How To Tailor Your CV For Specific Roles

However, it’s crucial that you tweak your CV for every application. By all means have a basic template, but make the changes necessary to ensure each aspect is as relevant as possible to the role in question. It’s about more than just rewording a personal statement; there are helpful changes you can make to most sections.

Introduction /

Of all the skills and qualities you have, some will be of more interest to your prospective employer than others, so you need to know what to include. If you’re going for a position in the finance industry, trustworthiness and attention to detail will be more valuable.

When you lay out your career aims, be brief and focus on your goals within the industry in question. You need to show that this is where you want to be for the long term.

Previous employment and education /

It’s worth noting that fabricating your employment and education histories will always be a bad move – employers don’t take too kindly to being lied to, and they will find out sooner or later. That said, there are ways to optimise your descriptions. Again, it’s all about highlighting the most relevant parts.

If you’re applying for a managerial position, use your employment history section to focus on the leadership and management experience you’ve gained in each role. Even if ‘manager’ isn’t in the title, you may have taken the wheel on individual projects during your time there. The same goes for communication and persuasion if you’re after a sales position.

In terms of education, make sure you lead with the units of each course and period of study that are most likely to impress, especially if you did particularly well in those areas.

Hobbies and interests /

Listing hobbies and interests on your CV may seem a bit pointless. Cycling holidays have nothing to do with digital marketing – why include it? Well, think of it this way: your CV is, at this point, the only insight a prospective employer has into your personality, and that’s a critical ingredient. Who knows, the company’s major client may be a cycling equipment manufacturer, who’d benefit from your expertise.

It’s crucial that you’re honest – few people are truly passionate about customer service, and most employers know that. Some of your actual hobbies could well be useful, though. You may, for example, be learning a second language, or you might be a great coder but have no professional experience. If the job is with a multinational company, or for a tech firm, theses interests will give you an edge.

Don’t be lazy! /

It’s crucial that you invest the right time in your application, and tweaking your CV is a big part of this. Submitting a catch-all resume shows laziness, and that’s the last thing your prospective future boss will want to see.