Tailor CV Example & Writing Guide

Working in the tailoring industry demands a keen eye for detail and the flexibility to adapt to various styles and fashion trends. This guide offers expert advice and examples for those in the garment production industry, ensuring your tailor CV not only attracts attention but also clearly demonstrates why you are the ideal candidate.

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We created the sample on the right using our builder. See other good CV examples like this one.

Save a lot of time—just copy this tailor CV template and use our tips to adjust it to your needs:

Tailor CV example

This tailor CV sample effectively highlights relevant experience. Starting with a powerful personal statement, the CV uses a targeted approach to demonstrate how the employer will benefit from hiring the applicant. A notable achievement in tailoring is emphasised right before detailing the work history. By following this strategy, your tailoring CV will catch the attention of hiring managers.

5 Tips for writing a tailor CV

Here are five crucial tips from experienced professionals in the tailoring field. Their advice will help you create an impressive CV for tailoring jobs:

1. Highlight your customer care skills by detailing your experience in direct interaction with clients.
2. Show your reliability in managing delicate fabrics and ensuring high-quality standards.
3. Demonstrate your ability to collaborate with clients and stay calm under tight deadlines.
4. Emphasise your experience in using tailoring tools and proficiency with design software.
5. Include your knowledge of current fashion trends and tailoring techniques in your cover letter.

By following these guidelines, you'll be able to create an outstanding CV for tailoring roles. If it's been some time since you last wrote a CV, you might want to refresh your knowledge of CV-writing basics.

Here’s a quick writing guide to help you prepare a professional tailor CV:

How to write a tailor CV that fits you perfectly

The U.K. designer fashion industry is worth £600 million, and professional tailors are priceless. Crafting a general CV that you can easily adapt for each tailoring opportunity may seem like a good idea. However, just as a personal touch is essential in fitting a bespoke garment, a generic application won't suffice.

The following tips will guide you in customising your tailor CV for specific roles, enabling you to create as many variations of your application as necessary:

1. Structure the tailor CV template properly

The structure of your CV for tailoring jobs is like a well-organised fitting room. There’s no place for disorder. Follow this section order for your tailoring CV: header, personal statement, work history, education, skills, and additional sections. Present your experience in reverse chronological order. You may rearrange the order of education and work history if crafting a CV without experience.

Industry experts suggest that simple CV templates are favoured by recruiters and the applicant tracking systems used by large firms. Your tailor CV doesn’t need to be visually extravagant, but it must be well-formatted. Keep 1-inch margins on all sides and use 1–1.15 line spacing to ensure adequate white space. Opt for traditional CV fonts like Times New Roman or Calibri, with font sizes of 11–12 for body text and 13–14 for headings. Once your tailoring CV is complete, save it as a PDF file unless a different format is specified by the application system.

2. Present relevant tailor achievements in your personal statement

Your personal statement serves as an advertisement. Rather than promoting your garments, it’s crafted to showcase your qualifications for the tailoring job you’re targeting.

A strong introduction to a CV for tailors proves you’ve got textile designer skills, sewing knowledge, and relevant client-facing experience. Impress the hiring manager with professional achievement, and make your introduction 3–4 sentences long.

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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3. Describe past tailoring duties that match your desired role

When hiring managers review your CV, they need to see evidence of your capability to perform tailoring responsibilities effectively. The work experience section of your CV should showcase your skills in making and altering custom clothes, designing textiles, fitting garments, and working with customers. Highlight your efficiency in related responsibilities by listing 3–5 bullet points, and include a key achievement you're particularly proud of. Start each bullet with a compelling action verb for a CV to enhance impact.

Even if you haven't held previous roles as a tailor, it doesn't mean your experience is irrelevant. Maybe you learned sewing by yourself and have a portfolio of projects to show? Consider crafting a skills-based CV to bring your most relevant qualifications to the forefront of your application.

We’ve prepared a list of exemplary professional achievements for a tailor CV to inspire you:

Professional duties & achievements for a tailor CV—examples

• Efficiently processed custom sewing and altering orders within the designated timeframes.
• Demonstrated a customer-oriented attitude by helping customers choose fabrics, informing them about suitable textile designs, fitting various clothing items, and answering their inquiries politely and enthusiastically.
• Designed and altered custom sewing patterns by hand as well as using computer software to match client expectations.
• Collaborated with manufacturers to make sample garments based on artists’ designs.
• Researched and tested sustainable fabrics for various purposes.
• Inspected garments made by in-company tailors to ensure 100% adherence to quality guidelines.
• Supervised the manufacturing workshop with 2 cutters and 10 tailors to guarantee smooth operations and timely production.
• Grew the client base by 24% through high-quality craftsmanship and personal referrals.
• Reduced production time for custom suits by 12%, optimising workflow and improving turnaround time.
• Increased shop revenue by 11% by introducing new tailoring services, such as alterations, embroidery, or personalised designs.

4. Use education to your benefit

Although most starting roles generally do not require higher education, having strong GCSEs, especially in English and maths, often suffices for eligibility in opportunities such as apprenticeships. Be sure to include these in your CV when applying for a tailor position, especially if it’s a prestigious one, such as Savile Row Bespoke Association’s apprenticeship.

However, if you hold a degree relevant to fashion design or tailoring, it can greatly enhance your chances for career progression beyond entry-level roles. In such cases, it's beneficial to list your highest qualification first, followed by others in reverse chronological order. Fill the education section of your CV with relevant coursework and extracurricular activities, as these effectively highlight your skills and capabilities.

5. List the key skills for a tailor CV

Presenting skills on a CV is akin to arranging garments on mannequins; there's a right and wrong way. Merely listing skills without context or relevance is ineffective. The right way involves aligning your tailoring skills with the job description and offering explanations that reflect your professional attitude.

For a tailor CV, a blend of soft skills and hard skills is crucial. These include customer service, communication, time management, attention to detail, sewing, cutting, pattern making, and fabric knowledge. Carefully analyse the job posting to ensure your skills list matches the requirements of the position you are applying for.

6. Enhance your tailor CV with optional sections

Additional CV sections aren’t just fillers, so use them wisely. They can serve you as opportunities to demonstrate your qualifications for the role.

Your choice isn’t limited to professional certificates or licences. As an example, knowledge of foreign languages can be highly useful for tailors working for international fashion manufacturers. Plus, industry knowledge demonstrated in the hobbies and interests section can help your tailoring CV win additional points.

7. Write a cover letter to match your tailor CV

A job application isn’t complete without a cover letter that expands on the information from the CV. Make your cover letter personal by expressing your genuine interest in the position and the dressmaking industry. Follow the introduction with an overview of your qualifications and key strengths, and conclude the letter by explaining how they’ll benefit from hiring you. Propose a meeting or a phone call, and sign off professionally.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Applying for other creative or fashion-related jobs? Try these CV examples as well: 

• Graphic designer CV example
• H&M CV example
• Primark CV example
• Model CV example
• Designer CV example

Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on creating a tailor CV. If you have any questions or need further advice, please feel free to leave a comment below. We're here to help you tailor your career path to success.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

• Designer Fashion
• National Careers Service, Tailor
• Apprenticeships.gov.uk, What is an apprenticeship?
• Savile Row Bespoke, Savile Row Bespoke Association’s apprenticeship scheme