Full rewrites are unsustainable across forty applications. Targeted edits are not.
The three edits
1. The last line of the summary, naming the role and company
2. Bullet order — move the most relevant achievement to the top of each role
3. Vocabulary in the top two bullets, matched to the ad's phrasing
Keep a master version
Maintain a long CV with every achievement, then cut down per application rather than adding. Cutting is faster than writing and produces tighter results.
What not to change
Dates, job titles and employers. Any inconsistency between versions surfaces at reference stage and reads as dishonesty.
Common questions
Do I really need to tailor every CV?
Tailoring the top third is enough. That is where the screening decision happens.
How long should tailoring take?
Five minutes with a master CV to cut from.