The job: You send the same CV to every job because rewriting it each time takes an evening, and generic applications rarely get a reply.
What AI actually does here
- Lists the requirements in the advert and matches each one to evidence already in your CV, marking the gaps.
- Suggests clearer wording for your existing experience, using the advert’s own terms where they honestly apply.
- Drafts a short cover letter from the matches, for you to rewrite in your own voice.
Tools to look at
- General assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
- AI writing features in word processors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs
- The National Careers Service CV advice and job profiles, to check what a role usually involves
Named tools are examples, not endorsements. We have no paid relationships with them at the moment; see our disclosure.
What you need first
- Your full, honest CV and the complete job advert. AI sometimes fills gaps with skills you don’t have, so delete anything that isn’t true.
- A privacy habit: take your address, phone number and date of birth out before you paste, and add them back at the end.
- Examples you can talk about. Anything on your CV can come up at interview, so keep only what you could explain in detail.
- The employer’s own instructions. Read the whole advert and application guidance, including anything it says about how to apply or about using AI.
How to tell if it’s working
- Replies or interview invitations per application, compared with your old one-size-fits-all CV.
- Time spent per application, now you start from a matched list rather than a blank page.
- Whether you can back up every line when you’re asked about it.
Run the numbers in the ROI calculator →
What the evidence says
No statistics cited. The National Careers Service advises tailoring your CV to each job, using the advert’s job description and essential criteria, and suggests the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) for describing what you did.
Ready-to-use prompt
Replace the [BRACKETS]. Only paste data you’re allowed to share with the tool you’re using.
View promptHelp me tailor my CV to a job advert. Be honest: never add skills, results or experience that aren't in my CV.
Help me tailor my CV to a job advert. Be honest: never add skills, results or experience that aren't in my CV.
JOB ADVERT:
"""[paste the full advert, including essential and desirable criteria]"""
MY CV (personal contact details removed):
"""[paste your CV]"""
1. Make a table: requirement from the advert | evidence from my CV (quote it) | strong / partial / missing.
2. For "partial" items, suggest clearer wording for what I've already written. Don't invent detail; ask me a question instead.
3. For "missing" items, list them so I can decide whether to apply, and suggest honest ways to address them (for example, related experience I've described).
4. Suggest a reordered CV outline that puts the most relevant experience first.
5. Draft a cover letter under 250 words in plain British English, based only on the evidence above. Mark anything I must check as [CHECK].Sources
- National Careers Service, "CV sections" Government guidance
- National Careers Service, "The STAR method" Government guidance
- National Careers Service, Explore careers (job profiles) Government guidance
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Email support@aiforthisjob.com. How we research and check playbooks.