How to tailor your resume to a job description
Tailoring means reshaping the resume you already have so the most relevant, true evidence for this specific job is easy to find — for the ATS and for the recruiter. Here's how to do it in 15 minutes, or let our free tool do the heavy lifting.
Create a free Connecting Odds account to score your resume against any job, get fixes and download a tailored copy.
Every category shows its points and checks.
Keywords and requirements come from the posting.
Risky edits require your confirmation.
Five steps to a tailored resume
- Split the posting into must-haves and nice-to-haves. Requirements, "minimum qualifications" and anything marked required are must-haves.
- Mirror the exact wording you honestly match. If the posting says "Identity and Access Management (IAM)", use both forms. ATS keyword search is often literal.
- Put skills inside bullets, not just a list. "Migrated 1,200 users to Okta SSO in 6 weeks" beats "Okta" in a skills section.
- Match the title in your summary when it truly describes your work, and lead with your most relevant role.
- Quantify results. Numbers, percentages, money and scale make bullets credible. Never invent them.
What not to do
Don't paste the job description in white text, stuff keywords, or claim skills you don't have. Recruiters read the resume after the ATS — and modern systems detect hidden text. Our tool flags any suggestion that would add something new as "only apply if true".
How your ATS score is calculated
Transparent rules decide the number — the same resume and job always get the same score, and every check shows the points it's worth. AI is used only to read the posting's keywords and suggest wording.
Must-have and nice-to-have skills from the posting, weighted by importance and repetition, with synonyms and context.
Whether your resume uses the title recruiters will search for.
Years of experience, degree level, certifications and clearance vs the posting.
Bullets with numbers, percentages, money or scale, and strong action verbs.
File type, readable text, tables, columns, text boxes, images, header/footer text.
Experience, Education, Skills and Summary with standard headings.
Email, phone, location and LinkedIn link.
Weak phrases, clichés, repeated openings, first-person pronouns.
Word count suited to the role.
Check while you apply
Every job on Connecting Odds has a "Check my ATS score first" link next to Apply — it loads the job and your profile resume for you. Browse jobs.
Tuned to the employer's system
When a job applies through Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo or SmartRecruiters you get tips for that system.
Honest by design
We never add employers, dates, degrees, skills or numbers you don't have. Risky suggestions are flagged "only apply if true".