How To Write Your Resume For Your Target Audience (& Who Exactly That Is)

Have you ever heard the phrase “write for your target audience?” 

This holds true to all kinds of documents and deliverables; including professional resumes. Your resume should be about you but you should remember that it’s not for you. It contains your history and your experiences but at the end of the day, it needs to impress those who will actually read it. 

But what exactly does that mean? 

How do you write your resume for a target audience when you don’t really know who this is. 

At a very broad level, your resume’s target audience is the hiring manager, the company, and a computer. 

The first step is to get through the applicant tracking software (ATS). 75% of recruiters and hiring professionals use ATS to whittle down the initial stack of resumes to the top candidates. This software may sound scary but at the basic level, it is there to ensure that the resumes that move on highlight the keywords of the job description and have a professional format. 

Once it makes it past ATS, your resume’s audience are the hiring manager and the company. This audience wants two things from you. They want to know that you will be a productive employee, capable of completing the task at hand and they want to know that you are a low-risk candidate that won’t disrupt the company’s culture. 

Writing your resume for the hiring manager and company can be very challenging for a number of reasons: you don’t know the company, you don’t know the hiring manager, and you don’t know the culture. Here, I will discuss the three top ways to ensure your resume is about you, yet targeted for the position.

1. Always keep the company in mind

When you apply to a job, you may only have the job description and the company name on hand. But as a PhD, you are trained to do research –  to gather and analyze information rather quickly. With just the company name and the job description, you can create a very targeted resume. Focus on the keywords in the job posting and sprinkle them (were appropriate) throughout your resume. Remove any words that would be jargon and focus on experiences rather than job titles (especially if all you have are academic titles). 

Do a quick Google search of the company name. You’ll find a plethora of information about the company such as a mission statement and employee directory. The mission statement can help you gauge what the company’s goals are, which will help you assess if your goals align with theirs. The company directory is the perfect place to find some potential connections to hold an informational interview. Ask questions about the company, the culture, and the expectations. 

Following these simple steps will give you a greater understanding of the company culture and how/if you fit in. 

By gathering this information and carefully analyzing it, you can target your resume to that company.

2. Highlight Transferable Skills That Convey Certainty and Stability

Companies don’t want to hire risky candidates, this is universal. No matter who you are writing your resume for, they want to see you are not going to be a risk. 

Use your resume to convey to your future employer that you are certain about this career path, this company, and this position. Show them you are not only the best, but the least risky candidate for the job.  

You can do this by highlighting skills such as  flexibility and versatility. As a PhD you likely already have these skills, you just don’t know how valuable they are, so you don’t add them to your resume. 

When the pandemic hit, it completely shattered most work environments. Employees had to be flexible and patient during these times of change. Rigidity and stubbornness are risky to a company during times of change. So, use your resume to highlight how you were able to pivot to a decentralized work environment and still maintain productivity. 

It’s impossible to get a PhD without developing management skills.

This goes beyond project management, you also have risk management, stress management, and people management skills. 

PhDs already have so many transferable skills that reduce risk and provide certainty. When you write your resume, make sure to include these transferable skills and back them up with the results you achieved using them.

3. Show your audience you know what’s trending

I’m not talking about the latest TV shows, or pop culture trends. I’m talking about the latest industry trends. Every industry will have slightly different trends but there are also universal trends that impact every career path. Current trends revolve around remote work, decentralized workforce, and virtual communication. Knowing the trends in your current or target industry will make you a more valuable candidate. 

Not only are you keeping up with the times, but you are showing the dedication and enthusiasm to work in current conditions. 

In Summary

While your resume is undoubtedly about your skills, interests, and experiences, it needs to be written for the company and the position. Put in the effort to understand the company’s goals and culture. Make sure you are providing the company with the certainty they so desperately desire right now. Your resume should highlight not just your technical but also your transferable skills to help promote certainty, enthusiasm, and current industry trends. 

Are you a PhD?

If so, are you writing your resume for your target audience?

Tell me in a comment below.

To learn more about transitioning into industry, including how to gain instant access to industry career training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, a complete industry transition plan, and a private online job referral network for PhDs only, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association.