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CV Guidance

How to Tailor Your CV for a Specific Job

Sending the same CV to every employer reduces your chances of being shortlisted. Here is how to adjust your CV for a specific role without misrepresenting your experience.

1. Read the Job Description Carefully

Before editing anything, identify which requirements are essential and which are simply preferred. This distinction should guide where you focus your CV’s opening sections.

2. Match Relevant Keywords Honestly

Many employers scan CVs for specific terms mentioned in the job description. Use the same terminology as the posting where it genuinely reflects your experience — do not add skills or tools you have not used.

3. Reorder Your Experience by Relevance

Your most relevant experience for this specific role should appear first within each section, even if it is not your most recent position chronologically within that section.

4. Quantify Your Achievements

Where possible, describe outcomes using real numbers — the size of a team, a percentage improvement, a volume of transactions handled. Only include figures you can explain if asked in an interview.

5. Proofread Before Submitting

Spelling and formatting errors are one of the most common reasons a otherwise-qualified applicant is not shortlisted. Read your CV aloud, or ask someone else to review it, before you submit.