Customizing Your Resume and Cover Letter

Searching for a new job is a job in itself, and you should treat it as such; work! Although it may be easy to send the same resume and generic cover letter for every job posting, you are not doing yourself any favors by cutting corners. Customizing your cover letter and resume for each and every job you apply to could be the difference between you receiving an interview offer or not. From a hiring manager’s perspective, this is what a custom application says about you:

  1. You want THIS job, not just any job.

–        Taking the time to write a customized cover letter and tailoring your resume for a specific position will show the hiring manager that you are willing to put in time and effort to apply for this job, which means you really want it!

–        Sending a generic cover letter and resume shows a hiring manager that you must not really want the job that badly, since you weren’t willing to put in the extra effort to customize your application.

  1. You really are qualified.

–        By customizing your cover letter for a specific job posting, you can specifically mention the skills and experiences that make you a great fit for the position.

–        You can also highlight these skills and experiences on your resume, which will further show a hiring manager that you really are qualified.

  1. You know the value of hard work.

–        Making the effort to customize your application will show a hiring manager that you are willing to work hard to meet your goals. You understand that making the extra effort to customize your application could improve your chances of landing an interview.

–        When hiring managers receive generic cover letters or cover letters that were written for other positions, they will assume the applicant is lazy and unwilling to put in extra effort to reach their goals.

WAI Staff

Whitman Associates is a professional staffing agency serving businesses and job seekers in the Washington, D.C. area. Since 1972, we’ve been dedicated to matching highly qualified candidates with a wide variety of temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent positions. We prioritize the needs of both our clients and candidates to ensure successful, lasting relationships.