You want to apply to multiple jobs at once with a tailored, targeted resume, but you don’t have the time. What’s the solution? Our top-secret new tool…
By: Daniel Lorenzo | Marketing Manager at Let’s Eat, Grandma
You’re a savvy job seeker, so you’ve probably done your research and heard that the days of sending out the same resume to a bunch of jobs are over. (If you haven’t, we gotta talk! Read this blog and listen to this podcast first, then come back to this article.)
To have any hope of standing out among the 249 other candidates for an average job posting, your resume (and cover letter) need to be laser-targeted to each job description. They don’t just have to include keywords from each job description to pass through ATS software. They also have to give the hiring manager tangible evidence that you can do this job.
However, this presents a problem you’re painfully aware of. In the words of a true job search guru:
“Do you really expect me to write a different resume for each job?”, you’re thinking. “I have to apply for multiple jobs at once to increase my chances, and that would take forever.”
The problem only gets worse if you’re applying for more than one type of job. Many job seekers diversify their chances by applying to different areas in their industry, such as:
- IT Support and IT Consulting
- Business Development and Financial Analysis
- Sales and Customer Support
Are they really supposed to tailor even more resumes?
At Let’s Eat, Grandma, we feel your pain. That’s why our crack team has been spending long nights in our lab, cooking up this top-secret job search tool that will save you time and effort. We could get in trouble for sharing this with you, but we’re willing to take the risk.
Our ultimate tool for applying to multiple jobs at once is…
A bucket.
That’s right. Read on to find out how this humble little container will save your job search.
How Buckets Will Help You Apply to Multiple Jobs at Once
While you shouldn’t just make minimal changes to one standard resume, you also don’t need to spend hours writing a completely new resume for each type of position you apply to.
Separate the types of jobs you’re applying to into buckets, each filled with different keywords that will create a general resume. The number of buckets you come up with is the number of resume templates you’ll create for yourself, which you’ll then further tailor for individual jobs.
It looks like this:
Another example:
Buckets can either represent:
- Different skill areas (UI Designer vs. UX Designer)
- …Job titles (Clinical Social Worker vs. Child & Family Social Worker)
- …or industries (Sales Manager in Healthcare vs. Fintech).
With a few standard versions of your resume to work from, you can cut some of the work of tailoring from the outset, and make each resume even more targeted.
You’ll no longer have to take an hour to tailor your one sales resume to each Business Development job that comes up. Instead, you’ll just take your dedicated Business Development resume and spend only around 10 minutes swapping in keywords from that specific job description so your resume gets noticed.
So, how do I make a bucket?
Okay, so you’re on board with having a few standard versions of your resume. But what do you put in each bucket? How do you know how many buckets you should have?
#1) Determine your target fields/positions based on what you’re good at and what you’re interested in.
You should never settle for a job just because it’s a job! Your first step is to determine the types of jobs that interest you and would be a feasible next move.
Sit down for a brainstorming and write out all your ideas, or even make a venn diagram comparing jobs that interest you and you’re good at. (Use these exercises from our friends at Zeit if you need some inspiration!)
#2) Look through job postings, make word clouds of similar descriptions, and notice patterns of keywords.
Then, take these ideas and peruse through job descriptions on LinkedIn or Indeed to see what’s out there. Narrow your search down to a few different job titles, and then find 4-5 postings for each.
Copy-and-paste these job descriptions into a word cloud generator (but skip the company information sections) and analyze what comes up. Yes, there will be a lot of words like “experience,” but ignore those. I’m talking about relevant keywords here like skills and certifications.
For example, here are two word clouds I created for “IT Support Specialist” and “IT Network Architect.”
#3) The categories that have distinct, prominent keywords are your buckets.
The two jobs above would both be considered “IT” jobs, but as you can see, their typical job descriptions feature pretty different keywords. This means they would be good candidates for distinct buckets with their own resumes!
You may also discover the opposite: different job titles you’re looking at have similar descriptions. If so, they could fit into the same bucket.
Create as many buckets as you need for each area you’re applying to, whether that’s five or just two. You’re in charge here, and you know what number of resume templates will help you the most.
What should the differences be between each resume?
Finally, what should each of these different resumes look like?
First, don’t pass up on this opportunity to shorten your resume and increase your chances. If you’ve been lugging around a cumbersome 3-page resume to apply for multiple jobs with your varied experience, now is your chance to create a few 1-page versions that will get read all the way through!
Next, adjust your Summary on Qualifications on each resume to highlight the skills you’re bringing to that type of job. Use this short paragraph to brand yourself as primarily an editor, a writer, or a social media manager for those distinct buckets.
Also, cut and/or add bullets from each of your professional experiences to showcase your specialization for the bucket. This is what my job would look like for my social media manager bucket vs. my content writer bucket:
Save the detailed tailoring for the job level. With your main accomplishments pre-set in your bucket, you can quickly swap out position-specific keywords like certifications, software, and locations from job to job.
This might take a while, I know. But by dedicating a couple hours to create buckets, tailoring your resume will go from an hour for each job down to ten minutes.
One Final Tip to Apply to Multiple Jobs at Once
We hope you found our super-secret, high-tech method of applying to multiple jobs at once helpful. Since we shared our confidential bucket technology with you, will you indulge us by listening to one more proposal?
We know writing a job-winning resume can be tough, especially now that we’ve given you more homework. That’s why we’ll do it for you.
At Let’s Eat, Grandma, our business writing experts won’t just write you a new resume — we’ll throw in a second version of your resume at a lower price. That’s two whole buckets out of the way for you.
Plus, if you decide to work with us and refer a friend, they’ll get $50 off and you’ll get that second version for free once they make the purchase. Two buckets for the price of one? That’s a deal your grandma would be proud of.
Thinking about working with us? Schedule a free call with us to find out how our professional writers can rework your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to land you that dream job.
Happy job hunting!
Love,
Grandma