by D. Warnaar

Created on: July 27, 2008

With the tight state of the job market, a cookie cutter all-purpose resume just won't cut it anymore. The key to increasing your chances of scoring an interview is taking the time to customize your resume and cover letter every time you apply for a position. Yes, it is more time consuming but if you don't take this extra step, you're likely wasting your time since an all-purpose resume will just get lost in the sea of all the other applicants all-purpose resumes!

The main goal of the customized resume and cover letter is three-fold: to clearly show how your qualifications meet the job's requirements; to choose words that persuade the hiring manager to want to interview you; and to highlight your strengths and downplay your weaknesses.

The following is a how-to guide on customizing your resume and cover letter:

RESUME

While there are certain characteristics that must be included on every resume, there are many opportunities to customize your resume to the position for which you are applying.

First, begin by creating the basics for your resume, starting with your name and complete contact information.

Next, create a targeted and specific objective statement. This will be one of the main places on your resume where you can effectively customize and tailor the statement to reflect the specific position for which you are applying. For example, say you are applying for a sales position in the medical or pharmaceutical industry and you're just a few years out of college. A good objective statement might read something like this: "Seeking to employ my sales and marketing experience within the medical industry in conjunction with my education in mass communications and public relations to obtain a sales position in a medical or pharmaceutical based organization to develop and maintain profitable relationships, foster enthusiastic customer relationships and gain further experience in consultative sales practices in the medical industry". This one statement summarizes the applicant's experience, ideal position and major skills areas as they apply to the position.

Following the objective statement, you may want to add a career summary section where you can list applicable achievements that show why you're the best candidate for the job. This section could include sales records, awards, being named employee of the year or anything special that sets you apart from other applicants and is relevant to the job you are applying for.

Listing your career experience is next and you should

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