If you’re going on the job market anytime soon, you may be worried about your future prospects. With so many qualified applicants also job seeking, what can you possibly do to stand out from all the other applicants?
You could send out tons of applications in order to increase your chances of getting a position. But sending out hundreds of generic applications is a waste of your time.
The best way to convince the hiring team that you are their ideal candidate is by tailoring your resume and cover letter for each job application. Maybe you’ve heard this advice before, but are you confused on how to actually go about tailoring your application? Read on.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through my approach, which gave me a 50–75% success rate at scoring a first interview. You can use these same steps whether you are just starting out on your job search or shifting into a new industry.
How to Tailor Your Job Application
1. Identify the employer’s ideal candidate.
First, let’s define some of the categories of skills that employers are seeking.
Types of skills
Hard skills – Hard skills are specific abilities and knowledge that can be measured, such as education, certifications, and any technical training received on the job.
Soft skills – Soft skills are personal traits that describe how you work and interact with others, such as being detail-oriented or a good communicator.
Passions/Values – Your passions and values ideally should align with your chosen career path. Demonstrating that they align with the company’s mission may help you to stand out.
Highlight skills in the job description
Copy the text from the job description into a word processor.
Now, highlight the keywords and phrases that fall into each skill category, using a different color for each.
Next, group the color-coded words/phrases together and start to identify themes. Name them (e.g., “Scientific Expertise”).
Take a minute to reflect on what you see. Consider what skills are listed multiple times. These are going to be especially important skills to highlight. What passions and values do you hold that align with the company’s mission?
Here’s how this looks in practice:
2. Showcase your relevant skills and achievements.
The resume is your chance to showcase your skills and achievements. Don’t waste the opportunity by treating your resume like a list of job duties.
Focus on your achievements
Choose some of the keywords from Step 1 that resonate with your experiences. Use the keywords and this formula to create 2-4 bullet points for each work experience:
Soft skill + Hard skill + Quantifiable Achievement
For example:
Collaborated with faculty, staff, and trainees across the oncology department to write NIH grant applications, resulting in $5 million in funding support.
Giving a concrete example of an achievement is critical. If possible, make it something you can quantify (e.g., number of publications or poster awards).
Tailor your resume
Use exact keywords from the job description. If they are asking for someone to “serve as a project manager,” say that you “acted as a project manager for a study on [insert your topic of interest here].”
Make sure everything on your resume is relevant to the job posting. Don’t include bench research skills if you’re looking for a job that involves stepping away from the bench.
See if there are gaps in your resume that you can fill with volunteer activities or coursework.
Your resume is not an all-inclusive list like a CV, so don’t include your entire publication history. You can always provide a link to your full portfolio.
Keep it short and concise. No one has time or energy to read through 2 or more pages of your resume. Ensure they don’t miss anything important by keeping it short and only including the essential details.
3. Persuade them that you are the right candidate.
It’s time to write the dreaded cover letter. So, where do you start? How do you format the letter, so it reads as a persuasive argument and not a rambling collection of thoughts?
Let’s break down the cover letter into three parts.
Here’s the job I want and why
In the first paragraph, give a brief but strong introduction to yourself and the position that you are seeking.
This is a power position — one that will get the most attention from your reader — so make it count. Think: if I want them to know one thing about me, it’s this.
I like to end this first section by sharing what motivated me to apply. Remember the passions and values that you highlighted in the job description? You could use those as inspiration here.
Here’s who I am
In the body of the letter, provide more details about your background and achievements. Don’t just repeat your resume but give some narrative surrounding your experiences (e.g., how your experiences led you to this point in your career).
Be sure to use keywords from the job description.
You may consider including some bullet points to increase white space and improve readability.
Here’s why you should hire me
Close the letter with your value proposition. Given everything that I’ve told you, here’s why I’m the right person for the job.
What makes you unique and is something that only you can offer?
Put in a call to action (e.g., “I’m happy to discuss my qualifications for this role at your earliest convenience.”) and link to your portfolio or supporting materials (encouraging them to learn more about you!).
What should I do next?
DON’T wait to start writing your resume and cover letter. Make basic templates now that you can modify for each position. That way, when a job gets posted, you will have a jumpstart on tailoring your application. Many jobs (especially outside of academia) start reviewing applications and interviewing candidates as soon as you send in your application.
DO spend time tailoring your resume if you really care about the position. If you’re not totally sold on it, it can’t hurt to send a more generic application.
DON’T rely on AI to write your resume and cover letter. Only you can talk about your specific experiences that have brought you to this point in your career. Plus, when you are trying to stand out from the competition, why would you use a tool that is going to make you sound like everyone else?
—
Want more quick quill tips? Follow Pipette & Quill on LinkedIn or fill out the form below to subscribe!
Pipette & Quill Scientific Writing 