“Your CV Should Market You”: CSS Hosts Free CV Writing Forum 2019

By Audrey Korir

“A CV is a professional document that should market you to a recruiter”

This was the opening message reiterated by Ms. Rebecca Nyawira during the free CV writing mentorship forum that took place on Friday, 6th September at the Corporate Staffing Service Training Center.

During the forum, Ms. Rebecca Nyawira, the keynote speaker and Head of Career Advisory at Corporate Staffing Service provided professionals with top tips on how to structure their CVs that would  help them catch the recruiter’s eye, amongst the thousands of applicants competing for the same job.

“Your CV should be organized in a way that a recruiter can quickly pinpoint aspects of you as a professional that make you suitable for the job description.”

Rebecca then proceeded to highlight elements that make a good CV.  Some of the key one’s she mentioned were: Personal Details, Career/Profile Summary, Education Background, Skills & Competencies, Professional Background, Referees and Hobbies & Interests.

    Rebecca training professionals on how to structure their CV during the forum

She however insisted that when highlighting the reference section in your CV, the referees should be in line with the job description and the experience that you have had.

“Cultivate a relationship with your referees, Let them know that you are going to include them in the referees section so that they can put in a good word for you.”

As for the Hobbies and Interests Section, Rebecca advised the professionals to highlight them to match the job description so as to ensure that they are relevant and sensible.

Reiterating the advice given by Ms. Rebecca, Mr. Julius Kairu, the Marketing and Communication Officer at Corporate Service told the professionals to always ensure that they apply for a job as soon as it is advertised so as to beat the deadline of its validity.

He also advised them to always make sure that the skills in their CVs match the job description that is on the advert.

The Stand Out CV writing event is part of the free mentorship initiative by Corporate Staffing Services geared towards providing new graduates and beginning professionals with career advice to help them navigate the trials and tribulations of launching careers in a highly competitive job market. The key specialization of the free mentorship event is job search, CV writing and interview preparation advice.

“I have not had any success with online job applications and had given up hope. I was under the impression that the Applicant Tracking System was unfairly discriminating against me. However, after this forum I fully understand that my CV is the problem. The advice given during this forum will help me write a simple, clear and straightforward CV.” Bernice, Petroleum Engineer Graduate

“Every time I apply for jobs that I believe I’m qualified for, I never seem to make it past the shortlisting process. I have been trying to figure out what I have been doing wrong. Thanks to this forum, I now have the necessary guidelines to spin this around and successfully land a job.” Frank, IT Expert

The next free mentorship forum focusing  will take place on 4^thOctober 2019 from 2:30-5:30 pm. If you are lost in your job search and would like inspiration and guidance to boost your career, email Kairu at marketing@corporatestaffing.co.ke with the subject line (Mentorship forum-Job Search) to be shortlisted as one of the event participants.

                   Group photo during the Free CV Writing Forum