Link to learn more about, and register for: Land Your Dream Job Accelerator:https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Dy066dj7gm5chND-FfIcd-vZNeS0y4Tdbbf6Jr_oP8/edit#heading=h.9en890oi4qsu  I think most people have gotten the memo that you are supposed to tailor your resume, cover letter, and any other materials to the position you are applying for. This tailoring, if done correctly, will greatly increase your chances of making it through the ATS – and compelling the human on the other end to want to interview you. I DON’T think most people know what tailoring actually means, so let’s dig into this today. First off – let me say that my rule of thumb is you should spend about 30 minutes customizing your resume and another 30 minutes customizing your cover letter – and this includes careful proofreading. If you are having to do much more customizing than that, it’s likely that you either have a pretty generic, non-targeted resume to begin with, or you are trying to use a targeted resume for a position that is very different from what the resume was targeted for.  Your ResumeCustomizing your resume for a specific position must start with analyzing the job description – which obviously means you must HAVE a job description. Make sure you get your hands on this document. If a recruiter has reached out to you, it doesn’t hurt to ask if he or she has any information in addition to the job description about the company and/or the job to help you with tailoring. Your next step is to highlight keywords and phrases. You can do this manually, or you can dump the job description into ChatGPT with the question, “What are the most important qualifications for this job?” Note that you are looking for hard skills, credentials, certifications, experience – rather than things like “hard worker,” “team player,” or “leadership.” Once you’ve identified these qualifications, I use the “find” function in Word to see if I already have those terms in the resume. If I don’t, then I determine the best way to include them. Can I add an achievement bullet that speaks to that qualification? Do I add the certification or credential to others I already have on my resume? Do I add the skill to my list of Competencies at the top of my resume? Have I taken a course or training on a subject mentioned in the job description? Remember, you want to include the exact language used in the job description. Another aspect of customizing your resume is possibly re-ordering your achievement bullets, eliminating some that aren’t relevant, and including others that are a better fit for this position. As a reminder, your job duties should be condensed into a 2-3-line paragraph, followed by achievement bullets (no more than 5 per job). Achievement bullets should begin with an action verb, be front-loaded with the result you achieved, and include metrics whenever possible.  Cover LetterOne of the main reasons I am still an advocate for cover letters is that they give me the opportunity to address any skills, qualifications, or competencies mentioned in the job description that aren’t easily included in my resume – or that I want to expand on beyond how they are mentioned in my resume. For example, if the job description asks for “Proven ability to effectively interact with individuals at all levels of the organization and build strong, trusted relationships,” I might mention something about building mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships in my resume. However, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to pull together 2-3 examples of how I met this qualification in various positions. Perhaps most importantly, the cover letter gives me the opportunity to express my interest in that specific position with that specific company – not just that I want A job. I want THIS job. In this section of the cover letter, talk about what you like about the company’s culture – and why this is a perfect fit for you and your strengths.  Other MaterialsThere’s a wide range of possibilities her