Want A Job? This Is How Your CV Should Look

By Michelle Wanjiku

Did you know that it takes a recruiter approximately 10 seconds to decide whether you are a fit for a position or not?

This means that if you want to get a job, you have to ensure your CV passes this preview. You can do this by ensuring that your CV does not include any irrelevant information that would waste the employer’s time.

You need to get straight to the point if you want to capture an employer’s or recruiter’s attention. In this article, see some of the key things that you should have in your CV to improve your chances of getting a job.

1. Contact details

The first thing an employer should see when they open your CV is your contact details.

“The problem with most CV’s is that people include too much information on their personal or contact details section,” says Rebecca Nyawira, a CV writing professional at Corporate Staffing Services.

“You don’t need to include things like, marital status, gender, date of birth, nationality etc.,” she adds.

Your personal details section should just include your full name, email and contact information such as telephone number.

Doing this might also reduce your chances of getting discriminated against due to your marital status or age.

2. Profile summary or career objective

This is a detailed paragraph explaining who you are and why you are looking for that specific job as well as what you have to offer the organization. This section summaries your entire CV and gives the recruiter a sneak peek of your qualifications and experience.

For example,

“A result oriented community development practitioner experienced in providing administrative support to complete projects. I am knowledgeable in: disseminating project information to project stakeholders, monitoring the progress of projects, developing and maintaining project deliverables and gathering and inputting data into databases. More so, I have been involved with HIV/Aids initiatives, community mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, field research, capacity building as well as planning and implementing community-based projects. I am looking for a position in a challenging environment that strives for organizational and personal development.”

3. Education Background

This is where you are supposed to list all your academic qualifications starting from the most recent.

When it comes to writing your education qualifications, you have to remember there are some that don’t matter. For example, as a graduate, you don’t need to include your KCPE results.

In some instances, you can include your average KCSE score especially if the job description had specified what grade candidates should have gotten.

This is also not the part for you to add any workshops you have attended or extra certifications earned. These have a separate section.

4. Work Experience

Your work experience should also be listed in order of the most recent position held.

But, you have to ensure that any experience you list is actually relevant to the position you are applying for.

This is especially important if you have a lot of work experience. You want to show the employer you are a good fit for the job; showing them you have relevant experience will better your chances of getting shortlisted as opposed to just listing general experience

5. Training, Workshops Attended

If you have attended any relevant soft skills training or workshops, this is where you list them.

For example, if you attended a practical accounting skills training and received a certificate, this is where you put this information.

Ensure that whatever you add in this section adds to your experience and qualifications for the job you are applying for.

6. Referees

The last thing on your CV should always be your referee section. This is where you list a maximum of three people who can vouch for your ability to actually do the job well.

Choose referees that you have worked with in either supervisory or managerial level or if you are a recent graduate then you can include people who know you academically such as your lecturer.

Related: 4 Referee Mistakes That Might Cost You The Job 

In conclusion,

When it comes to finding a job, your CV is a very important tool. It is what will convince the employer that you might have what they are looking for.

Basically, your CV is what will convince employers to invite you for interviews, this means that it needs to be well written and it needs to portray you as the perfect candidate for the job.