Best Practices for Using Job Descriptions in Your CV Analysis

When you analyze your CV, the job description is just as important as your resume. In fact, how well you select and prepare the job description can significantly impact your analysis results. This guide shows you how to use job descriptions effectively to get the most accurate and useful analysis.

Why Job Description Selection Matters

Your CV analysis score depends directly on how well your resume matches the specific job description you provide. If you use the wrong job posting or provide an incomplete description, your analysis won't be meaningful.

This is why RankMyCv lets you analyze against any job description - because one CV rarely works for all jobs. Each position has unique requirements, and your CV should ideally be tailored accordingly.

Choosing the Right Job Description

1. Use Actual Job Postings

Always use real job descriptions from actual positions you're applying for. Don't use:

• Generic job titles ("Software Engineer")
• Templates or examples
• Descriptions from 6 months ago
• Job postings from different industries

Why: Employers craft specific descriptions for their exact needs. The keywords and requirements vary significantly even within the same role title.

2. Apply to Jobs You Actually Qualify For

Before analyzing your CV, ask yourself:

• Do you have 75%+ of the required qualifications?
• Is your experience level appropriate?
• Does the industry or company appeal to you?
• Can you reasonably acquire missing skills before applying?

Why: CV analysis is a tool to help qualified candidates optimize their presentation, not to force a bad fit. If you're missing core qualifications, even a perfectly optimized CV won't help.

3. Select Current Job Postings

Use job descriptions that are:

• Posted within the last week (ideally current)
• Still actively accepting applications
• From companies still hiring in that role

Why: Job requirements change over time as industries evolve. A 6-month-old description may not reflect current employer priorities.

Preparing Your Job Description

Best Practices for Copy-Pasting

What to include:

• Full job title
• Complete list of requirements (required and preferred)
• All responsibilities
• Qualification statements
• Nice-to-have skills
• Any special conditions or benefits that imply requirements

Example of complete description:

Senior Software Engineer - Node.js

Requirements:
- 5+ years JavaScript/Node.js experience
- Experience with React or Vue.js
- PostgreSQL and MongoDB experience
- AWS or GCP experience
- CI/CD pipeline experience
- Strong problem-solving skills

Preferred:
- TypeScript experience
- GraphQL experience
- Microservices architecture experience

Responsibilities:
- Design and develop scalable backend systems
- Mentor junior developers
- Review code and contribute to architecture decisions
- Participate in code reviews
- [continues...]

What NOT to Include

Don't remove or modify the job description. The tool needs the exact wording to make accurate matches.

Don't do this:

• Paraphrase requirements in your own words
• Remove "nice-to-have" sections
• Edit out responsibilities that don't apply to you
• Simplify the language

Why: ATS and keyword matching work on exact terms. If the job says "Node.js" and you analyze against "JavaScript," the match quality suffers.

Handling Long Descriptions

Some job postings are extremely long. If this happens:

• Include the complete description anyway - our tool handles it
• Focus on the "Requirements" and "Responsibilities" sections
• Optional: Include the "About Company" section if it mentions culture/tech requirements

Analyzing Multiple Versions of Your CV

Since each job is different, consider creating versions of your CV for different roles:

Technique: Tailored CV Versions

1. Create a "master CV" with all your experience
2. For each major job type, create a tailored version:
   • Senior/leadership roles
   • Individual contributor roles
   • Different industries (tech, finance, healthcare)
3. Analyze each version against similar jobs
4. Keep the best-performing version for that job type

Example

If you're a software engineer applying to both fintech and e-commerce companies:

• Create a version emphasizing financial systems (for fintech)
• Create a version emphasizing scalability and user experience (for e-commerce)
• Analyze each against 2-3 typical jobs in that space

Understanding What the Analysis Is Telling You

When Analysis Results Don't Make Sense

"My score is low, but I'm qualified for this job" Possible reasons:

• The job description uses different terminology than your CV
• You've hidden relevant experience in generic job titles
• You need to reframe your experience using the job's language
• The job and your background actually don't align as well as you think

Action: Rewrite your CV to directly address the job description's language.

"My score is high, but I still didn't get an interview" Possible reasons:

• The company had many qualified candidates
• Other candidates were more experienced or better fits
• Your cover letter or LinkedIn profile didn't match
• Resume score is only one factor in hiring

Action: Don't over-rely on analysis scores. They're one tool, not the only factor.

Job Description Keywords to Prioritize

High-Priority Keywords

Focus on incorporating these first:

• "Required" keywords: Explicitly marked as required
• Repeated keywords: Mentioned multiple times
• Technical skills: Specific technologies, tools, or methodologies
• Experience level: Years of experience, seniority expectations

Medium-Priority Keywords

Add these if natural:

• "Preferred" keywords: Listed as nice-to-have
• Soft skills: Leadership, communication, problem-solving
• Industry-specific terms: Jargon specific to that sector

Lower-Priority Keywords

Only include if genuine:

• Nice-to-have certifications: That you don't have
• Personal qualities: Unless you can prove them
• Vague terms: Like "team player" or "self-starter"

Red Flags in Job Descriptions

Watch for these warning signs - they might indicate a bad job fit:

Contradiction or Confusion

If the job description is contradictory (e.g., "entry-level" but "10 years experience"), it might indicate:

• A poorly written posting
• Confusion about what they actually need
• Multiple unfilled requirements from different positions

Extremely Long or Vague Requirements

If the job description is extremely long with vague requirements, it might mean:

• The company is unclear about the role
• You might struggle with ambiguous expectations
• The role may be overwhelming in scope

Changing Requirements

If you're analyzing for a job you've already seen, and the requirements have changed significantly, it might mean:

• The position is still being defined
• The company is revising expectations based on candidates
• Use the newest version for analysis

Best Practices Summary

Advanced Technique: Competitive Analysis

Compare multiple job postings in your target field:

1. Analyze your CV against 5-10 similar jobs
2. Note keywords that appear in most (80%+)
3. These are "core" keywords for your field
4. Ensure your CV always includes these

Example: If you're a marketing manager, keywords like "campaign management," "budget planning," and "cross-functional collaboration" probably appear in 90% of job postings. Ensure your CV strongly emphasizes these.

Final Thoughts

The job description is your guide for optimizing your CV. It tells you:

• What this employer actually needs
• What language to use
• What to emphasize
• What gaps to address

Use this information strategically, but remember: CV analysis is about finding the right match, not forcing a fit.

Ready to analyze your CV? Upload your resume and a job description → - See how your experience aligns with your target role in under 30 seconds.