What is usually going wrong
You meet the requirements — and get silence
The posting says 3 years, you have 5. The gap is rarely qualification; it is that your CV does not show the match in the first third of the page.
Your CV has barely changed in months
The same document goes to a startup, a bank, and a public body. Each reads it differently, and a generic CV wins none of them.
You are applying to everything
Spray-and-pray feels productive but every untailored application scores lower than one aimed properly. Volume is not a strategy.
What actually moves the needle
- 1
Tailor every single application
Mirror the posting's own words for the skills you genuinely have. Recruiters and ATS software both rank keyword overlap — same experience, described in their language, scores higher.
- 2
Check what the ATS sees
Columns, graphics, and creative headers can parse into garbage. Run your CV through a checker and see exactly what an applicant tracking system extracts.
- 3
Send fewer, better applications
Five tailored applications a week outperform fifty generic ones. Track what you sent where, so follow-ups land while you are still remembered.
Run the free CV check
Paste your CV and get a score with the exact fixes that move it — keyword gaps, structure, and skim-test issues — in under a minute.
Get the fixes by email
A short series with the specific changes for your situation, the templates to copy, and nothing else.
We store your address in the EU, use it only for these emails, and delete it on request.
Straight answers
How long should I wait before following up on an application?
Five to seven business days after applying is standard, unless the posting names a closing date — then follow up a few days after it closes. One polite message is professional; three is pressure.
Should I apply if I do not meet every requirement?
Yes, if you meet the core of it. Most postings describe an ideal, not a minimum. Apply when you can do the job, and let your CV translate adjacent experience into their requirement language.
Do recruiters really spend only seconds on a CV?
Eye-tracking studies put the first skim at six to eight seconds. If your current role, key skills, and one strong result are not visible in the top half of page one, the rest often goes unread.