Grad Careers
Resumes and CVs for Graduate Students and Postdocs 11
(314) 935-5930
careercenter.wustl.edu
Tailoring Your Resume
In the above section, we have laid out some sections
that you might include in your resume. Whereas
tailoring in a CV mostly consists of re-ordering your
sections, you are going to want to tailor your resume
extensively in response to the specics of the job to
which you are applying.
The rst step in tailoring your resume is carefully
reading the job posting. As you read the posting, think
about how you might talk about your experiences in
such a way as to show that you would be a good t for
the position. You will also want to familiarize yourself
with the company beyond the job description. Go to
their website and read their mission statement,
“about” page, etc.
Once you have researched the company and the
position for which you are applying, it’s time to tailor
your resume. As you do so, consider the following
tips and guidelines:
Show them where to look: Devote the most real estate
on your document to those experiences that will
resonate the most with the recipient. For grad
students, this might mean emphasizing those elements
of grad school that come across more clearly as
“jobs,” such as teaching, lab work, side gigs, etc. over
things like conference presentations and even
publications.
Use headings that highlight critical skills: Within
each section, you should list experiences in
reverse-chronological order. However, you can
customize your section headings and intentionally
order them in a way that draws attention to the things
you most want the employer to notice. For a job that
requires teaching experience, for instance, you may
have a section called Selected Teaching Experience,
which you will likely want to place just after your
education section. For a position that is less interested
in teaching experience, you may put that experience
in a section called Professional Experience.
Use key words: Notice and match the language from
the position description and the organization’s web
site. This might mean slight tweaks to the way you
describe your experience (saying “coached” vs.
“taught,” for example), but shows that you understand
your prospective employer’s goals and culture. You
could also work in key words by adding relevant
coursework, grants, awards, etc.
Be judicious about what you include: However, you
are still going to want to be selective about which
experiences to include. Generally, more recent
experiences are going to be more important than older
ones, especially if there is a substantial overlap in
skills. As you consider which things to add and which
things to cut, ask yourself: does this experience show
o a dierent set of professional skills than the other
experiences I have on my resume already? If so, you
probably want to add the experience, making sure to
emphasize those new elements in your bullet points. If
not, that experience is a good candidate to be cut.
How to Write an Eective Bullet
Your goal is to make it easy for a future employer to
see your capabilities, based on what you’ve done in
the past. Are you good on the phone? Comfortable
elding questions from the public? Reliable with
major projects requiring organization? Experienced at
analyzing data on Excel? Employers will only know if
you tell them. Here are some tips on how to write
bullets that will make your experiences come to life in
such a way as to show potential employers how you
could be a great t for the position.
Say what you actually did: It does no good to use
fancy words if your description is unclear or doesn’t
make sense. When the employer initially reviews your
document, you won’t be there to provide explanations
or insight. Avoid vague phrasing and state your
contributions accurately, simply, and clearly. Keep in
mind that job applications are frequently reviewed by
someone in HR. Even if you are applying to a position
that requires highly specialized knowledge, your
bullet points should still be legible to the average
person.
Focus on accomplishments: When possible, state the
results of your eorts rather than just your
responsibilities.
Describe your experience through the lens of
transferrable skills: Determine which aspects of your
previous work most relate to the employer’s needs
and describe your qualications accordingly. For
example, public speaking skills you used in teaching
could be valuable in a communications position.