5 Ways Your CV Should Change For This New Job Market

The 2020 job market is rapidly changing. It has become a competitive market with numerous candidates vying for the few spots in the latest jobs in Kenya. In this environment, therefore, your CV must stand out. This is because, it is the first impression that many times has to go through the ATS systems algorithms and eventually get you to your potential employer, where your expertise and interpersonal skills can shine.

To be in line with the changing job market, be sure to incorporate these new trends in CV writing, and avoid the most common CV mistakes.

1. Focus on Your Successes, Not Your Tasks

Your CV should not read like a job description. While it may be simple to list down all the things your job description required you to do, those are not the things you did. Use a quick line under your title for a straightforward description of your role. This way, you will set the stage and not just write down your job description in bullet form.

With that, you can write down all your achievements in bullet form, to help you stand out in your CV.

2. Lead with Verbs that Sell Your Skills

Skills will be important for showing employers how you can adapt to the changing workforce. They are the new currency of the workplace. With this in mind, it is important to pick out verbs that market your skills.

For example, managed becomes orchestrated; developed becomes streamlined.

Your CV should highlight the best traits you have to offer and your potential to learn new ones.

3. Quantify Achievements as Much as Possible

Quantifying your achievements is a critical skill in and of itself! Some ways to get there are thinking about ways you increased revenue, cut expenses, generated sales, or improved or trimmed headcount.

For example,

• Generated over KshX in sales…
• Cut X days from a key process…
• Saved X% of division operating costs by…
• Improved client ratings by X%…

For those of us with jobs that find it hard to tie numbers to our functions, think in terms of processes, client surveys, or internal customers’ satisfaction changes. Where there is change, there is some sort of number to put around it. You need to be extremely thoughtful in how you put that together. You want to honestly represent your skill set, and you’ll want to be able to explain in detail exactly how you got those results, during your interview.

4. Highlight Certifications

There are as many different jobs in Kenya as there are people in the workforce. Since no two are exactly alike, sometimes your job description doesn’t always convey your skills and capabilities. Instead, think about what certifications you can highlight.

Global certifications like Project Manager Certifications (PPMs), IT certifications, or others relevant to your job hunt do a couple of things. First, they show you have a capability at a useful skillset. But even if you are job hunting slightly outside of your day to day in this tough market, they act as a quick translation signal to an employer. They tell them that you are a professional in your field and that you know how to study, plan, and self-direct to achieve a goal – which is very powerful.

5. Challenge Yourself on Format

Long, word-heavy CVs are starting to feel dated. Instead, trim as much as possible. Depending on your field, it might also be worth seeing if you can transform your CV from a simple word document to something with a little greater visualization.

Don’t overdo it, but 2020 CVs across all industries are getting more creative with more white space. This is especially true if you’re working in any field having to do with data. Think of your CV as a mini case study, showing exactly how you’d package up your work history to tell a compelling, easy-to-digest story.

In Conclusion,

Writing a CV that will guide you through the rest of 2020 can be a daunting task, especially with the job market changing. To help you through this, our professional CV writers are offering a free CV review for you! Click here for free CV writing review. Our HR experts will share valuable feedback on how you can improve your CV