This is an axiom that everyone constantly repeats, but that is really a pain to put into practice. “Great” you think, “it was enough of a pain to come up with one CV, I have no idea what else to say to make 5 different versions of it.” It is worth doing though- even if you’re sure you are right for the job, make it blindingly obvious so your CV makes it through the gauntlet and onto the right desk.

Some ways to get started after the jump:

Make sure you actually fit the job as described- no amount of gilding the curriculum vitae will help if you don’t have the experience requested (even if you think you can do the job).

Make sure your CV is simple and easy to read- look here to see some Ireland-specific CV tips. Bottom line, there’s no point in trying to customize your CV on a job by job basis if it’s long, convoluted and difficult to read.

Go through the job ad and the company profile, making a list of things they do/want/need- this could be their core business, their company culture, skills or knowledge required for the job, and personality traits required for the job.

Figure out which of these describe you, and highlight them on your CV. Wondering how much of a match you’ll need in order to get a call back? Some items are going to be a must have, and these are probably pretty obvious- things that are key to doing the job, and aren’t quickly acquire-able (native-level fluency in German, a law degree, the ability to program in PHP). Overall, though, it depends on how tough it is to find people and how long they are willing to wait for the perfect person. As a rule of thumb, assume that employers/recruiters are looking for about an 80% match, and if you fall below 60-70% you’re probably not going to be getting a call. Exceptions to every rule, though.

If there’s anything you’ve done that’s relevant but not on your CV add it, but don’t embellish or exaggerate– be aware that hiring managers love to catch people exaggerating their technical abilities on their CV. If you’ve got a vague idea of what Agile development is but haven’t actually been doing it in an organized fashion, it doesn’t go on the CV. It only goes on your CV if you could stand in front of the hiring team and defend it in detail.

Have a look at everything that’s left- minimize it or eliminate it if it’s not relevant. This is a judgment call- your CV should still accurately reflect how your time was spent. In other words, if it took up 5% of your time, it shouldn’t be 75% percent of what you wrote about the job. Having said that, though, if it’s totally irrelevant to the role you’re applying for don’t waste a lot of CV space on it.

Use your formatting to call attention to the most relevant things- they should go at the top of each job description.

Avoid obvious bloopers that make it apparent you’re doing a mass CV mailing- Send individual emails, not one mass mail. If for some reason you must send one email, put the recipients in the BCC box (no one will be happy to see you’ve publicized their email address). Add a very brief cover letter to your email, and address it to them by name. Make sure you haven’t mentioned a different employer/ recruiter anywhere by accident.

Once you’ve begun the interview process, prepare customized work samples for them- This goes a long way towards helping you stand out of the pack, especially if you’re applying for a junior role. A software development manager once told me about a junior programmer who came in for an interview with a CD of work samples he had developed specifically for them, along with printed materials customized for each interviewer. It ended up being the deciding factor in his being offered the job; as the hiring manager said, if he was willing to work that hard for the interview it was clear he would work hard to develop his programming skills once he was brought on board.