Is it OK to use words from the job description in my resume?

Yes, when they accurately describe work you've done. Using the employer's terms helps both recruiters and applicant tracking systems see the match. Don't add terms for skills you don't have.

How much should I change my resume for each job?

Usually the summary, the order of bullets within each job, a few bullet rewrites using the posting's language, and the skills list. Facts like titles, dates and employers stay the same.

What counts as lying on a resume?

Changing titles or dates, listing tools or skills you haven't used, inventing numbers, or claiming degrees or certifications you don't have. A good test is whether you could explain every line with a real example in an interview.

PaperChore › Guides › Job search

How to tailor a resume to a job description without lying

By the PaperChore team · Updated Oct 15, 2026

The short answer

Tailoring means choosing and phrasing true things so they match what this employer asked for. Highlight the posting's must-haves, find your real evidence for each, move the most relevant bullets to the top, and use the employer's wording where it accurately describes your work. Don't change titles, dates, tools, degrees or numbers you can't back up.

Step 1: mark up the job post

Copy the posting into a doc and highlight three things in different colors: must-haves (required skills, tools, certifications, years), nice-to-haves, and the words they repeat. The repeated words tell you what the hiring manager actually cares about.

Step 2: find your evidence for each must-have

For each highlighted requirement, write down where you've done it: which job, what you did and what happened. If you can't find evidence for one, that's fine. Leave it out of the resume and address it in the cover letter if it matters ("I haven't used Looker, but I built the same dashboards in Tableau").

Step 3: reorder and rewrite, keeping the facts

Lead with what matches. Within each job, move the most relevant bullets to the top. Cut bullets that don't help this application.
Use their words when they're accurate. If they say "customer onboarding" and you "set up new accounts and trained clients," it's honest to say "customer onboarding (set up new accounts and trained clients)."
Show results you can stand behind. "Cut invoice processing from 3 days to 1" is great if it's true. If you don't have a number, describe scope instead: how many clients, which systems, how big the team.
Rewrite the summary in two lines aimed at this role, using your real title and strengths.
Trim the skills list to skills you'd be comfortable being asked about in the interview.

Where the line is

Tailoring (fine)	Lying (don't)
Putting your most relevant work first	Changing job titles or dates
Using the posting's term for something you really did	Listing a tool or language you've never used
Describing the scope of your work	Making up metrics or percentages
Leaving out unrelated jobs or bullets	Claiming a degree or certification you don't have
Grouping freelance work under one heading	Hiding keywords in white text

A simple test: could you explain every line, with an example, if the interviewer asked?

Keep a master resume

Keep one long "everything" resume with every bullet you've ever written, then build each tailored version by selecting and editing from it. Tailoring takes 15 to 20 minutes instead of an hour, and you never lose a good bullet.

Before you send

Did every must-have you really meet show up somewhere, in words close to theirs?
Is the top third of page one about this job?
Did you remove anything you can't back up?
Is the file a simple, text-based PDF or DOCX? See ATS keywords explained.

Common questions

Is it OK to use words from the job description in my resume?: Yes, when they accurately describe work you've done. Using the employer's terms helps both recruiters and applicant tracking systems see the match. Don't add terms for skills you don't have.
How much should I change my resume for each job?: Usually the summary, the order of bullets within each job, a few bullet rewrites using the posting's language, and the skills list. Facts like titles, dates and employers stay the same.
What counts as lying on a resume?: Changing titles or dates, listing tools or skills you haven't used, inventing numbers, or claiming degrees or certifications you don't have. A good test is whether you could explain every line with a real example in an interview.

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