4 Things To Remove From Your CV For Job Search Success

4 Things To Remove From Your CV For Job Search Success

By Joan Igamba

Getting your CV right is important for job-hunt success as it’s the first step of convincing a potential employer that you’re the right person for the role.

To make sure you present yourself as the right candidate, here are four things that should not be included on your CV.

Remember, how you write your CV is what will create a good or bad first impression.

1. ‘Too’ Personal Of Information

What do I mean by this? Information that is simply not related to your professional life.

Things such as your age, your residential address, date of birth, your marital status or a photo.

Really think about it? This information does not add any value to your CV.

Including this kind of information could even prevent you from being shortlisted.

Personal information that is “too personal” doesn’t affect your ability to do the job you’re applying for. Therefore, it has no place in your CV.

Instead Include:

Only include your email address, name and phone number.

These count as contact information, which makes it easy for the employer to reach you in case your CV is successful in getting you to the interview room.

2. First Person Voice

The general rule is to not use the pronouns I or she/he all over your CV especially in the qualifications section.

If you format your CV right you will entirely remove the need to use these pronouns.

Instead Include:

Include what is known as the absent first person, where all pronouns are dropped but the sentences are written in third person. For example:

Instead of “I was able to manage a team of 5 at xyz resulting in bringing the best out of each staff member and raising revenue by 10%” say “Was able to supervise a team of 5 resulting in each staff member performing at their level best something that was evidenced by the increase of revenue by 10%”

3. CV Cliches

Imagine the number of applications an open position gets when it advertised.

A good way to increase your chances of being shortlisted is to ensure that CV clichés are absent from your CV. Format your CV such that commonly used adjectives are absent from your CV.

Words such as go getter or thinks outside of the box can work against you instead of for you.

Instead include:

Make sure that the adjectives you use are guided by the job description. If they want a team player then it is well and good to include that in your CV.

If you’re stuck, employers like to see the words: “achieved,” “managed,” “resolved,” and “launched.”

This is because they show results.

4. Spelling and grammatical errors

Spelling and grammatical errors are considered a common CV mistake that could easily cost you the job. However, with a little effort, you can easily avoid this.

Having a friend you trust go through it to catch the mistakes is one route to go.

An easier option is running your CV through a program called grammarly which will catch those errors for you.

 In summary,

CV mistakes can make you miss out on the current jobs in Kenya. To avoid this, ensure that your CV lacks these mistakes. You could even speak to our professional CV writer who will ensure your CV looks good for your future employer. Contact her at brenda@corporatestaffing.co.ke.

All the best with your job search!

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