top of page

7 Ways to Tailor Your CV During Your Job Search


Woman in mustard yellow sweater on laptop
Source: wix media

CV writing can be a daunting task, but it's important to tailor your CV for each job you apply to. When you're looking for jobs, your CV is the most important document you have. It's your chance to show hiring managers that you have the skills, knowledge and experience to perform the role. But simply listing your qualifications isn't enough - your CV needs to be tailored for each specific role.





Tailoring your CV for every application does take a bit of extra time and effort. But, it will pay off significantly! Each application you make will be of a high standard and greatly increase your chances of getting shortlisted for interviews. In this blog post, we'll discuss 7 tips that will get you the job!


Why is it important to tailor your CV for each job?

When you’re applying for jobs, it’s important to make sure your CV is tailored to each one. This means that you should adjust the content and focus of your CV depending on the specific role you’re targeting. For example, if you’re applying for a job in marketing, you’ll want to highlight your experience and skills in this area. If you’re applying for a job in sales, you’ll want to focus on your achievements in this field.


Tailoring your CV demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to research the role and understand what the employer is looking for. It also shows that you’re interested in the specific job and that you’re confident you have the skills and experience to do it well.



Here are 7 tips to get you shortlisted every time:


  1. Your CV must be ATS-compliant. When you apply for a job online, your CV isn’t typically going directly to a recruiter or hiring manager. It’s first being processed by an Applicant Tracking System. Whether that human recruiter ever sees your CV could depend on how well your CV is optimised for ATS algorithms.

  2. Pay attention to keywords. Make sure to include keywords relevant to the position you're applying for. Make sure that the job title for the role you are applying to appears quickly on your CV. These are the first keywords that the ATS algorithm will search for.

  3. Make sure that keywords in the job description appear consistently throughout your CV.

  4. Make sure that keywords in the job requirements appear in your Core Competencies and Achievements section.

  5. If specific tech skills are requested for the role, eg. Employee Relations, Prince2, Compliance make sure they are prominent. Additionally, making sure your skills are up-to-date and highlighting your achievements will also help set you apart from the competition.

  6. If the opportunity easily presents itself, include some technical terminology – but not too much – so that the recruiter or hiring manager knows that you understand the industry. However do not compromise the overall need for plain language. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

  7. If specific languages are required or preferred, these must appear in Core Competencies.


Research the company and the position you're applying for. The better you understand what the company is looking for, the easier it will be to target your CV towards those specific needs. For each individual job that you apply for online, ATS algorithm will be searching to match keywords in the job description to your CV. ATS search terms are usually correlated to job descriptions. For example if applying for a Financial Accounting Anayst role, it is most likely that ATS will search for these two keywords first. If it does not find them, you will be rejected within 20 seconds, and you will never know why. Please submit in Word format, unless PDF is specifically requested by the portal.



Remember, tailoring your CV to each job is key to getting your foot in the door! In order to make sure your resume stands out, it’s important to make sure that it is ATS complaint. This means taking the time to learn how to format your CV correctly and using the right keywords. Want to get your CV into tip-top shape so you can quickly apply to jobs? Click here to get your CV reviewed. Also, click here for your Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers.


So, what are you waiting for? Start creating or updating your CV today!

 

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my blog for more career-related content.

Join Our Mailing List

Get free access to best tips, articles

along with exclusive videos, courses and way more

Thanks for subscribing!

bottom of page