Elle Woods’ pink, scented paper in “Legally Blonde” is a great illustration of personalizing a résumé, but convincing a hiring manager you’re the right person for the job will take a bit more strategy than a spritz of fragrance.

Tweaking your job application starts with understanding how, exactly, online job portals work. Sasha Yablonovsky, the president of a job-listing website CareerBuilder, says two sources scan your résumé when you apply: an applicant tracking system (ATS) and a recruiter. “The ATS is the program looking for keywords and how closely your résumé matches the job description,” Yablonovsky says. “Don’t hesitate to use the same words and phrases as you see in the job description.”

If your résumé makes it past the ATS, it reaches a human, who will further evaluate your skills and experience, along with your fit with the team. “So include your flair and personality and plenty of specific examples of working with teams,” she adds. For example, rather than simply listing out accomplishments, tell short, compelling stories about how you’ve conquered challenges and conflicts in the workplace.

You may have one template résumé, but every job you’ll apply for will require specific skills and experience. So for each potential position, Yablonovsky says you should take the time to tailor your résumé accordingly, and highlight the skills that are most relevant to that particular role. “This can make you a more desirable candidate for that role and it shows the recruiter that you have done your research on the company and the position,” she notes.

Lead with your transferable skills.

The future of hiring, Yablonovsky says,  is based on transferable skills — the idea that the skills you’ve gained throughout your career can be applied to multiple roles and industries. ”Your résumé should serve as a highlight reel or overview of your skills and successes, rather than the timeline of your professional history,” she says.

“If you have experienced unemployment this year due to pandemic-related closures, you are not alone. In your résumé and your cover letter, tell the potential employer if you lost a job due to COVID-19, and show off the skills, experience, and knowledge you have gained during your period of unemployment,” Yablonovsky suggests. For example, if you developed skills as a caretaker, gained experience volunteering in your community, or completed online coursework, make sure to include that in your application so the hiring manager knows you learned and grew during your unemployed period.

Whenever possible, create more access points for recruiters to understand you as a person, your skills and experience, and what only you could bring to the job. One way to do that, Yablonovsky says, is hyperlinking recruiters to areas that show off your work, like a personal website that shows off your tech or design skills. “You can even create and link to a digital portfolio, video, or presentation saved to the cloud that showcases your past work,” she says. “These tools demonstrate your skills and ambition and position you to stand out among the other applications and phone screenings.”