How to Optimise Your CV to Get Any Job

How many times have you submitted that CV, hoping to get invited for an interview, and nothing comes? You know how heartbreaking that is, especially when you need that job so bad. Now let’s flip the script. Imagine you had access to that one tool that can help you secure not just one job but any job you want. Imagine the difference it will make in your career and life.

But before we talk about this mystery tool, let us look at what CV optimisation is and why it is so important in helping you secure that dream job you want.

IMAGE CREDITS: iStock

What is CV Optimisation?

Understanding CV Optimisation

CV optimisation is the process of improving your curriculum vitae (CV) so it effectively showcases your skills, experience, and achievements to potential employers. It involves tailoring your CV to specific job roles, ensuring that it includes relevant keywords and phrases that align with the employer’s requirements. Many companies now use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen CVs before they reach a hiring manager, so an optimised CV increases your chances of passing through these automated filters.

Why CV Optimisation Matters

An optimised CV does more than list your job history—it highlights measurable accomplishments, uses clear formatting, and communicates your value quickly. By focusing on results rather than just responsibilities, your CV stands out in competitive job markets. Optimisation also improves readability for recruiters, making it easier for them to identify why you’re a strong candidate. In short, CV optimisation enhances both visibility and impact, significantly improving your chances of securing interviews and job opportunities.

What Recruiters and ATS Look for in an Optimised Resume

Recall we spoke about ATS earlier on but how does it really work? Let’s find out.

An employer posts jobs through the ATS. The ATS will then collect CVs submitted either through emails, the company’s website, or even job platforms like MyJobMag.

The ATS then scans each CV and “parses” it, meaning it extracts key information like name and contact details, work experience, education, skills and certifications. It will compare the content of each CV to the job description, looking for specific keywords and phrases like “project management,” “Python,” or “customer service,” depending on the role. CVs with more keyword matches are then ranked higher.

Based on how well your CV matches the job criteria, the ATS assigns it a score. Recruiters usually only review the top-scoring CVs, especially when there are many applicants. If a CV lacks required keywords, has formatting issues, or uses incompatible file types (like images or complex tables), it may be automatically rejected. Only the best-matched CVs move on to a recruiter or hiring manager for manual review.

10 Tips to Optimise Your CV to Get Any Job

Match Your CV to the Job
Focus on the Top Half of Your CV
Keep the Design Simple and ATS-Friendly
Tailor Your Skills Section
Use the Right Keywords
List Your Achievements
Add Relevant Certifications and Tools
Optimise Your Job Titles and Descriptions
Eliminate Irrelevant Content
Proofread and Update Regularly

Match Your CV to the Job
The first step to securing that job is to match your CV to the job description. To cite our chef example, you want to be sure you are showing up in the right uniform. One of the best ways to do this is through this free CV Matcher tool. It allows you to check how well your CV matches a job description. Here is the sweet part. In less than a minute, you will get an instant report on what is missing in your CV and what you can do to improve your chances. Smart candidates are using it to land interviews and jobs already.
Focus on the Top Half of Your CV
Recruiters often spend less than 10 seconds on an initial scan. That makes the top half of your CV the most important part. This area should include your name, job title, professional summary, and core skills. Your summary should clearly state who you are, what you do, and what makes you valuable. Keep it brief, focused, and aligned with the job you’re applying for.
Keep the Design Simple and ATS-Friendly
This is another efficient tip. Fancy CV designs might look great, but they often confuse applicant tracking systems. So ensure you stick to a clean layout with no tables, graphics, or columns. Use standard fonts like Arial or Calibri. Make sure headings like “Work Experience” and “Education” are clearly labelled. Use bullet points to list responsibilities and achievements, while maintaining consistent formatting throughout. You can also try our CV builder.
Tailor Your Skills Section
Your skills section should reflect the specific abilities the employer is looking for. If the job requires project management, client communication, and data analysis, then those should be among the top-listed skills on your CV. Prioritise relevance over quantity.
Use the Right Keywords
We have said that many companies use applicant tracking systems to filter CVs before they even reach a human recruiter. These systems scan for specific keywords related to the job. If your CV doesn’t include those terms, it may never get seen. So go through the job description and pull out important terms, tools, software, and skills. Then, naturally weave these into your CV across your summary, skills, and job responsibilities. And if you are unsure, use the CV Matcher tool.

List Your Achievements
Listing tasks is good, but showing results is better. Recruiters want to see the impact of your work. Use numbers, percentages, and concrete outcomes to demonstrate your achievements. For example, instead of saying “Managed social media accounts,” say “Increased social media engagement by 45% in 6 months.” This shows that you don’t just do tasks. You achieve results.

