The good news is you don't need to rewrite your entire CV each time to make a fresh application! But it does need a little effort.

To get it past Applicant Tracking Systems (APS), you just need to tweak some key sections:

Personal Profile/ Personal Statement

This is the first thing a recruiter will see about you and should be a short snappy summary of who you are academically and professionally and should broadly match the job ad criteria. To make a great first impression, make sure it briefly references any relevant experience, two or three key skills and a very targeted key achievement.

Transferable skills section

Only focus on the skills and attributes you match in the job ad. Introduce the skill and give a short example. Use the present tense if it's an example from a current role and the past tense if it's a previous role. So, if they're looking for someone with great communication skills, you could write:

Excellent Communication skills: as shown in my volunteering role at X Charity where I edit and produce a monthly Donor e-newsletter and deliver weekly presentations to new donors.

Achievements section

Talk about things you did in previous roles that show you would be great in this new role, and show you added value to your employer or customer. Use 2 to 4 bulleted examples in short paragraph using actions verbs in the past tense. An example for someone whose role would involve organisational skills could be: As part of my internship at X company, I planned and delivered a new tracking system to inventory and track multiple projects. This ensured my team was able to swiftly provide accurate updates to senior managers and stakeholders exceeding project targets by 15%.

Work experience section

Any relevant paid or unpaid experience can be listed under the heading Relevant Work Experience to make them really stand out. The rest of your work experience can go under a separate heading called Other Work Experience. However, if you don't have any relevant experience, don't worry, just list all your work experience under Work Experience. Include more achievements

Relevant qualifications and training

Focus on any relevant qualifications, training and accreditation including any self-directed learning you have done on MOOCs or LinkedIn Learning for example.

With a little practice, you'll be able to tailor your CV easily and make a great first impression!

Suggested Reading

> Writing a personal statement for your CV
> Top 7 CV Mistakes
> Tailoring Your CV
> Achievements CV

By Anna Gordon - Certified Business Coaching Psychologist ABP CBCP