Sending the same CV to every job is quicker, but a CV that matches the advert gets more replies, from recruiters and from applicant tracking systems. You do not need to start again each time. This routine takes about 15 minutes.
1. Mark up the advert
Underline every skill, tool, qualification and duty it mentions. Circle the three or four that appear first or most often. Those are what the employer cares about most.
2. Rewrite the top two lines of your profile
Use the job title from the advert if it is true of you, and name the two strongest matches: “Payroll administrator with five years on Sage VIP and SARS submissions for 600 staff.”
3. Reorder, don’t rewrite
- Move the bullets that prove the circled requirements to the top of each job.
- Use the advert’s words where they describe what you really did.
- Drop or shorten bullets that have nothing to do with this role.
4. Match your skills list
Put the skills the advert names first, in its wording. Leave out skills you cannot back up in an interview.
Builder tip: before tailoring, use Save a backup in the builder to keep your main version as a file. Restore it any time to start the next application from a clean copy.
Avoid: pasting the advert’s text into your CV, or adding skills you do not have just to match keywords. People check.