Tailoring & Formatting
Have you ever bought a suit or a dress that is your size but still doesn’t fit well? When clothes are mass produced in a factory, they are made to fit the “average” person. But to make something fit for you, you may need to use a tailor who will adjust the piece of clothing to fit you perfectly.
A resume is the same — it is not one size fits all. You should tailor your resume for each job you apply to so that it feels customized for that job.
- Analyze the job posting you want to apply to.
Look for key terms and phrases that fit your skillset and abilities, and then revise your resume to include those terms. - Assess your credentials and work experience.
For example, do you have a previous job that is similar to the job you’re applying to but has a slightly different title? It’s ok to modify a previous job title as you tailor your resume, as long as you are being true to the job you performed. - Brainstorm the value you bring.
Each employer is looking for specific skills. Note your specific credentials, work experience, and skillset, and tailor your resume and cover letter accordingly.
Formatting your resume
It is important that your resume have a professional, easy-to-read format. There are many free templates online, but we recommended starting with our resume template.
FONT
- Choose a professional font, such as Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman.
- Use the following font sizes as a baseline:
- Name: 28 point
- Headings: 18 point
- Job titles & company names: 12 point
BULLETS
- Use bullets to list your skills and when describing what you did for previous employers and for your education (see template for examples)
- Bulleted Information: 11 point
HEADINGS
- Use headings to separate sections: Headline, Skills, Experience, Education
CONTENT
- Use action verbs at the start of sentences when describing your experience
- Use complete sentences
EXPERIENCE
- List your experience with your most current job/experience first, and then work backwards
- Use high-impact statements to describe your experience
- Bad Example: Trained new employees on how to run the front desk
- High-impact Example: Implemented an employee training program that increased customer satisfaction by 14% and reduced processing errors by 38%
- For your current job, use present tense. For past jobs, use past tense
- Current Job: Manage customer relations team...
- Past Job: Managed customer relations team...
LENGTH & SPACING
- Keep the resume to one page whenever possible
- Ensure there is sufficient spacing between sections so that the resume is easier to read
VMock Resume Optimizer
BYU-Pathway has purchased VMock resume tools to help all students maximize their resume. If you already have a resume built, you can upload it to VMock and it will automatically transfer your information to our preferred template. If you have not yet started your resume, you can build it directly inside VMock.
VMock Resume Optimizer allows users to optimize their resume by highlighting missing priority keywords and bridge any skills gap with respect to a job description or target career. It has been seamlessly integrated with SMART Editor allowing users to edit their resume online with real-time feedback and customized suggestions based on their targeted job description.
We highly recommend using this tool. It will not only improve your resume through advanced AI, but will also save you time because the tool will automatically format your resume according to our template specifications.
Getting past the first review
According to a study by the job-matching service Ladders.com, recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds reviewing a resume (see "You have 7.4 seconds to make an impression: How recruiters see your resume" by Meredith Lepore, January 30, 2020).
There are at least two main takeaways from this study. The first is that you shouldn’t base your entire job search on your résumé. You’ll also need to use good job-finding skills like networking. The second is that your résumé has to be scannable (easy to read) so that in just seven seconds, a recruiter can tell if you might be a good fit for that job. To be scannable, your résumé needs to be formatted and organized well.