Back to Tailoring Your Resume
Lesson 1 of 1

Analyzing Job Postings

Extract key requirements from any job description

How to Analyze Job Postings

Before tailoring your resume, you need to decode what the employer really wants.

Step-by-Step Analysis

  1. Read the entire posting twice
  2. Highlight requirements - both required and preferred
  3. Note repeated terms - these are priorities
  4. Identify the must-haves vs nice-to-haves
  5. Research the company for culture keywords

Create a Match List

Create two columns:

Job Requirement | My Experience
------------------------------------------
Project Management | Led 12 projects at Company X
5+ years experience | 7 years in the field
Agile methodology | Scrum Master certified

Priority Order

Requirements listed first in a job posting are usually most important. Make sure these appear prominently in your resume.

Pro Tip: If you don't meet at least 60% of the requirements, consider whether the job is right for you.