Different Resumes for Different Job Descriptions

It would be a mistake to assume that once you have your resume sample ready, it can be used for all purposes and for any occasion no matter what kind of job it is you are seeking or applying for. While ideally your sample resume should contain all the salient features of you accomplishments, experiences and skills, the sample that you actually prepare for a prospective employer to peruse, should be suitably amended with certain details added or subtracted according to the particular requirement of that job description.

You should take into account not only the field in which you are seeking a position, but also the position or level or seniority you are seeking to obtain, when you make appropriate amendments to your sample resume. If for instance you are seeking a managerial position of some seniority then you should add to resume sample details outlining your leadership qualities or managerial experiences or skills you have acquired. Since a manager is expected to have not only educational qualifications but other qualities such good communication skills, organizational skills etc., those points would lend weight to your resume. Any experience in a supervisory or managerial capacity should certainly be included, citing the most recent first and so on. If work experience is limited or none, campus activities, community participation or membership in other professional organizations should be mentioned to indicate managerial qualities.

Similarly, you can make appropriate adjustments or amendments to your sample resume if you are applying for a position in a communications related sector. In this case you should include not just your qualifications or educational credentials but also information about your extracurricular activities, such as public speaking experiences or other skills you may have acquired that could demonstrate your communication skills. It would be useful mention any additional expertise you may have acquired or award or honors you may have received during your professional or educational tenure.

Now say you are applying for a position in a creative field; take advertising for instance, then you would need to make some specific inclusions in your resume sample which highlights your creative abilities and how your contributions were made to a previous employers’ successful projects if applicable. Or if you are applying for a position of an artist, there are specific additions that you need to make to your sample or basic resume: you need to add a bibliography where you mention all the mediums where material of yours has been published, mention all awards or prizes won.

It also pays to research the industry or segment that you mean to apply for a job within, even to research and study the specific issues faced by the industry in general and the company or organization in particular. This indicates not only an interest in and knowledge of your sphere of expertise, it also indicates your ability to grapple with problems and displays creativity in terms of problem solving. Experience, even if it is from the distant past ought to be included if it adds value to your resume. Hence it makes sense to tailor your sample resume to suit the particular requirement of the situation.