One of the most consistent pieces of advice from recruiters is this: tailor your CV for every application. Yet most candidates send the same generic CV to every employer and wonder why the response rate is low. Here's how to do it effectively — and efficiently.
Why Tailoring Matters
A tailored CV does two critical things: it passes ATS keyword matching by using the same language as the job description, and it shows a human recruiter that you've read the role carefully and can connect your experience to their specific requirements. Both dramatically improve your chances.
What to Tailor (and What Not to)
Always tailor:
- Your personal statement / professional summary — rewrite it for each application
- Your skills section — add and remove skills to match the job description
- Your key bullet points — bring forward the most relevant achievements
Keep consistent:
- Your basic formatting and structure
- Your work history (dates, job titles, employers)
- Your education and qualifications
The 80/20 rule: Your CV should be 80% the same across applications. The 20% you tailor — the summary, skills section, and top 2–3 bullet points per role — has the greatest impact on your application's success.
Step-by-Step Tailoring Process
Step 1: Read the Job Description Carefully
Read it twice. Highlight every skill, qualification, tool, and requirement mentioned. Note which appear multiple times — these are the most important. Note the specific language used to describe the role and responsibilities.
Step 2: Identify the Keywords
Make a list of 8–12 keywords from the job description — these are the terms your CV needs to include. Check which ones you already have and which need to be added or emphasised.
Step 3: Rewrite Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement should directly address the role you're applying for. Mention the job title. Mirror the language of the company. Highlight your most relevant qualifications and experience for this specific role.
Step 4: Update Your Skills Section
Add any skills from the job description that you genuinely have but didn't include. Move the most relevant skills to the top of your list.
Step 5: Adjust Your Bullet Points
For your most recent and most relevant roles, make sure your top bullet points address the requirements listed in the job description. Bring forward achievements that are directly relevant; push less relevant ones down.
How to Do This Efficiently
Keep a "master CV" with every achievement, skill and experience bullet point you've ever written. For each application, copy the master CV and edit down — selecting the most relevant elements. This is much faster than starting from scratch each time.
💡 Tip
Use a spreadsheet to track each application: company name, role, the CV version you sent, and the outcome. Over time, patterns emerge — certain versions of your CV get more responses, which tells you what's working.
Build your master CV with our free CV generator — it's quick to update and re-download as PDF whenever you need a tailored version. For expert help creating a base CV that's easy to tailor, consider a .
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