How do I tailor my CV to a job description?
List the must-haves, find them in your CV, and say them in the post's words.
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CVs and resumes, applications that go quiet, interviews, offers, pay and the first weeks, with a free tool beside each step.
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What are employers actually looking for now?
Thinking, adaptability and AI fluency top the surveys, but most firms still screen on credentials, so what gets through is skill you can show.
Read the guideWhat's the difference between a CV and a resume?
The same document under two names, and the length each country expects.
Read the guideWhen you're ready to apply
Tailoring a CV to a post, what keyword checkers check, why applications go quiet, career change CVs and spotting ghost jobs.
Do this beside the job post with OffLadder CV, free for Chrome- How do I tailor my CV to a job description?List the must-haves, find them in your CV, and say them in the post's words.
- What does an ATS keyword checker actually check?What a keyword checker compares, what it can't see, and how to use one well.
- Why am I not hearing back from job applications?Check the jobs, the CV, the volume and the route, then run a two-week test.
- How do I write a CV when I'm changing careers?Translate your old work into the new field's words and add one piece of new evidence.
What employers want now
The skills employers name, what actually gets through a hiring process, how to use the weeks between jobs, and how to explain a gap.
Make one small piece of real work as an experiment, free- What are employers actually looking for now?Thinking, adaptability and AI fluency top the surveys, but most firms still screen on credentials, so what gets through is skill you can show.
- How do I use the time when I'm not getting a job?A five-part week: real work, an AI rep inside it, conversations, a fixed block of applications and one note.
- How do I explain a gap in my CV?One line where the gap sits, the skills it built in a post's words, and one piece of work from it.
Applying, step by step
CV length and format, summaries and achievement lines, cover letters, screening questions, following up and the skill the post asks for that you don't have yet.
Do each step beside the job post with OffLadder CV, free for Chrome- What's the difference between a CV and a resume?The same document under two names, and the length each country expects.
- How long should a CV be?Two sides of A4, one US page, or longer for academic work, and what to cut first.
- How do I write a CV summary for a specific job?The role, two must-haves and one result, rewritten for every post.
- How do I turn CV duties into achievements?Verb, scale, result: turn what you were responsible for into what changed.
At the job post
Reading a post, deciding if it's worth it, the awkward parts of a CV, application forms, Easy Apply, tracking what you sent and what happens next.
Check, tailor, fill and track beside the job post with OffLadder CV, free for Chrome- How do I read a job description properly?Four passes through a post: the work, the must-haves, the wish list and the facts.
- How do I know if a job is worth applying for?A five-minute check on the work, your evidence and your deal-breakers before you tailor anything.
- How can I tell if I'll like a job before I apply?Turn one duty from the post into fifteen minutes of real work, then ask three questions.
- How many jobs should I apply for each week?A weekly number you can keep, a split of your hours, and how to read your reply rate.
Interviews, offers and after
The questions every interview asks, researching and negotiating pay, comparing offers, rejections, references and resigning well.
Practise for any post with OffLadder CV and Laddie, free for Chrome- How do I answer 'Tell me about yourself' in an interview?Present, proof, next: a 75-second answer built from the post.
- How do I answer 'What is your greatest weakness?'A real weakness, what you do about it, and a sign it's improving.
- How do I answer 'Why are you leaving your job?'One honest sentence on why, then what draws you to this role.
- How do I explain a career change in an interview?Thread, evidence and commitment, so the move doesn't read as a whim.
OffLadder CV compared
How OffLadder CV differs from Jobscan, Teal and Rezi, from each tool's own pages.
- OffLadder CV vs Jobscan: which should I use?A match score and missing keywords, or a tailored CV and help with gaps.
- OffLadder CV vs Teal: which should I use?A job tracker and resume builder, or tailoring on the post itself.
- OffLadder CV vs Rezi: which should I use?An AI resume builder with a score, or tailoring the CV you already have.
Interview questions, answered
The questions people search for by name: why should we hire you, five years, strengths, behavioural and competency questions, failure, conflict and greatest achievement, each with examples.
- "Why should we hire you?" How do I answer it?A three-part answer built from their need, one result and how you work, with five examples.
- "Where do you see yourself in five years?" What should I say?What the question tests, a direction-based answer and six examples, including uncertain and changing careers.
- "What are your strengths?" How do I answer with real examples?Pick two strengths the role needs, prove each with a short example, and avoid empty adjectives.
- What are the most common behavioral interview questions?The 25 most common behavioural questions by theme, and six stories that answer nearly all of them.
Interview rounds, nerves and AI interviewers
Phone screens, panels and second rounds, interviews run by AI, calming nerves, the thank-you email and reading the signs afterwards.
