Background:
An experienced professional approached us with a resume that had evolved over time but had become unwieldy and outside of best practices. Despite extensive knowledge of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and resume development, this individual couldn’t implement these strategies for herself. She explained:
“Though well-versed in ATS and other best practices, I haven’t had the capacity to implement them for myself; I’ve just been adding to the resume, and it’s now out of control.”
She was targeting roles in human resources, community relations/engagement, training and development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Given the varied nature of these roles, we recommended creating multiple resume versions to maximize keyword optimization and ensure each application was tailored to the specific role.
Strategy:
Working within a tight budget, we decided to consolidate her experience into two main resume versions:
1. HR, DEI, and Training: This version combined her skills and experience in human resources, diversity, equity, inclusion, and training and development, as many of the roles she was targeting required expertise in all these areas.
2. Community Relations with Training and DEI: This version focused on her community relations experience while integrating relevant training and DEI aspects.
As we progressed, it became clear that a third version focused specifically on training and DEI would further strengthen her applications, particularly for roles heavily centered on these areas.
Process:
After establishing our plan of attack, I provided her with targeted questions to gather additional details. She responded promptly, supplying the necessary information, documents, and job descriptions. Armed with this data, I crafted the two initial resumes, ensuring they were concise, well-organized, and fully optimized for ATS. Upon delivering the documents, I recommended creating the third version for training and DEI-focused roles. She was thrilled with the results:
“I’m impressed with your formatting and editing skills! How you got so much information on one page and took it from being busy to being organized, but saying more, is impressive!”
Results:
Less than 24 hours after submitting her application using the Community Relations resume, she landed an interview. Although she ultimately chose not to accept that particular role, the resume continued to serve her well. A few weeks later, she returned for assistance with a cover letter. We crafted a tailored cover letter, and she soon applied for another position. A couple of months later, she reached out with fantastic news: she had secured the job and even negotiated her salary closer to the top end of the range. In her words:
“You’re a real one and I hope do yield everything you want, need, and deserve! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!”
Later, she shared more exciting updates: “Guess what?! I’m back in the six-figure club if I want to be! If you knew what the last year and a half has been like professionally, and how falling for an employer’s ‘okie doke’ landed me in a downward spiral I’m still recovering from, you’d be all the more proud of your role in helping me get to this point…. I really just can’t thank you enough because I was getting nowhere on my own.”
Conclusion:
This success story highlights the importance of strategic resume development and the power of tailored applications. By aligning her documents with her target roles and optimizing them for ATS, we were able to transform her career trajectory and help her secure a position that not only aligns with her professional goals but also offers the financial rewards she deserves.