The Focused Skills Section

By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP

Here is an example of why you might not be landing interviews if you’re actively job searching.

A job posting that I saw contained the phrase “Development & Training” and my client added “Training & Mentoring” to her resume.

Not a big deal, right? They mean basically the same thing. They are interchangeable phrases.

However, the job posting gives you an idea of what the hiring team will search for when they use the ATS search function or when they set parameters in the ATS. The job posting is your ultimate cheat sheet.

The job posting had “Development & Training” because that’s probably the way people speak inside the company; they don’t say “training and mentoring.” The job posting is telling you the words that they use, and this is information that helps you land an interview by tailoring your resume skills section to that company’s language. The job description gives you the answers to the test.

You do not need to rewrite your entire resume for every job application. When I work with a client I specifically tell them not to adjust job descriptions in the Experience section of the resume. This is because your Experience section should be filled with impact and accomplishments that prove your point. If it’s not, we should talk.

I suggest instead tailoring the skills section to each position that you apply to, which only takes a few minutes of calm, focused time. And you should have that time, because if you’re focusing your job search to appropriate roles, then you are rejecting a lot of jobs and only applying to up to 5 jobs per week. With so few but targeted applications, you have time to pay attention to important details like the fact that this job posting has “Development & Training” and not something that you prefer to add, like “Training & Mentoring.” If you focus your energy on appropriate jobs, you can take the time and add the phrase as the company has it.

A client said to me, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this. Seems so obvious.”

That’s why I’m here!

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Better job. More pay. More control.

For a free resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!