How to tailor your CV to a job description
One CV sent to every job rarely works. Once your main CV is up to date, tailoring it can take as little as 20 minutes, longer the first time. Always follow any instructions in the advert first, such as page length or format.
1. Pull out what the job asks for
Read the advert and list the main skills, tools and experience it mentions. Note the exact words used.
2. Rewrite your profile
Your profile is the two or three lines at the top of your CV. Make it about this role: who you are, what you bring that matches the advert, and what you want next.
3. Move the best evidence up
Put the experience most relevant to this job near the top of each section. Recruiters often read the top third of a page first.
4. Turn duties into results
Show what you achieved, not only what you were responsible for.
5. Use the advert's language
If the advert says "stakeholder management" and you wrote "working with partners", use their phrase where it is true. Many employers scan CVs for the words in the advert.
UK CV basics
- Call it a CV, not a resume
- Two pages is usual for most UK roles
- Leave out a photo, your date of birth and marital status
- Put your most recent experience first
Before you send it
Read the advert again, then your CV. Could a stranger see in 30 seconds why you fit? If not, move your best evidence higher.
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