How I Finally Landed An Interview For My Dream Job

By Roseann Ng’ang’a
I had been out of work for more than four years.
Almost everyday within the four years I sent out my application to several companies but no interview invitation was forthcoming – not even one.
With every passing day I was beginning to get more and more frustrated with the job search process as I could not figure out exactly where my career was headed.
I was more than confident that I had the right qualifications and the skills required so I thought maybe my job-search method, which involved sending out emails, could be the problem.
So, I made a resolve to start dropping off my applications in person but still I couldn’t get any interviews.
One day, just when I thought that my career had come to an end, by sheer luck as I was browsing the internet I came across CV writing services.
I thought about the current helpless situation I was in and I thought it would be worth the risk.
This is now my fifth month working as a senior accountant at a reputable audit firm.
After having my CV redone it was now crystal clear that there were certain major mistakes I was making on my CV that were holding me back from getting the interview invitation that finally resulted to my current job.
What are these major mistakes that I was making?
1. Giving irrelevant information
As I was writing out my CV before I always thought that the interviewer was interested in knowing all there is to know about me as a person.
Little did I know that, overloading my CV with information does not in any way increase my chances of the impressing the recruiter.
I gathered that, only information that relates to the actual job position at hand should feature in your CV.
The recruiter is not interested in personal information such as what religion you ascribe to, your marital status or every other position that you have previously held that in no way relates to the job you are applying for.
I realised that it is important to tailor my CV to the job description provided so as to not miss out on the keywords and requirements that the recruiter is looking out for.
2. Highlighting duties rather than accomplishments
Previously as I was writing my CV, I would only highlight the duties that I was assigned at my previous place of work as I thought that the responsibilities of a certain position can easily be implied form the name.
I missed out on clearly bringing out what my key accomplishments were in my previous roles.
In my revamped CV one of my major accomplishment which was cutting down the company’s expenditure by 40% was greatly emphasised on.
This makes the recruiter to a least have a rough idea of what is your proven-track record and what you are capable of achieving.
3. Having a generic career objective
When I was writing my career objective before was so generic that it would be hard to actually know my actual line of work and what my aspirations are.
I become fully aware that a powerful career objective must have 3 main key elements within it

1. who you are; where you are coming from, your experience and skills that you posses
2. What you can bring to the table
3. What your ambitions are and how you are seeking to grow in your career.

Having my CV rewritten was the best choice I ever made as it not only helped me to stand out from the rest but it also brought me closer to attaining my dream job and I couldn’t be happier about where I am right now in my career.
(This is Tiffany’s success story – A Senior Accountant at a Reputable Audit Firm in Kenya)
Roseann Ngáng’a is a Communication Assistant at Corporate Staffing a leading HR firm that offers recruitment and FREE job placement. For more information visit their website on www.corporatestaffing.co.