economic crunch.

Highlight your success. Consider resume as your sales piece that you will use to sell your services to prospective employers. In this regard, treat your resume as marketing, sales and merchandising tool. Showcase your achievements from past job experiences. This way, prospective employers can get to know how you could contribute to the success of the company.

Be specific when describing skills, competence and experience. Many job seekers fail to make it to the first cut because their resumes are generalized. Employers stick to applicants with specific expertise. When you do so, you are also making browsing of your resume easier, saving time for the prospective employer.

Highlight relevant career information. Include data that would showcase your qualifications, skills, training and objectives related to the career objectives. As much as possible, omit information that are not related with the current goals, no matter how impressive they are. For example, resist the temptation to mention your best acting award when you are applying for an accountant position. Your award---no matter how prestigious---will not hold any bearing to your goal of becoming an accountant in the company.

Create an impressive branding statement. You could put a document title on top of your resume to highlight your unique value proposition. Indicate your competitive distinction by distinguishing yourself from the rest of the applicants. Take this opportunity to outpace and upstage other candidates with similar qualifications and skills.

Use strategic keywords and phrases. Most companies are currently relying on electronic data bases. Your resume may be scanned first by a computer before viewed by human resources personnel, who will definitely use specific keywords in finding appropriate resumes and applications. Review the actual job vacancy post or the company Website to find out words that are often used by the company.