- How do I write a thank-you email after an interview?When to send it, the five sentences that make it useful and templates for four situations.
- What happens in a phone screen interview, and how do I pass it?What phone screens check, the usual questions, the salary question and a 15-minute checklist.
- How do I handle a panel interview?Who sits on a panel, what each person scores, where to look and how to prepare.
- What happens in a second interview, and what will they ask?How round two differs, the questions you'll face, tasks and presentations, and how to prepare.
Pay, promotion and moving on
Asking for a raise or promotion, the pay premium for switching, accepting an offer, notice periods, salary transparency laws, self-assessments, how long to stay and non-competes.
- How do I ask for a raise?Timing, the three pieces of evidence, a script, what's realistic and what to do after a no.
- How much more should I ask for when I change jobs?The switcher pay premium in the data, a realistic range and how to set your number from the market.
- How do I ask for a promotion?Learn how decisions are made, build evidence against the level above and ask with a clear case.
- How do I accept a job offer?The checklist before you say yes, how to accept by phone and email, and the order to resign.
Job search strategy
How long a search takes, the hidden job market, referrals and cold emails, being ghosted, burnout, remote jobs and what works in the market going into 2027.
- How long does it take to find a job?The latest data on search length, what makes it longer and the habits that shorten it.
- What is the hidden job market, and how do I find jobs that aren't advertised?What the hidden job market is, why the 80% figure is shaky and five ways to reach unadvertised roles.
- How do I ask for a referral at a company?Who to ask, what to send, templates for three relationships and how to follow up.
- How do I cold email someone about a job?Finding the right person, a short email built around their problem, three templates and the follow-up.
LinkedIn and applications
LinkedIn headlines, About sections and the Open to Work banner, reference checks, contract versus permanent work, careers fairs, auto-apply tools and AI-written applications.
- LinkedIn headline examples that get you foundA headline formula recruiters respond to, with examples for job seekers, career changers, graduates and people between roles.
- LinkedIn About section examples, and how to write yoursA four-part structure for your LinkedIn About section, with examples for experienced people, career changers and graduates.
- Does the LinkedIn Open to Work banner hurt your chances?How the Open to Work setting works, the two visibility options, and when each one helps your search.
- What happens in a reference check, and what can a former employer say?How reference checks work, what employers ask, what former employers can say, and how to prepare your referees.
Job hunting in a slow market
Long searches, survival and seasonal jobs, job scams, AI screening, skills-based hiring and explaining a layoff.
- I've been unemployed for six months. What should I change?How to diagnose a job search that has passed six months, what to change, and how to keep going.
- Is taking a survival job a mistake?When a survival job makes sense, how to choose one, how to show it on your CV, and how to keep searching.
- Should I take a seasonal job while job hunting?When a seasonal job helps a job search, how to fit them together, and how to turn it into more.
- How do I spot a job scam or fake recruiter?The warning signs of job scams, common scam types, how to check a recruiter, and what to do if caught.
From other sections
Guides shelved elsewhere that answer part of this question too.
- After a layoffHow to explain a layoff and career pivot without sounding rehearsedExplain a layoff and career pivot with specific evidence instead of rehearsed passion statements.
- Before you pay to retrainHow to build a career-change portfolio when you have no clientsBuild honest portfolio evidence using practice briefs, even before you have clients.
- First jobs at 14, 15 and 16How do I write a CV with no experience?A one-page first CV built from school, clubs, volunteering and home, with a worked example.
- First jobs at 14, 15 and 16How do I prepare for my first job interview?The six questions a first interview asks and three stories that answer all of them.
- Apprenticeships and technical routesHow do I get an apprenticeship?Where vacancies appear, the timeline for a September start and what makes an application stand out.
- Apprenticeships and technical routesWhat will they ask in an apprenticeship interview?Seven questions every apprenticeship interview asks, with answers that work without a job history.
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- Graduate jobs and how to get oneWhat is a graduate scheme?How schemes work, what they pay, how they differ from a graduate job and who each suits.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneWhen should I apply for graduate jobs?The recruitment calendar month by month, why rolling deadlines matter and what to do if you've missed the autumn.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneHow do I write a graduate CV?Section order, turning modules and a dissertation into evidence, and writing part-time work as results.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneI've graduated with no job. What should I do?What the outcomes data say, a twelve-week structure and the week-six check that tells you what to change.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneCan I get a graduate job with a 2:2?Which big employers dropped the 2:1, where filters remain and how to build a case that beats the grade.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneWhat happens at an assessment centre?The exercises, how assessors score, pass rates and a one-week preparation plan.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneHow do I pass psychometric tests for graduate jobs?Numerical, verbal, logical, game-based and personality tests, how scoring works and a three-week practice plan.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneWhat is a situational judgement test and how do I pass it?How the scoring key is built from the employer's own staff and a method for ranking responses.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneHow do I use the STAR method with no work experience?The proportions of a STAR answer and two worked examples from a group project and a café shift.
