Tailor your CV: start with the role, not a template
The facts remain stable. Selection and hierarchy change with the opportunity.
Tailoring a CV means choosing what matters to a specific reader. The facts remain stable; the target title, order of achievements and space given to each experience may change. It does not mean copying a job description or inventing a new career.
Move from opportunity to application
The same job title can cover different needs. One employer may need a team to be built; another may need a portfolio to grow. Clarify the problem before rewriting your CV.
Three questions before editing
- Which expectations are explicit? Separate responsibilities, outcomes and essential requirements.
- What proves this in my career? Look for actions, outcomes and scope rather than unsupported qualities.
- What deserves more space? Develop decisive evidence and shorten secondary detail.
The detailed method
How to tailor a CV to a job
A five-step process, an expectations-to-evidence matrix and a worked example using one fictional profile for two roles.
When selection is the difficult part
If you understand the role but still have too much material, use the framework for choosing relevant experience or explore the Experience section.