Building Application Materials

Customizing your application materials means utilizing space and keywords strategically to demonstrate that you have the knowledge, experience, transferable skills, and personal attributes necessary to perform well in the position. Your application materials including resume, cover letter, supplemental questions, and application, need to be explicit and organized.

STRATEGIES TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS

SCAN THE JOB POSTING FOR KEYWORDS

• Job Title
• Job Description
• Duties and Responsibilities
• Preferred Qualifications

PRIORITIZE THE QUALIFICATIONS HIERARCHY

• Review how the job posting lists and describes the qualifications, responsibilities, and requirements. Next, structure and organize your materials in a manner that a 10-20 second scan reveals that you exceed the minimum requirements.

• Prioritize experiences that reflect your transferrable skills to match the duties and responsibilities of the role.

• Mimic the posting’s language for action verbs, competencies, and experience titles (if they are similar).

Resume

Your resume is the document that gets you to the interview. It would be a strategic document that highlights your skills, abilities, and achievements. Think about the experiences you are most proud of and want to highlight to tell your story and how you will add value.

Cover Letter

A cover letter is your opportunity to provide a narrative to your resume. It allows you to introduce yourself to an organization and demonstrate effective written communication by expressing your interest and showcasing your education, experience, and skills.

It is important for this document to not replicate your resume, but to highlight your accomplishments, strengths, and transferable skills focusing on what you’ve learned and how you will add value. A cover letter is an important part of the job search process and should be tailored to the position which you are applying.