A generic CV is a weak CV. To stand out, you need to tailor your CV for each job you apply for. It takes more time, but it significantly increases your chances.
Why tailoring matters
Employers can tell when you've sent the same CV to 50 companies. A tailored CV shows:
- You've read and understood the job posting
- You're genuinely interested in this specific role
- You've thought about how your skills match their needs
The 3-step tailoring process
Step 1: Analyze the job posting
Read the job posting carefully. Highlight:
- Must-have requirements: Skills and experience they need
- Nice-to-have requirements: Bonus qualifications
- Keywords: Specific terms they use repeatedly
- Values: What seems important to the company?
Step 2: Match your experience
For each requirement, ask yourself:
- Do I have this skill or experience?
- Can I demonstrate it with a specific example?
- Which of my experiences best shows this?
Step 3: Adjust your CV
Make these changes for each application:
- Professional summary: Rewrite to match the role
- Work experience: Reorder bullet points to highlight relevant achievements first
- Skills: Move the most relevant skills to the top
- Keywords: Use the same terminology as the job posting
Example: Before and after
Job posting requires: "Experience with data analysis and customer insights"
| Generic CV | Tailored CV |
|---|---|
| "Managed customer database" | "Analyzed customer data to identify trends, leading to 15% increase in retention" |
| "Created reports" | "Developed customer insight reports used by leadership for strategic decisions" |
What to tailor (and what not to)
Always tailor:
- Professional summary
- Order of bullet points under experience
- Which skills you highlight
- Which experiences you expand on
Don't change:
- Job titles (be honest)
- Dates
- Company names
- Your qualifications
Time-saving tip: Create a master CV
Keep a "master CV" with all your experiences, achievements, and skills. When applying:
- Copy your master CV
- Delete what's not relevant
- Reorder what remains
- Adjust wording to match the job
This is faster than starting from scratch each time.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Over-tailoring: Don't lie or exaggerate
- Keyword stuffing: Use terms naturally, not forced
- Forgetting to update: Make sure you don't submit with another company's details
Try it yourself
- Find a job posting you're interested in
- List the 5 most important requirements
- Match each to your experience
- Rewrite your summary to address these requirements
- Reorder your experience bullets accordingly
Next step
Know what to include – but also what to leave out. Learn about common CV mistakes to avoid.