You've found a suitable vacancy, and you are ready to apply for the job. This is an important time, so use the time wisely. The countdown is on for the closing date and you now need to get a CV and Cover Letter to match the Job Specification (or Job Spec). A lot of people have a generic CV comprised of their past work experience and qualifications, and they often make the mistake of sending this one. You need to be in the right frame of mind for the application and be willing to put plenty of time and effort into it.

This Document is the first point of contact between you and the Employer, so ensure that you articulate the best possible version of yourself. Use the Job Spec to your advantage, as it is the key to creating the strongest CV for the application, and to securing an interview.

You have to forget the one-CV-fits-all approach, even when it comes to applying for the same type of position in a different Company. There could be such a demand for a job that a Hiring Manager might receive hundreds of applications. Given that this is generally the norm in this day and age, you need to put yourself in the Hiring Manager's shoes and realize they could be wading through a colossal amount of CVs and will likely get bored very easily. A Recruiter won't want to see the same kind of CV with the same content over and over again. They will be drawn to the CV that stands out.

Think about it like this:

Two Tech companies are located directly across the street from each other. An IT Technician comes across vacancies from both companies and likes the sound of both. They both explain in their Job Specs that it is a Senior Technician position and they outline general duties to which the IT Technician is accustomed.

The Technician creates a CV to meet a Senior Tiler's duties and responsibilities, before sending the CV to one of the companies.

The Technician then looks across the road at the other company and thinks, "I can send this same CV to that company, too. After all, they are both looking for a Senior Technician!"

What do you think, and why?

The conclusion that the CV is already made up and meets the requirements of both Job Specs is a mistake. Even though the companies are similar in nature; and even though they are looking to fill a similar role, this doesn't mean that they are the same. No two Job Specs are ever the same. It doesn't matter how much they are alike. If they are two different companies, the roles will be different even if the job titles are the same. The differences could depend on a number of factors, including market position, type of service/product provided, size of company, etc.

The point is that the Technician needs to do his homework on both companies, and you should do the same if you find yourself in this position. Find out about what they do, and even what they're doing in particular when you make your application. Use this to your advantage on your CV and in all aspects of your application. You should be thinking, "I want my CV to be the best. I want my CV to jump off the page. I want to be top of the interview list."

So, how do you do that?

Put yourself in the shoes of the Hiring Manager and ask yourself, would you hire you? Try to be honest and objective.

Assess your CV once you've completed it, but don't assess it from your own perspective - assess it from the perspective of the recipient.