One thing to keep in mind is your particular audience for the resume. For example, you’ll want to be sure you’re layering in the appropriate jargon and terminology for your field, and you’ll also want to get a sense of how long resumes typically are for your industry.
But don’t panic if you don’t know this info. Some of it you can figure out by reading job descriptions. Other info you can find by talking to people in the field, including people in professional organizations.
And if you’re struggling to come up with those connections, you can still make some good headway on your targeted resume. Start by noting what you’ve done, with a focus on your accomplishments. Then hop onto your favorite job board and look up the titles you’re seeking. I favor the old-school approach of printing the job postings and hitting the things that seem important with a highlighter, but you can do whatever makes sense to you. Once you’ve noted the parts of the job that seem essential (I recommend you look at a handful of postings if you can, to see what the common themes are), go back to your resume and decide how you can weave those things in. Of course, you want to be honest here, so you’re not looking to check off every single thing in the description, but do try to capture as many as you can. Be mindful of any jargon or specific terminology they use, too, as that’s a way to demonstrate your knowledge of the field or the organization.
Finally, have a friend or relative look over what you’ve written. It’s completely fine if the proofreader doesn’t understand what you do, as long as what you’ve written makes sense. After all, the first few people who read your application are probably people from very different parts of the organization, so they’re looking at what your experience is and checking to see how you’ve captured your accomplishments.
If you have time, I recommend setting the completed resume aside for a day and then having one last look at it. But if the job posting is going to close soon and you have faith in your reviewer, go ahead and submit!
