Tailor Your CV to Land the Job You Want

Reviewed on 7 June, 2025 by Jan Viljoen | Email

Crafting a compelling CV is more than just listing your past roles—it’s about strategically positioning yourself for the opportunity at hand. A tailored CV speaks directly to the employer’s needs and shows that you’ve done your homework. When you tailor your CV, you’re telling a focused story: Here’s how I meet your needs, and here’s why I’m the right fit.

Why Tailoring Your CV Matters

Employers and recruiters typically scan a CV in 20 seconds or less. In that short time, your CV should clearly answer:

• Can you do the job?
• Will you do the job?
• Will you fit into the team or culture?

A one-size-fits-all CV won’t cut it. Tailoring ensures your CV feels relevant and personal, making it far more likely to stand out.

Steps to Tailor Your CV

1. Start with Your Master CV
   Use your Master CV—your full record of skills, experience, and achievements—as a foundation. From here, extract the most relevant elements for the specific role you’re applying for.
2. Research the Role and Organisation
   Study the job description and explore the company’s website, values, and culture. What qualities or competencies do they emphasise? Which keywords keep appearing? Attempt to determine what they’re looking for in an ideal candidate.
3. Match Relevant Skills and Achievements
   Tailor your skillset and experience to align with the job’s priorities. Echo key phrases from the job ad. For example, instead of writing “Managed projects,” say: “Led cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time, improving client retention by 20%.”
4. Use the PAR Format
   Describe your achievements using the Problem–Action–Result (PAR) structure to show impact clearly. Example: Revitalised team engagement by launching a targeted training program, cutting onboarding time by 25% and boosting productivity by 30%.
5. Customise the Professional Objective
   Include a short, role-specific professional objective at the top of your CV. This helps to immediately align your career goals with the company’s direction or vision.
6. Keep the Layout Clean
   Use a tidy, easy-to-read layout with clear headings and bullet points. Avoid walls of text. Use fonts like Arial or Calibri (size 10–11), and ensure consistent spacing.
7. Quantify Achievements
   Numbers make your impact concrete. Instead of vague statements, say: Increased event attendance by 40%, generating an extra R120,000 in sponsorship revenue.
8. Proofread Thoroughly
   Errors—no matter how small—can hurt your credibility. Always run a spell check and have someone else proofread your CV for clarity and accuracy.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Over-relying on CV Writing Services: Professionally written CVs may look polished, but can feel impersonal. Use them as support, not a replacement for your authentic voice.
• Using Generic CVs: A one-size-fits-all CV lacks the personal touch employers seek, and it makes you look unprepared or unfocused.
• Adding Too Much Technical Jargon: Keep language simple and accessible, unless the job specifically demands otherwise.
• Ignoring Format and Structure: Disorganised or dense CVs are hard to scan, and may be skipped altogether.

Final Thoughts

Tailoring your CV takes extra effort and time, but it’s the most effective way to move from applicant to interviewee. Craft your CV as a strategic match for each role, and let your authentic, aligned story shine through.

Before you rush off to revise your CV, it’s worth pausing to make sure you’re truly covering all the right angles. Tailoring your CV effectively takes more than good intentions—it requires attention to detail, alignment with the role, and a clear strategy. To help you approach this with confidence, we’ve created a free, downloadable checklist you can use each time you prepare your CV for a specific job application. It’s designed to keep you focused, efficient, and competitive.

CV Checklist

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