Sending the same CV to every job is one of the most common and costly mistakes job seekers make. Employers at Kenyan banks, consulting firms, and development organisations receive dozens of applications for every role. A generic CV that does not mirror the language and priorities of the specific job description gets filtered out — by an ATS first, then by a time-pressed recruiter. If you want to diagnose why it is not getting responses, start by auditing whether it speaks the language of the roles you are targeting.
Tailoring is not dishonest. It is the process of deciding which parts of your genuine experience are most relevant to this particular role, and putting those parts first. You are curating, not fabricating.
The process starts with reading the job description carefully — not for the job title, but for the specific verbs, skills, and outcomes the employer uses. If the job description says "financial modelling" three times, your CV should say "financial modelling" — not "Excel" alone. If it mentions "stakeholder engagement", your experience bullet should reflect that language where it is genuinely true.
Look for the must-haves (usually in the "requirements" section) and the nice-to-haves. Reorder your bullet points so the most relevant ones appear first in each role. Move skills and certifications that match the role higher on the page.
The most effective tailoring is surgical: you change 10–15% of the CV per application, not the entire document. Keep a a strong base CV with everything and pull from it selectively. Once you secure the callback, use the same attention to detail to prepare for the interview that follows.