Career Advice

How to tailor your CV for the role

Use the job advert to choose which skills and examples to put near the top of your CV.

Read the job advert twice. On the first pass, check the location, hours and required qualifications. On the second, note three things the employer expects the successful candidate to do. Those are the points your CV should help the reader find quickly.

Match your experience to the work

For each responsibility, choose a real example. If a customer service advert mentions handling complaints, explain what you handled, how you kept records and what happened next. A line such as “Logged customer enquiries, followed up on unresolved cases and escalated billing issues to the finance team” gives a recruiter more information than “excellent communication skills”.

Put the strongest evidence first

List the most relevant skills near the top. Within each job, internship or volunteer role, lead with the tasks that match the vacancy. If you are looking for your first job, use examples from projects, coursework, volunteering or community work where they show the required skills.

Check the details before sending

Read the advert’s instructions for file format, subject line and required documents. Check your mobile number and email address, open the final file, and give it a clear name such as Firstname-Surname-CV.pdf. Keep a copy of the advert and the CV you sent so you can refer to both if you are invited to interview.