Last week on Linkedin, we generated a poll to learn more about your behaviour when applying for a new job role. We wanted to find out whether you edit your CV and Cover Letter for each new role you submit an application for, or whether you use the same documentation.

33% of respondents stated they modify both their CV and Cover Letter when applying for a new role, whereas 25% of respondents only edit their Cover Letter to suit the responsibilities and requirements of the advertisement.

In total, a massive 42% of respondents said that they did not, or only sometimes adapted their documents to suit the role they were applying for.

But why should you edit both your CV and Cover Letter when submitting job applications?

In our experience of over 30 years of recruitment, we’ve discovered it is essential to customise and tailor your CV and Cover Letter for each role of interest. If you are applying for a role with a view to be successful in being shortlisted for interview, it is important to spend the time modifying your documentation to compliment your skillset against the job specification.

Often recruiters receive over 100 applications per role, meaning time spent reviewing individual applications is short, and it can be deduced that applications will be skim read against the role requirements and qualifications. Therefore, it is important to populate your CV and Cover Letter with relevant key words. Recruiters are short on time when reviewing CV’s and Cover Letters for exact matches to the advertisement, meaning time will not be spend trying to work out the missing information of an individuals application.

Top Tips

Our top tip when editing your documentation is to read the advertised job description and pull out the key words that compliment your skillset against the job specification, and ensure these are featured in both your CV and Cover Letter.

To find out more on how to optimise your CV and Cover Letter, take a look at our application advice: