From Rejection Pile to Interview Chair: Mastering Resume Customization

Dropping a generic resume is a surefire way to the rejection pile.

Here’s how to customize your resume to stand out & get the interview:

Why customize?

1. It allows the human reviewer no reason to reject you.
2. It equips the AI Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to favorably rate you.
3. It stands out to the company, that you went the extra mile.

Here’s how:

1. Ask, “what are my weaknesses?”

No one who gets hired is a perfect fit. In what ways are you imperfect? Flip them to strengths.

For instance, let’s say you’re applying to an AI PM job. You want to highlight every last AI project you ever worked on. Try not to get chosen over someone with more AI experience.

2. Become an ideal archetype

The process to flipping to strengths is two-fold:

> Figure out some ideal archetypes they would hire
> Cast yourself as the one closest to you

Note: This strategy really only works if you are ≥ 75% qualified for the job. If you’re just unqualified, but still want to apply, do your best to explain around weaknesses and be pointy in another area.

Want to learn more about customizing your resume? Check out this post with 2 examples.

3. Write out your new story

This should be a fairly straight path to the role. All those experiences on your winding path that aren’t relevant? Minimize — or even remove — them.

What this usually means is: tough cuts to favorite parts of your resume. But you need the space to tell your story of how you’ve flipped your weaknesses.

Remember: most people spend <60 seconds on your resume.

4. Fill in for all the bullets on the job description (JD)

Every JD has a long list of requirements. Use every bullet you didn’t touch in step 3 to address all those points.

Once you’ve done these 4 steps, your resume should be transformed. First, you were a generic candidate. Now, you are exactly the set of skills and experiences they were looking for.

And you’ll get many more interviews. Through resume drops and referrals.

Then you’ll have a new problem: preparing!