- Graduate jobs and how to get oneHow do I answer 'Why do you want to work here?'A three-part answer, thirty minutes of research that produces it and the answers every candidate gives.
- US: first jobs and what comes after high schoolHow do I write a resume as a teenager with no experience?Five sections on one page, what counts as experience and a worked example that gets read.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckHow do I get an apprenticeship in the US?Application windows, the aptitude test, pre-apprenticeships, the interview and what to do when waitlisted.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckHow do I get an internship as a college student in the US?The recruiting calendar, where internships really come from, paid against unpaid and the conversion rate to offers.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckWhat is a rotational program and is it worth joining?The structure of leadership development programs, who runs them, pay, how to get in and when to say no.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckHow do I write a new grad resume?One page, education first, bullets as results and the formatting that gets past screening software.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckI graduated and have no job. What should I do?The 2026 numbers for recent graduates, a twelve-week structure, the week-six check and the loan grace period.
- US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheckHow do I use the STAR method in an interview?The proportions of a STAR answer and three worked examples from a group project, a café shift and a lab.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyHow does the OffLadder CV extension tailor my CV without making things up?Every changed line is checked against your original CV; missing must-haves become questions.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyDoes OffLadder CV fill in job applications for me?Fill puts in your details and tailored CV, drafts open questions and never submits.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyWhat do I get for free, and what does membership add?What the free account keeps, what membership lifts, and how to tell if you need it.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyWhat happens to my CV and data?Your CV stays in your browser; what's sent when, what's kept, and how to delete it.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyI just graduated and don't know what to apply for. Can OffLadder help?Try a few jobs before you apply for any, then apply to the one that holds up.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyHow does OffLadder CV compare with Jobscan, Teal or Rezi?A scanner, a tracker, a builder and a tailoring panel: which step each one helps with.
- Layoffs, redundancy and exitsI've been put on a performance improvement plan. What does it mean and what should I do?How to read a PIP, the first-week moves, when to fight it and how to negotiate a way out instead.
- Layoffs, redundancy and exitsWhat is garden leave, and can I job hunt while I'm on it?What garden leave covers, whether you can interview during it and how it interacts with restrictions.
- Layoffs, redundancy and exitsWhat should I post on LinkedIn after a layoff?What to include, three copy-ready templates and the open to work settings that suit you.
- Career change by age and routeAre Google Career Certificates worth it?What Google Career Certificates cost, what they're good for, and what to add so they lead to interviews.
- Career change by age and routeWhat are the best certifications for a career change?The certifications that help career changers by field, and how to pick the one employers in your target role want.
- AI and your workWhat AI skills do employers want?The AI skills employers ask for, what they look like in practice, and how to show them on a CV and in interviews.
- AI and your workWhat are the best AI certifications?AI certifications worth considering by goal, from everyday skills to cloud, governance and engineering.
- Work life and growthHow do I find a four-day week job?Where to find four-day week jobs, what the pilots found, the types of four-day week, and how to ask your employer.
- Work life and growthWhat are good examples of career goals?Examples of short and long-term career goals, how to make them SMART, and how to answer the interview question.
- Timing your moveIs it worth job hunting in December?Why December can be a good month to job hunt, what slows down, and how to use the holiday weeks.
- Timing your moveHow do I plan a January job search?A four-week plan to start a job search in January and keep it going past February.
- Timing your moveShould I tell my employer I'm job hunting?Whether to tell your employer you're looking, the exceptions, and how to search discreetly.
- New ways of workingWhat does contract-to-hire mean?How contract-to-hire works, what happens to pay and benefits, and what to ask before accepting.
- New ways of workingHow do I negotiate remote or hybrid days?How to ask for remote or hybrid days in a current job or offer, your rights, and what to do if refused.
- Starting and leaving wellWhat does an employment background check show?What employment background checks show, your rights in the US and UK, and how to handle problems.
- Starting and leaving wellHow do I write a 30-60-90 day plan?How to write a 30-60-90 day plan, what goes in each phase, a template and an example.
- AI and seven more jobsHow do I show AI skills on my CV?How to show AI skills on a CV with results, examples by role, and what to avoid.
- Changing at any ageHow do I handle age discrimination in hiring?How age discrimination shows up in hiring, your rights, how to reduce bias and what to do if it happens.
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