Learning how to tailor your CV to a vacancy – and why it is so important to do so – is a critical lesson to be learnt when you are on the job market. Your CV is a capsule of your essence as a person and an employee, and whilst it can be challenging to cram that much detail into a succinct document, it is important to prioritise and tailor your information to the position you have seen. Follow the CV tips below and you should see a significant improvement in your job search activities.
Read the Whole Job Advert
Start off by reading the job advert in full. We know that a lot of hiring managers use repetitive and boring language to describe their vacancies, but it is very important that you read it thoroughly. You would hate to miss vital details, requirements or requests, the absence of which could lead to your application being canned.
Compare the job description to you CV and ensure that your qualifications match the role well enough to take it a step forward.
Do Research on the Company
Next up is to do your research on the company so that you fully understand their service or products and how you could fit into their culture. Researching the company might show you that they are far more corporate than you would prefer, or maybe they are less professional looking than you’d desire.
This step not only keeps you from wasting your time, and the company’s time, but it helps you to better identify the role you will play and where your skills will be best utilised. Including this information in a cover letter looks great and can seriously bolster your chances of getting the job.
Make Key Requirements Immediately Visible
Once you have analysed the vacancy description, take a good look at your CV. Can you immediately see the key requirements the job asks for? If the answer is no, time to get editing. Move your CV information around so that your most relevant experience, skills and knowledge is at the top of each list, and with the most comprehensive descriptions.
For example, if the vacancy requires desktop publishing experience in Adobe creative suite, move your desktop publishing course to the top of your list, and make sure your graphic design and video editing skills are highlighted.
Emphasise Relevant Employment History
Of course, your employment history is vital to your application process. Without removing any of your job history, simply highlight your most relevant experience by expanding on your duties, quantifying your duties, and being fully descriptive about how you performed there. Your transferable skills should be clearly identifiable, too, as it shows flexibility in your personal repertoire.
Your less-relevant experience should still appear on your CV, but you can make your descriptions briefer and to the point. Any other experience you have such as temporary work, volunteering and so forth should always be mentioned on your CV to show how you have elected to spend your time and enrich yourself.
These simple tailoring tips can help your CV become more focused and more attractive to potential employers. You can submit your general CV to us and we will add you to our database of candidates.
