How To Tailor Your Resume to A Job Description & Get 6X More Interviews (Guide + Examples)

Not getting interviews for jobs you know you'd be great in? The issue might not be your work experience, but rather the way you package it for employers.

Tailoring your resume so that it aligns with the job description for the specific role you’re applying for helps show hiring managers you're a strong fit. It also increases the chances your resume gets in front of human eyes after an ATS (applicant tracking system) scans it.

We're not just saying that—it's in the numbers. Data from 3.2 million Teal users suggests that tailoring your resume makes you 6X more likely to land an interview than sending a generic one.

Below, you'll find actionable resume tips for tailoring your resume to a job description—fast. You’ll discover how to match keywords, optimize for ATS searches, and use online resume builders to check your progress.

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What is a tailored resume?

A tailored resume, also known as a customized or targeted resume, is adapted to a specific job opportunity. Rather than listing everything you’ve done, it focuses on the most relevant skills, experience, and achievements that align with that role’s description and specific job requirements.

This differs from a master resume, which includes your full work history, and a generic resume, which you’d send unedited when applying for similar job openings. A tailored resume is more strategic—it’s focused and concise, bringing your alignment with specific job requirements to the forefront.

The process of tailoring your resume includes:

• Emphasizing relevant responsibilities and achievements
• Incorporating company-specific details (such as values and measurable results) 
• Using keywords from the job description

So, what are keywords? Resume keywords are words and phrases that mirror those from individual job descriptions. For example, keywords in a Data Analyst job description might include skills such as "statistical analysis" and "collaboration," responsibilities such as "interpreting large data sets", and requirements such as "a quantitative analysis background.” These keywords would be included in the resume tailored to that role.

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4 benefits of tailoring your resume to the job description

Changing your resume for every job takes time and effort, but it really boosts your chances of booking that first recruiter call—especially for roles you're suited for. Here are four factors that influence this.

You can get found in ATS systems

Recruiters use applicant tracking systems (ATS software) to organize resumes and rank their suitability for specific role descriptions—often using Artificial Intelligence (AI) keyword analysis. According to Research Nester, ATS adoption is expected to grow.

Customized resumes are more likely to rank highly in ATS programs and make it to recruiters' physical or digital resume piles.

It shows commitment to the role

Tailored resumes spotlight work experiences, accomplishments, skills, and approaches that mirror what a specific employer needs from a role, and, more generally, their team members. For example, mirroring a company phrase such as "commitment to excellence," rather than using "work ethic" tells recruiters you’ve done your research, understand the role, and aren’t just mass applying. That effort stands out.

It makes relevant accomplishments easier to spot

You've heard it before and it's still true: Recruiters scan resumes for about seven seconds before deciding to dive deeper. When you highlight the right accomplishments for a specific job, you make those seven seconds count. 

You appear more interview-ready

Ultimately, employers are never 100% sure whether they've chosen the best candidates to interview. But they know they’ll improve their odds by shortlisting the applicants that seem the most experienced and prepared for the role's responsibilities. 

Having a tailored resume gives you a chance to make the shortlist because it highlights the skills, competencies, results, and more that you bring to the role.

“Before Teal, I had no interviews. After I started tailoring my resume to the job description using the [Job] Matching tool, I got eleven across first and second rounds.

Those obstacles that got in the way of getting my resume to the right people were removed because my resume was clearer and more aligned with the job description."— Ashleigh Bergh Duggan, Teal Member

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How to tailor your resume to a job description (step-by-step guide)

Follow these resume tailoring steps with each application to make your relevant experience shine bright (like a diamond).

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Step 1: Comb through the job description

Read the job posting fully and carefully—line by line. In your saved copy, highlight or jot down the key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities that stand out. Pay attention to repeated terms (such as "team player"), required tools (say, Google Analytics), and ideal candidate traits (for instance, "with an eye for detail").

Look for both hard skills (e.g., tools, certifications, degrees) and soft skills (e.g., collaboration, communication). Additionally, make informed assumptions based on the posting's tone—for example, phrases like “fast-paced” or “cross-functional” can signal a startup-like culture requiring adaptability and self-motivation.

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Step 2: Trim your master resume

Open your base resume (sometimes called a master resume)—the long version containing all your work experience, which only you get to see. Now turn it into a targeted resume by reviewing:

• What required experience, skills, or qualifications already appear? State them clearly and concisely.
• What’s missing from your resume? Add it or make it more visible.
• What’s irrelevant for this role? Consider trimming or rewording it.

