How to Create A Resume that Shows You Have the Right Experience

So, you have a great resume that showcases all your achievements and your educational background. But is it relevant to the position you are applying for?

Relevance simply means a connection between who you are, what you want, what the position you are applying for is, and what the company offering the position wants.

Is Your Resume Relevant?

If you have the experience asked for by the company, and you have shown it on your resume, that is relevant. If you have selected keywords to use in your resume that are related to the position, that is relevant. If your resume does not stress the required experience, and does not contain the right keywords, you need to work on relevance.

Why Does Your Resume Have to Be Relevant?

It’s simple. Unless the company can perceive a connection between your experience, your personality, your goals, and what they want, then your resume is not relevant—and employers will not think that you are appropriate for the position.

You can no longer get by with a “one size fits all” resume, where you list every single job you have ever had, and all your education right back to junior high. If you are applying for a human resources job, for instance, your potential employer does not care that you paid your way through college by operating a hot dog stand—it is not relevant.  If you are applying for a sales job, then it is relevant. So if you are applying for the HR job, leave the hot dog stand out. If you are applying for the sales job, stress the hot dog stand.

Creating Relevance

The first way that you create relevance in your resume is by using keywords that relate to the position. The second is by using CAR statements. This is simply an acronym for “Challenge, Action, Results.” So you want to talk about situations that challenged you, the action you took, and the results that you achieved.

What Information Is Most Relevant, and Where Should It Go on My Resume?

Usually, the most relevant information should come first, so once you know which keywords most closely apply to the position you want, use them at the top of your resume and in your career summary. Also, place them anywhere in your resume that you are using bullet points. And of course, use them in your CAR statements.

Is Your Resume Relevant?

Right now, do you look through your resume as it stands and see relevance? Would an employer see you as the perfect fit for the job? Or does your resume need work?

Most people would say that their resume could at least use a bit of tweaking. If you have not been getting interviews, think about signing up for my e-learning course, What’s Wrong With My Resume? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself and How You Can Fix It. In the course, I give you the tools and techniques you need to create a relevant resume. Today’s job market is highly competitive, and you need every possible advantage.