Why Failing to Tailor Your CV Could Be Costing You Interviews

Too often, people send out the same generic CV to every opportunity. While this might occasionally get a result, it’s rarely the most effective approach – and it can seriously weaken your chances in a competitive market.

Generic CVs Put You on Thin Ice

Let’s be honest. If there are only three applicants for a role, you’ll likely get an interview even if you submit your details scribbled on a napkin. But that’s not the reality for most vacancies.

When you're up against ten, fifteen, or twenty well-qualified applicants, the candidates who receive interviews are typically the ones who appear to be the strongest match for the role. And that perception comes down to one thing: a tailored CV.

Tailoring your application doesn’t just impress the human eye – it’s also essential for passing through applicant tracking systems (ATS), which many employers now use to shortlist candidates.

There’s No Magic Formula – But Tailoring Helps

There’s no silver bullet when it comes to beating the algorithms used by applicant tracking systems. No one – not even a top recruiter – can guarantee your CV will get through every time.

But there is a lot you can do to enhance your chances. And the best thing? Tailor your message.

One particularly effective method is something called linguistic mirroring.

Use Linguistic Mirroring to Align With the Role

Linguistic mirroring involves reflecting the exact language used in the job advertisement. If the employer is looking for specific skills – say, project governance, stakeholder engagement, or data visualisation – make sure those exact terms appear in your CV, assuming they accurately reflect your experience.

For instance, imagine your CV includes a list of key skills. If you use your own preferred terminology instead of the exact wording used in the job advert, you could be creating an unnecessary obstacle. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are designed to scan for specific keywords. So, even if project oversight and project governance mean the same thing, the system may not recognise them as interchangeable.

That’s why it’s essential to mirror the language used by the employer. Using their exact terminology not only improves your chances of getting past the ATS, but it also demonstrates alignment with the role — something hiring managers are actively looking for.

Don’t Rely on Your Cover Letter

Some applicants assume they can include tailored content in a cover letter instead of their CV. While a well-written cover letter can add value, it should never be the primary place where customisation occurs.

There’s a simple reason: you can’t guarantee the right person will read it. It might get deleted, overlooked, or simply not passed along. If your CV ends up in front of a hiring manager without your carefully written cover letter, you’ve lost your chance to make that tailored impact.

Make Your CV Modular and Easy to Customise

A well-crafted CV, like the one we created for Matt, is modular by design. It’s built from a rich source of content – in Matt’s case, his career autobiography – and that makes tailoring straightforward.

Rather than reinventing the wheel for every job, tailoring becomes a simple matter of lifting and shifting relevant content. Swap out introductory text, adjust your key skills table, and select the most appropriate STAR-based case studies for the role you’re targeting.

This approach allows you to respond quickly and effectively to a wide range of opportunities — all without compromising on quality or alignment.

Final Thoughts

A generic CV might occasionally land you an interview, but in today’s job market, that’s not good enough. Employers want to see relevance, alignment, and intent — and that only comes from thoughtful customisation.

Use linguistic mirroring, tailor your messaging, and build a modular CV structure that draws from your career autobiography. It may take a bit of time upfront, but it will dramatically improve your chances of being seen, shortlisted, and hired.