Why one CV for every job fails
An applicant tracking system compares your CV with the job description and ranks you by how well they match. A recruiter then skims the top of the list for the same words. If the posting says “accounts payable” and your CV says “supplier payments”, a person may connect the two. Software often does not.
The 5 steps
Keep one master CV with everything you have done. For each application, copy it and work through these steps.
- Read the posting twice and mark what repeats: tools, tasks, the job title, the sector.
- Sort the marked words into three groups: “I have done this”, “I have done something close”, “I have not done this”.
- Rewrite your title line and summary using the posting’s job title and two items from the first group.
- Reorder your bullets so the most relevant ones come first under each job. Reword them with the posting’s terms where the meaning is the same.
- Update the skills section to list the first group in the posting’s spelling, then check the file against the job before you send it.
A before and after
The posting asks for “accounts payable, vendor reconciliation, SAP”. The candidate has done all three and wrote it differently.
- Before: “Responsible for supplier payments and checking statements.”
- After: “Processed accounts payable for 120 vendors a month in SAP and completed vendor reconciliation before each monthly close.”
- What changed: the posting’s three terms appear, a number shows scale, and the verb says what the person did.
Where tailoring stops
The second and third groups are where people get into trouble. If the posting asks for a tool you have never used, do not add it. An interviewer will ask about it in the first ten minutes, and a claim you cannot defend costs you the offer and your credibility with that recruiter.
For the “something close” group, say what you did plainly: “Basic reporting in Excel” is honest when the posting asks for Power BI and you have not used it. Then decide whether the gap is small enough to apply anyway. Often it is.
Doing it faster
In Maseera you paste the job posting, and the CV is rewritten from your saved profile for that job: title, summary, bullet order and wording. It only uses what is in your profile and tells you which of the posting’s requirements your profile does not show, so you can add real experience you forgot or leave the gap honest.
FAQ
Is tailoring a CV dishonest?
No, as long as every line is true. You are choosing which true things to show first and using the employer’s words for them.
How many versions of my CV should I keep?
One master CV, plus one tailored copy per application. Name each file with the company and role so you can find what you sent.
Should I copy the job description into my CV?
No. Pasting whole sentences or hiding keywords in white text is easy to spot and gets CVs rejected. Use the terms inside your own real bullets.
What match score is enough to apply?
There is no universal number. If you cover the must-have requirements and most of the tools, apply. A missing “nice to have” should not stop you.