5 CV Writing Tips On Listing Previous Jobs

By Elizabeth Benu,

A CV is an important job search document that makes a recruiter have interest in you. In a recent email to Career Point Samuel Bosire asks, “How do I list previous jobs in my CV?”

Here are several tips to make your work experience worthy on your CV:

Florence Mukunya, a Career Advisor at Corporate Staffing Services gives the following tips when it comes to listing your work experience.

“Firstly, chronologically list the jobs and dates of employment. It is advisable to start with the most recent job and move backwards from there. For a candidate with an employment gap they can list the year of the job instead of the months,” she counsels.

She also says that there is a need to emphasize on company names, followed by employment dates and job title held. After this a candidate should include a detailed list of the responsibilities of the position and any accomplishments made on the job.

“For recent graduates without work experience, they can include volunteer work, internships or industrial attachment. Candidates with between 2 to 4 years experience should not include any part time job, voluntary work, unpaid work experience or internships unless it is relevant to the position,” she explains further

“Secondly, include any skills and competencies the potential employer is looking for. This can be done by looking at the job description of the position being applied for. The information you give here should emphasize your success,” she says.

What about candidates 4+ years of experience?

“Having amassed 5 years experience it would be unreasonable to list the internship you undertook straight out of college. On the contrary, if the job directly relates to a position which you are applying then it can be in included,” she responds.

She puts across her third tip as including any time that you were self employed.

“Remember to include the position held and the responsibilities that you were charged with and any achievements,” she adds.

“Fourthly, work experience is an important section in your CV, so describe your previous experience and responsibilities using active verbs such as formulated, planned, managed just to mention a few. Do not use personal pronouns such as “I” or “me” on this section,” she says

“A job seeker should also remember to include whether a role was temporary or a fixed term contract in brackets. This is to avoids the impression that they were permanent jobs which you held for a short time,” Ms. Mukunya presents her fifth tip.

“Finally, mention unrelated work experience. This can be done by a section called ‘additional work experience’. It sums up large parts of your career,” she highlights.

She concludes saying, “In brief ensure that your CV can clearly display your work experience to your employer.”

Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke

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