What should I remove from my CV? What must I include?

Q. What are the common mistakes you have seen people make when writing their CV? What should one include and what should they exclude? How long should a new graduate’s CV be? 

Your CV is your creative campaign for a job, not just a statement that states standard facts about yourself. The uniqueness of your CV will give you an advantage over other job seekers. It is therefore important that you put reasonable effort into this document and make it speak for you long before you get to the interview.

Don’t make it too long. Unless you are applying for an academic job where you need to cite all your research publications, make it two to three pages. Many recruiters don’t have time to read long CVs. By the time they are on the second page many will have made up their minds about whether to interview you or not.

Highlight your key competencies as you write your capability statement. This provides a good overview of your expertise and potential. Limit it to two sentences or a short paragraph at most.

Start with the most recent information - academic, professional and employment. Stating the top three achievements is best. If you have a masters degree, you don’t need to state where you went to primary school, it is obvious you went to one anyway.

Leave unnecessary personal details out unless specifically required in a job advert. Your ID NHIF/NSSF numbers, age, marital status and religion are not necessary.

Under employment experience, state your job title and that of whom you report to at every level.

Give a brief explanation of what your role entails then state key achievements to demonstrate your capability. If you have some links to showcase some of your work, this is the place to mention and highlight them. Include a link to your academic and professional certificates.

Indicate at least two professional referees, their job titles, employers and contacts that include email and phone address.

Choose a suitable CV template to match your style. There are so many free templates

available online. You need not pay anyone to write your CV.

Ensure that your CV has no typing mistakes. This puts off many recruiters.

As a graduating student, you may not have much work experience, but highlight all your internships and achievements. Include any leadership positions at school or college and any other activities you may have been involved in at your community or church.

Finally, ensure you indicate a reliable phone number and email address that you check regularly. Do not be ‘mteja’ when the career opportunity of your life comes calling.

Mwikali Muthiani - Managing Partner, MillennialHR