Exactly How Many Versions of Your Resume SHOULD You Have

Exactly How Many Versions of Your Resume SHOULD You Have Exactly How Many Versions of Your Resume SHOULD You Have? Lets cut to the chase. Job seekers are exhausted by constantly running around, changing their resume up for every single job application. Its a never-ending battle that feels like a dog chasing its tail. Its always there  but forever an elusive goal. So exactly how many versions of your resume SHOULD you have?  One, or many? The answer is YES. Your best strategy is to organize your job search in a way that structures your resume in the following manner: 1) Create no more than 1-3 master (core) versions of your resume.  Any more than this will result in you getting too diluted in your job search efforts and youll be dashing after every job opening, hoping to shape-shift yourself into what the employer is looking for in their next hire.  But more importantly, you cant get too distracted away from what you do WELL.  By constantly evolving/morphing your resume to match jobs, youll be surprised at how quickly you lose focus on what you do best and what the strongest value proposition you offer employers.  So retain these core / master resume documents in a separate file and do not alter them. 2) Tweak each resume for each position.  Smart career managers know to read each job posting closely to make sure that they match the same language/verbiage that the employer uses to garner higher hits in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).   But this is where many job seekers go awry by going down the road of the constantly evolving resume.  They keep changing the same document so it starts shifting for each job opening. Instead, you want to go to your core resume(s), select the one that fits the job posting the best, and then SAVE it to a different file.  Even better, create a separate file folder on your computer for each job application. This will save you TONS of headaches later by organizing the information. Example: ABC Company folder Resume used in application Cover Letter used in application Job description ASCII format resume Recommendation letter DEF Company folder Resume used in application Cover Letter used in application Job description ASCII format resume Recommendation letter By creating separate files for each application, you can clearly track what you said to which company.  In the event that you have multiple applications at the same company, create separate sub-folders for each job with the same format as above including the materials pertaining to that opening so you can easily reference everything. Be organized. Be smart.  But never lose track of your core resume(s) and dont alter them. Thats what you do best, and if you end up constantly adapting those core resumes, youll start to lose focus really fast.  Stick with what you do best, then tweak each document to match the job for which you are applying, not the other way around.