Should You Include All Work Experience In a CV?

“Employers are only hiring candidates who have experience these days, and being that I have not landed an official job since I graduated, I am not sure what to do. I have been doing part-time jobs and some are not even in what I studied, the longest was during my 6 months internship. I recently got one that lasted not more than a week, should I include that in my CV? Please assist,” writes Mark* in an email.

While work experience is considered first priority by employers during the selection process for an open job, what is listed could be the reason you do not get the job. For example, if a job is looking for candidates with 2 years experience and you have 6, you could be considered overqualified and those who only have internship experience would be under-qualified.

Also, if your experience is in a different field or industry from the one employers want, the fact that you have the qualifications may not matter.

So, should you include all work experience in CV?

Melody Mwendwa, a career coach and CV Writing expert advises against including this information in the CV as it might be received negatively by employers and recruiters alike. “The ideal length of experience that job seekers should focus on should be at least 3 months since this is also how long most internships last,” says Melody.

“However, if the contract given to you was for one month and you do not have any other relevant experience to show for, then you can include this and state that it was contract-based. But also remember that this short period could raise eyebrows among employers.”

In Mark’s case, if he chose to include the less than a week experience, employers would be reluctant to invite him for an interview even if he had other experiences. This is because the short period makes employers doubt how long you can keep a job and they start wondering if you are a worthy investment. And in a competitive job market like the current one in Kenya, the last thing you want is an employer or recruiter doubting your credibility.

So, to ensure there are no doubts about your suitability for the job, here is what to always remember when including experience in your CV.

How To Convince Employers Using Your Work Experience Section

1. Avoid listing jobs that lasted a short time
As we have mentioned above, listing jobs that lasted a short period of time will make employers doubt your commitment to the jobs you held. They will think twice about investing in you as a new hire as no employer wants to go back to the drawing board in a matter of months.

Focus on the jobs that you lasted a substantial amount of time and that you picked up a couple of skills and include that. These will be received well.

2. Only list relevant experience
If you are applying for an Accountant job in a bank, listing your experience as a personal assistant will not do well for your chances. The same applies if you are applying for a marketing job and the only experience in your CV is in data entry or other.

Employers and recruiters will only consider people who have had related experience to the job in question as this will mean they will be ready to work and will not need a lot of training.

3. List at least 5 important duties
Just saying you worked in a particular position in a top company does not guarantee you an interview. You have to show what duties you held in the position and these duties must match what the employer is looking for. To ensure your CV communicates this, study the duties listed in the job advert and edit your CV accordingly. And please do not lie, the recruiter will know.

Do you have questions on work experience or CV Writing? Leave a comment below. While you’re at it, also follow us on LinkedIn here.

14 Comments

  1. what about students who are out of college without experience will they be consided

  2. Hi! how long does it take for recruters to contact candidates after expiry of job application date?

  3. good advice.i went for an interview and from the look of things,its as if selection was done long before the interview.as we waited some people were boasting of how they were called by the ceo,while like i,we were called by the hr secretary.during interviewing,the latter took very short time while we took long and tiring periods only to be told on the face”you are not the kind of person we are looking for”agitated i asked”why then call me for an interview in the first place”.the response was an empty gaze.

  4. Thanking you for your continued exposure in relevant job application packaging.
    kindly, assist with sample cover letter for librarian and customer service applicants.

    kind regards.

  5. If applying for an assistant administration and have experience in the field of teaching, will I be considered? Help

  6. Great article, kindly enlighten me on this. Have done a procurement & finance courses diploma and degree respectively but currently in a sales job. If am to look for a finance post may I include my current sales job because it off the financial duties n tasks.

  7. HI
    in your advice you said we should leave out the short stints and experience that is not relevant.Wouldn’t this result in many gaps in the CV.What then do you put in these gaps?

  8. A question. Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Technology I have developed and implemented quite a number of systems on the side. I’ve spent a good part of my career in the banking sector while providing I.T Services when need arises even for the employer although not indicated in my Job Description. My competence in I.T is backed with letters of recommendation. When it comes to CV writing, assuming for an I.T position, how exactly do I portray my I.T competence.

  9. thanks for your guidance..I also have a mojor problem in that I finished my campus doing Tourism management and went for only attachment/internship..since then av only done jobs that are not related to it..am just confused on what to do at the moment..should I write the current experiences while applying for tourism job or what should I do?? Kindly help

  10. Thanks for the information. How can I use a recruitment firm to network apart from them doing a professional Cv?

  11. Quit Insightful script but i have also notice with a lot of concern that you kind of advertise jobs that require 2 years experience or more, Is there any opportunities for Entry level position like internships which majority of us job seekers fall under.I am looking forward to your response.
    Regards,

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