7 Crucial Things You Are Forgetting When Writing Your CV

7 Crucial Things You Are Forgetting When Writing Your CV

By Kibet Tobias
Are you are applying for a job?
Your CV will determine whether or not you get shortlisted for an interview.
Therefore, your CV should be well written in order to sell you to the employer as the best candidate for the position and that means among other things tailoring your CV to fit the job you are applying for.
Find in this article some things that most of us take as basic but end up costing us our dream jobs.

A Guide on How to Write a Professional CV

1. Include a Personal Statement
One of the mistakes that most job seekers make is failing to include a personal statement on their CV.
Your personal statement is one of the most important parts of your CV because it gives you a chance to sell yourself to the employer in a small paragraph. It sums up the specific skills and experience that make you perfect for the position.
By reading the personal statement, a prospective employer is able to identify your strengths and can tell that you have the right qualifications for the job.
2. Write simply and clearly
Get right to the point and write a short CV that captures all sections.
You should only include hobbies and interests if they are relevant to the position you are applying for or if you have any major achievements that might impress potential employers.
If your CV can be a page or two, the better. But if you have lots of years of experience and obviously cannot fit that in tow pages, include those jobs that are related to the position you are applying for.
This way, you avoid having a very lengthy CV that will bore the employer when reading.
3. Avoid grammatical errors
Grammatical errors and typos on a job application can kill your chances of landing a job. No one is going to give your CV a second glance if the sentences are poorly written.
With so many job seekers applying for jobs in Kenya today, employers can use very slight mistakes to get rid of some applications during the hiring process.
So once you finish writing your CV, always proofread it. You can have a trusted friend to proofread it before submitting.
4. Include relevant information
If you are applying for an accounting position for instance, your CV should be tailored towards that particular job.
This means including only information that you believe is relevant to that position. This can be relevant work experience and skills related to the job.
This will show the employer a connection between your experiences and the position in question.
However, people still make mistake of adding unnecessary information like age, marital status, and nationality among others.  Unless prompted to by the employer, some of these don’t really add any value to your CV.
5. Use the Right Font
The most commonly used and recommended font is Times New Roman.  But you may also use Cambria or Calibri for online job applications.
On the other hand, the ideal font size is 11.  So make your CV nice and easy to read to help the recruiter scan it easily.
6. Include Academic Qualifications
Your Academic Qualification should be written in a chronological order starting with the most recent.
Always remember that KCPE qualifications do not matter, unless you are applying for a job that requires you to have attained a certain grade in your KCSE. You may also include other relevant certification courses like CPA.
7. Avoid lying
When writing a CV, you can be tempted to exaggerate or even lie to fit the qualifications of the position. Employers perform background checks to verify what’s written on the CV.
The truth will always come out and you may end up losing the job opportunity.
In the end, it takes time and effort to create a perfect CV. To land a job, ensure that you stand out by showcasing what makes you unique and the most qualified for a position by keeping in mind these seven tips. Include professional opinion like from CV writers and recruiters.
The writer is a content writer at Career Point Kenya. For any related queries comment on the section below.

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