Next, make a quick “Must-haves, Nice-to-haves, and Missing” list.

• Must-haves: Experience, skills, or qualifications the job description requires that you must include
• Nice-to-haves: Experience, skills, or qualifications that job description doesn’t require but that you’d still like to include because they reinforce your fit or showcase your unique value (these might include knowledge of tools that are similar to the job’s required tools, for instance)
• Missing: Experience, skills, or qualifications the job description asks for that you don’t have

Use this list to guide your edits. For example, if your work experience that matches up most with the job’s requirements is older, consider leading with that rather than your new experience. If you’re missing a specific qualification, highlight other things (experience, achievements, etc.) that can help “fill” this gap—for instance, you might highlight mobile apps you’ve built to make up for a missing degree in software development.  Add nice-to-haves only if you have space.   

‍💡Pro Tip: Combine Teal's Master Resume and Job Matching tools for quick and easy tailoring. Simply upload one or multiple resumes (including your LinkedIn profile), save your master resume, and make edits using job description-specific suggestions. It highlights missing keywords, surfaces alignment gaps, and gives you a Match Score—so you know exactly how to align your experience with a specific job.

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Step 3: Research the company (and role context)

Go a step further by looking into the company’s mission, values, and tone. For this, check its website, social profiles, recent press, and product launches.

This isn’t about rewriting your resume for branding—but a little alignment goes a long way. For example, if they prioritize “customer obsession,” and you’ve led CX initiatives, you can highlight that in your summary or bullet points.‍

💡Pro Tip: Podcasts with the CEO or company blog posts can help you capture the language the team uses to describe its members, products, and practices.

Step 4: Tailor the top of your resume

Next, show a little love to the headline and summary at the top of your resume to nail that first impression. Make them count by showing the reader: “I get what this job needs, I’ve done it or know I can do it, and I'll get it done.”

 Here's how to tailor them:

• Target job title: If you're applying to a “Customer Success Manager” role but your current title is “Customer Support Lead,” and your experience lines up, adjust your headline accordingly.‍
• Professional summary: In 3–5 lines, highlight the most relevant experience, skills, and achievements using keywords from the job posting.

Step 5: Edit your work experience with relevant achievements

The Work Experience section is the meat (or vegan protein?) of your resume. Naturally, recruiters want to see it reflect the demands and skills of the open role, using examples and achievements. To tailor it effectively:

• Start with bullet items that reflect the top priorities of the job (e.g., "Reduced operational costs by 25% in 6 months by [...]" for an Operations Manager role).
• Mirror the job posting’s language. For example, choose “collaborate cross-functionally” over “worked with other teams” if the job description features the former.
• Include outcomes and metrics, on top of responsibilities, wherever possible (e.g., “reduced onboarding time by 25%”).

If a role includes unrelated tasks, just skip them. Prioritize relevant, high-impact bullets for maximum impact.

‍💡Pro Tip: Save yourself precious hours (and send out more targeted resumes) with Teal’s Job Matching tool. It scans your resume in seconds and unearths opportunities to add keywords, achievements, and measurable results.

Step 6: Match your skills section to the job specifications

The Skills section should reflect the exact tools and skills listed in the job description (if you have them). Use the listing's phrasing where possible. For instance, you might change "project coordination" to “project portfolio management.”  Also:

• Put the most important skills first
• Group by category if helpful (e.g., tools, languages, platforms)
• Avoid clutter (keep it focused and relevant)

Step 7: Add keywords naturally

So far, you've adjusted your professional summary, work experience, and skills according to the job specifications. Now, pause for a checkpoint to identify and add any missing keywords. Scan your resume, compare it with the job description, and ask yourself:

• Do you see the same (or similar) phrases and terms?
• Are the most important keywords from the posting reflected in your resume?
• Are your skills and achievements specific enough? (For instance, add "Google Analytics" alongside “web analytics" in your Skills section if the role requires it and you know how to use it.)

Don’t keyword-stuff and—please, please, please—don't add white keywords on a white background to sneak past ATS software (this can get your resume flagged or even passed over). Simply describe your existing experience using job description language.

Step 8: Check alignment and consistency

Before submitting, make sure your resume changes align with the overall job description, rather than parts of it only. Plus, check that it "flows" and is consistent. For instance, don’t leave some past roles untailored while updating others. Specifically:

• Use a tool like Teal’s Job Matching to identify missing keywords and see how well your resume matches the description.
• Or compare the two manually: Create a word or Google doc where you can paste both side-by-side, or ask a friend to skim both the posting and your resume.
• Read the posting and your resume, then ask yourself: “Does this resume make it obvious that I’m a strong fit for this job?”

