How to write a targeted job winning resume

You want a new job. Your resume just doesn’t make it. Somewhere you heard you need a targeted job-winning resume, but what the heck is that?

What goes into a targeted job winning resume?

A better question might be what doesn’t go in that resume? You don’t have to put in the kitchen sink. Sometimes when you are trying to do it yourself, you are working so hard to match up those keywords that your resume falls far short of a targeted job winning resume, it looks like a pile of words.

I get it. A Medical Director in Pharmaceuticals heard that you need to put in the right words so your resume doesn’t fall into the black hole. He now has a Master Resume, a solution I reached when I realized that he needed a starting point so we could refine and rebuild the resume to target specific areas.

When you go to the doctor because you have an illness or sickness, you narrow it down to the specialty. If your ears are bothering you, you need an ENT physician. If the patient is a child, you need a pediatrician. You select the right doctor to solve your problem.

How do you create your job winning resume?

If you have a diverse range of skills and a long history of success, you match your success stories and keywords to the target. When you try to put everything in so you don’t miss anything, you often don’t hit the mark because no one reads it.

Writing a strong resume means carefully considering where you want to go and creating a strategy to get you in that direction. For this client, we are doing that with his first target and will continue with several other options. If we just sent the master resume, it would get lost in the black hole.

Get out of the black hole

Fortunately, this client has me as his guide. As we talk together in our interactive sessions, he is better understanding what targeted, job winning resume. With me as his coach, I can help him to understand better ways to look for that job so his resume isn’t going into the black hole.

We aren’t ready to start his LinkedIn training and writing but he is now beginning to understand how to position his value on LinkedIn.

After all the career marketing materials are complete, he will have several versions of his resume for different targets. We will connect him with my partner, an interview coach, who will help him through the complex maze of how to best share the value we uncovered while writing that resume.

While this project is complex, the strategies I use are the same as those I use with anyone who invests in my services. You select the level of service you need and we devise a plan to help you reach your goals. Investigate my resume samples for ideas.

Design Resumes Free Job Search Tips by email

Tips on LinkedIn, Resumes, and Job Search to help you better navigate your career journey

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How to write a targeted job winning resume

Resume Design and Job Seeking Tips

Here are Design Resumes' latest articles on job search, resume design, resume writing, and Linkedin optimization articles I've written.

FREE Resume and Job Search Tips by email

Get free tips and strategy direct to your inbox. just add your name and email below. I respect your privacy.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Julie Walraven, Design Resumes

Julie Walraven

Professional Resume Writer

Here are ways I can help you land your dream job.

You may be halfway across the country or the world. When you work with me, we share coffee, laughs, and concerns. This turns the scary job search into creative, consultative writing and learning sessions.