The job search often requires you to have several versions of your resume tailored to the different roles or companies you're applying to—but juggling multiple resumes can get complicated, disorganized, and overwhelming.
If you find yourself frantically toggling between separate resumes and editing each one individually to keep them all up to date, you’re not alone—but keeping all those versions organized just got a whole lot easier with Teal's new Resume Syncing feature.
Here’s how the new feature works and how to get the most out of it as a job seeker.
What Teal's Resume Syncing feature is and how it works
The premise of our AI Resume Builder has always been to make it simpler to manage multiple resumes, which is why we're excited to roll out our new Resume Syncing feature. It connects all of your Teal-created resumes on the back end, and streamlines edits across documents so you can keep track of resume versions painlessly as you customize them for each job (or job family).
When you think of "managing multiple resumes," you probably envision a folder full of separate resumes—and a lot of copying and pasting. Keeping track of which resume you edited when can lead to confusion and chaos, but Teal's Resume Syncing feature makes it easy to maintain one single resume (called a "base resume"), and then easily tailor your resume for different positions, tracking the multiple versions and linking them together behind the scenes as you job search.
What to expect
- Unified edits across resumes: When you update one of your resumes, the Resume Syncing feature allows this change to reflect across all other versions with just a single click. So, if you've added a new skill or accomplishment, you don’t have to update every single version of your resume manually. If you ever decide to delete content, a prompt will ask if you want the deletion across all versions.
- Selective updates: If you want to make an update specific to one resume and not have it reflect on the others, that's doable, too; however, when you open other resume versions, you'll see an "updates available" notification, giving you the choice to sync or ignore them.
- New resumes incorporating the latest edits: When crafting a new resume, the Resume Builder incorporates your most recent changes. This ensures that you're always working with the latest information so you don't have to worry about re-adding key details when starting a new resume.
How to maintain multiple resumes with Teal's Resume Builder
With Teal's Resume Syncing feature, you can easily and quickly create different resumes for different jobs. If you make changes to one resume, they can automatically propagate to all of your other resumes, which means you no longer have to update each version every time you make a manual edit.
For example, let's say you have two resumes you’re working on: one for a customer success manager (Resume A) and one for a customer experience manager (Resume B). They may be similar jobs but require slightly different keywords and target titles to align with each job description.
Let’s say you make an edit to Resume B (like adding a resume headline or past work experience at a particular company) and you want to make the same change to Resume A before submitting it.
Instead of copying and pasting from resume to resume, you can add those edits from Resume B back to Resume A with just one click, and ensure that both resumes are always up-to-date with your latest skills and work experience.
And the syncing works both ways too: If you update Resume A with a new job, Resume B will show an "Update Available" indicator. You can then pull in those changes or keep each document separate. (No more toggling between files to remember what’s where!)
Here's a video walking though how it works:
A change to your "Career History" tab
In the previous version of the Resume Builder, when you made changes to your Career History, those changes would apply across all current resumes in your account.
Now, Career History as a separate page has been removed. Just like before, your resume data will be available to you in each new resume you create—but now you don’t need to work between two separate pages (i.e., Career History AND the Resume Builder).
When you’re working on a resume, you’ll have the option to make changes across all of your current resumes.
When you edit information in your resume, you’ll see the below option.
Important note: The option to “save to all resumes” only appears when editing already-existing information. When you add entirely new details (such as a new work experience or degree), this will be added to all resumes automatically. You can, of course, decide not to show it on a given resume by de-selecting the checkbox, as seen below. If checked, it will appear!
Let’s say you decide not to update across all resumes. You made changes to Resume A, but you’re not interested in Resume B.
When you open Resume B, you’ll still see that changes have been made elsewhere, and you’ll be presented with the option to update (should you change your mind and want to apply these changes after all).
The “Update Available” flag is clickable and will allow you to see the new changes and decide whether you’d like to apply them or leave them off this particular document.
We’re hopeful this will create a more seamless, intuitive experience overall.
Benefits of using Teal's Resume Syncing feature
- Save time: No more manually updating multiple resumes (or remembering where you saved your most recent version!)
- Keep your resumes up-to-date: Changes made to one resume have the option to propagate to all synced resumes.
- Easily manage multiple versions of your resume: View a list of your synced resumes and revert to a previous version if needed.
- Peace of mind: Knowing that your resumes are always up-to-date can give you peace of mind during your job search.
Conclusion
Teal's Resume Syncing feature takes the pain out of managing multiple resume versions, providing unparalleled control over content across different versions, streamlining the process, and ensuring you present the most relevant information depending on the job you're applying for.
Get started building multiple resumes for free with Teal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best reason for having more than one version of your resume?
It used to be that job seekers needed one standard resume to help them land a job—but these days, it's best practice to create multiple versions of your resume, tailoring them slightly (or sometimes significantly) based on the job you're applying to so that you highlight your most relevant skills and qualifications for the hiring team.
That's not to say you have to tailor every single resume for every single job you apply to—but you want to ensure the resume you're submitting makes it clear to the hiring manager why you're a great fit for the position. Separate resumes can help you do just that.
You want the person reading your resume to know in the first few seconds that you have the qualifications for the job they're looking to fill. For example, let's say you're applying for a role as a customer service representative. You wouldn't want a target title on your resume that says "Recruiter" or "Software Engineer." You'd want to highlight the professional experience you've had that aligns most closely with the job description. Maybe you'd want to showcase transferable skills like communication and your ability to manage multiple projects at once—but not necessarily focus on the things you achieved in an unrelated industry early on in your career.
Can you have multiple resumes?
Yes! (And we'd recommend that you do!) If you're struggling to keep track of multiple versions, use Teal's Resume Builder to organize and sync them in one place. (Bonus: You can use Teal for other important parts of your job search, like tracking the positions you're interested in, managing the status of each interview, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, keeping tabs on companies you might want to look into, and so much more.)
How many resumes should you have?
There's no hard and fast rule here for how many resumes you should have. Generally we recommend one main resume (or "base resume") that you can then adjust as needed to suit different job descriptions. (Though again, you don't necessarily need different resumes for every role so long as you're showcasing your most relevant skills!)
Sometimes the resumes may be nearly identical with just a few keyword tweaks, or a different resume summary and target title at the top; other times—like if you're applying for two totally different types of positions (for example, operations manager roles but also customer success roles)—you'd want versions of your resume for each type.
Should I change my resume for each job?
While you don't need to change your resume for every single job, having separate resumes can make a big difference, and help you get clear on the narrative you're presenting to recruiters and hiring managers. Instead of trying to cram everything you've ever done into one document, you can pick and choose which experience and skills to highlight for the various positions you're applying to, and in doing so, create the strongest case for why you're a great match for a job.
Think of the job description as the job ad—a full list of the background, skills, and experience an employer is looking for in an ideal hire. To show you're qualified, you want to write your resume with that specific position in mind. Even if you're applying to multiple jobs with the same title, the requirements for a role may differ slightly.
For example, let's say you're looking for a position in software engineering. One company may require Ruby on Rails, while another requires Django. Both skills are valuable—but what's required by one company may not be helpful at another, even if the job title is the same. You'll want to tailor your resume to that employer's job ad.
Our advice: Start with the job description and use it as your North Star—the answer to the company's call for candidates.
How do I change my resume for different jobs?
An AI Resume Builder like Teal makes it easy to document all of your achievements and accomplishments in one central place and then toggle on and off the ones that are most relevant for a particular role. Writing your resume is time-consuming enough without having to start from scratch each time you see a role you're interested in.