Optimise Your Job Titles and Descriptions
Your previous job titles should match industry standards, especially if your company used internal or uncommon titles. For instance, if your job title was “Happiness Officer,” consider changing it to “Customer Service Representative” if that’s more widely recognised.
Add Relevant Certifications and Tools
If the job requires knowledge of specific tools, software, or certifications, make sure these appear on your CV. Whether it’s Google Analytics, Salesforce, QuickBooks, or Agile methodology, these keywords can make the difference in passing the initial screening. Certifications, even short courses from recognised platforms, show initiative and up-to-date knowledge.

Eliminate Irrelevant Content
A long CV is not always a better CV. Remove old, irrelevant roles, outdated skills, or early-career experiences that don’t contribute to your current job goals. Recruiters are not interested in reading everything you’ve ever done. Focus on what matters most for the role in front of you and keep it clear, concise, and aligned with your target position.

Typos and inconsistent formatting can hurt your credibility. Always proofread your CV multiple times. Use tools like Grammarly to catch grammar and spelling issues. Also, update your CV regularly with new achievements, certifications, or projects. Don’t wait until you’re job hunting again. A current and polished CV is always more effective than a rushed one.

Optimised CV Example

See a practical example of an optimised resume that applies all the above principles so you can replicate it for your job hunt.

Example for Digital Marketing role:

Anthonia Mavese
Lagos, Nigeria | +234 812 325 6789 | anthonia.mavese@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/anthonia

Professional Summary
Digital Marketing Specialist with over 5 years of experience designing and executing full-funnel marketing strategies across tech and e-commerce industries. Proven success in scaling paid acquisition, improving conversion funnels, and driving 3.5x increase in leads while reducing CPA by 25%. Adept with Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, GA4, and HubSpot. Excels in performance marketing, growth strategy, and cross-functional collaboration. Eager to join a data-led, high-impact team to drive measurable business growth.

Core Skills

SEO/SEM: Yoast, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, SEMrush
Performance Ads: Google Ads, Meta Ads, Retargeting, Display Ads
Email Marketing: HubSpot, Mailchimp, Drip Campaigns
Analytics: GA4, Google Tag Manager, Looker Studio
Conversion Rate Optimization: A/B Testing, Hotjar, CrazyEgg, Copywriting
Automation & CRM: HubSpot, Mailchimp, Drip, Salesforce
E-commerce Tools: Shopify, WooCommerce
Content Strategy: Keyword Clustering, Content Audits, Landing Pages

Work Experience

Digital Marketing Executive
MyJobMag – Lagos, Nigeria
March 2021 – Present

Improved organic traffic by 116% (from 12K to 26K monthly) within 10 months by auditing and revamping blog content, improving internal links, and fixing technical SEO issues using Screaming Frog and SEMrush.
Managed and fine-tuned a ₦1.5M+ monthly Google Ads budget; refined targeting strategies to reduce CPC by 26% (₦65 to ₦48) while increasing lead volume by 40%.
Launched email campaigns via HubSpot that outperformed industry benchmarks, with a 36% open rate and 19% CTR.
Created and A/B tested 15+ landing pages in Unbounce and Google Optimize, achieving an average conversion rate of 11.3%.
Developed custom dashboards in GA4 and Looker Studio, transforming complex marketing data into actionable insights for senior leadership.

Marketing Assistant
Atunwa Retail – Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
January 2019 – February 2021

Supported 3 major nationwide marketing campaigns, contributing to a 20% YoY increase in customer acquisition and a 15% rise in retention.
Authored and boosted 30+ blog posts that drove 10+ strategic keywords to Google’s top 5 SERP rankings.
Scheduled and managed social campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn using Buffer; accelerated Instagram engagement by 60% within 6 months.
Conducted monthly competitor benchmarking reports, which informed revisions to creative ad copy and led to a 12% uplift in ROAS.

Education

B.Sc. Mass Communication
University of Lagos — Graduated October 2018

Certifications

Google Ads Search Certification – Google — 2024
Content Marketing – HubSpot Academy — 2023
Email Marketing – Meta via Coursera — 2023

Projects

Website SEO Overhaul (Freelance) — July–September 2023

Conducted full-site audit for a Lagos-based fashion e-commerce site (WooCommerce), fixed crawl errors, added schema markup, and refined product/category pages.
Rewrote all product descriptions using keyword clustering and customer persona alignment.
Outcome: Achieved 78% growth in organic traffic and doubled online sales in 3 months.

Conclusion

If your CV hasn’t been getting results, it’s probably not because you’re unqualified. It is because your CV isn’t optimised. But once you learn how to tailor your CV to match the job, everything changes. You’ve seen exactly what to do. Now go secure your next job.

CREDITS: MyJobMag

How to Optimise Your CV to Get Any Job in 2025