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Step 9: Proofread and polish

Don't let a "Work eXperience" or some other typo or grammatical error let all your hard work be overlooked. Before hitting “Send,” take a minute to:

• Look for formatting issues, typos, or awkward line breaks.
• Ensure your tone and tense are consistent throughout.
• Keep your formatting clean and easy to scan.

💡Pro Tip: Take a break and come back with fresh eyes. Or even better, have someone else review it.

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Tailored resume example

Let’s put it all together. Here’s an example of tailoring a resume for a specific job description.

Job Description

We are seeking a Customer Success Manager with 3 or more years of experience in a SaaS or technology-focused environment. The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field. This role involves establishing and managing customer relationships to improve onboarding, reduce churn, and increase overall client satisfaction. The Customer Success Manager will analyze customer data, identify opportunities for growth, and design tailored training programs to help clients maximize product adoption. Success in this role will require strong communication skills, a strategic mindset, and the ability to work cross-functionally with product, sales, and engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Onboarding & Adoption: Implement efficient onboarding strategies to ensure timely product adoption and measurable time-to-value.
• Relationship Management: Build and nurture trust-based relationships with clients through ongoing communication, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), and proactive support.
• Retention & Churn Reduction: Monitor customer health metrics to identify risk early, create engagement plans, and proactively reduce churn rates.
• Data Analysis: Track usage and satisfaction metrics via CRM and analytics tools; generate actionable insights that inform strategic decisions.
• Training & Enablement: Develop tailored educational programs, webinars, and documentation to empower customers and optimize product use.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with cross-functional teams (product, sales, engineering) to align on product roadmap and ensure consistent customer experience.

The chart below shows how the content from the job description can be used in a resume.

Example tailored resume

Jordan Mitchell

Phone: (555) 123-4567 |  [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/jdm-mitchell

Customer Success Manager

Customer-focused Customer Success Manager with 4+ years of experience driving retention and satisfaction for SaaS and enterprise clients. Skilled at onboarding, relationship building, data analysis, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance the customer experience. Consistently reduced churn by 20%, improved NPS by 10 points, and influenced product roadmaps to align with evolving customer needs. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and advanced proficiency in Salesforce, Gainsight, and related platforms.

Experience

Customer Success Manager‍

TechWave SaaS | June 2021 – Present

• Reduced churn by 20% in 12 months by designing a proactive customer health scoring system and building targeted retention campaigns.
• Increased NPS by 10 points through comprehensive customer feedback loops, timely check-ins, and strategic QBRs with C-level stakeholders.
• Led cross-functional initiatives with the Product and Sales teams to design new features and expand service offerings, resulting in a 15% upsell increase.
• Developed training and onboarding programs (including webinars, user guides, and interactive demos) that accelerated time-to-value for new clients by 30%.
• Analyzed customer behavior using Salesforce and Gainsight, translating data into actionable insights for product development and support teams.

Customer Success Associate

SaaSFlow Inc. | August 2019 – May 2021

• Managed a portfolio of 15+ enterprise accounts, maintaining a 95% satisfaction rate by providing timely support and personalized resources.
• Oversaw new client onboarding, standardizing best practices to decrease implementation time by 25%.
• Collaborated with the Marketing team to create targeted email campaigns, contributing to an 8% increase in adoption for underutilized product features.
• Utilized data analysis (Excel, Gainsight) to predict churn risks, enabling rapid interventions that preserved $100K in annual recurring revenue.

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing Concentration)
University of State | Graduated: May 2019

Skills

• Salesforce
• Gainsight
• Excel
• CRM Platforms
• Customer Success Platforms
• Data Analysis
• NPS Tracking
• Churn Indicators
• SaaS

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Tailor your resume today

Tailoring your resume is a key way to get your resume noticed in the hiring process. Compared with one-size-fits-all generic versions, tailored resumes say to recruiters, "I know what you're looking for and it's me. Here's why."

That little extra effort significantly increases your chances of landing a two-way conversation with employers. And, with our resume tailoring checklist, you have a clear rinse-and-repeat approach to tailor your resume to multiple job opportunities.

Want to speed things up? Tools like Teal can help you tailor faster—without missing important details.

Create a free Teal account today!