مثل السيرة الذاتية، طلب التوظيف مهم.

Here مثل means like or similar to.

So:

• مثل السيرة الذاتية = like the CV / like the résumé

This is a comparison phrase. It is not being used as for example here.

A useful distinction:

• مثل = like
• مثلًا = for example

So in this sentence, مثل السيرة الذاتية means like the résumé, not for example, the résumé.

Because Arabic often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.

So:

• طلب التوظيف مهم
  literally: the job application important
• natural English: The job application is important

This is a very common Arabic pattern, called a nominal sentence. In the present tense, Arabic usually does not use a separate word for is / am / are.

This is an iḍāfa construction, often called a genitive construction or noun + noun structure.

Breakdown:

• طلب = request, application
• التوظيف = employment, hiring

So literally it is something like:

• application of employment
• or request for employment

In natural English, that becomes job application.

The important thing is that the first noun is the main one:

• طلب is the head noun
• التوظيف tells you what kind of application it is

Because the adjective agrees with طلب, and طلب is a masculine noun.

So:

• طلب = masculine singular
• therefore مهم = masculine singular

Even though التوظيف comes after it, the adjective does not agree with التوظيف. It agrees with the whole phrase’s head noun, which is طلب.

Compare:

• السيرة الذاتية مهمة = The résumé is important
  because السيرة is feminine
• طلب التوظيف مهم = The job application is important
  because طلب is masculine

Because it is the predicate adjective in the sentence, and predicate adjectives in this kind of sentence are usually indefinite.

So Arabic says:

• طلب التوظيف مهم = The job application is important

not:

• طلب التوظيف المهم

because that would usually mean something more like:

• the important job application

So the difference is:

• طلب التوظيف مهم = a full sentence: The job application is important
• طلب التوظيف المهم = a noun phrase: the important job application

Because الذاتية is an adjective describing السيرة, and Arabic adjectives normally agree with the noun they describe in:

• definiteness
• gender
• number
• case

So if the noun is definite:

• السيرة = the résumé / the CV

then the adjective must also be definite:

• الذاتية

That is why you get:

• السيرة الذاتية

not:

• السيرة ذاتية

In this expression, السيرة الذاتية is the standard Arabic term for résumé / CV.

It is basically an introductory comparison phrase.

The main sentence is:

• طلب التوظيف مهم = The job application is important

And مثل السيرة الذاتية adds the idea:

• like the résumé
• as with the résumé

So the full sense is:

• Like the résumé, the job application is important.

Arabic often puts this kind of phrase at the beginning to set the context.

Yes, Arabic word order is often more flexible than English.

This sentence begins with the comparison phrase:

• مثل السيرة الذاتية، طلب التوظيف مهم

But you could also say the main statement first and then add the comparison in another way, depending on style.

The version you have is natural because it highlights the comparison first:

• Like the résumé, ...

So it is not random word order; it is a stylistic choice.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

mithl as-sīra adh-dhātiyya, ṭalab at-tawẓīf muhimm

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• السيرة is pronounced as-sīra, not al-sīra, because س is a sun letter
• الذاتية is pronounced adh-dhātiyya, because ذ is also a sun letter
• التوظيف is pronounced at-tawẓīf, because ت is a sun letter

So the written ال is still there, but the l sound assimilates to the next consonant.

Arabic uses its own comma shape:

• ،

instead of the English comma:

• ,

Here it separates the introductory phrase مثل السيرة الذاتية from the main statement طلب التوظيف مهم.

It helps readability, but the sentence would still be understandable without it.

It is definite.

In an iḍāfa construction, if the second noun is definite, then the whole phrase becomes definite.

Here:

• التوظيف has ال, so it is definite
• therefore طلب التوظيف is also definite

That is why the phrase means:

• the job application

rather than just:

• a job application

If you wanted an indefinite meaning, you would need a different structure.