A CV is an essential part of a person’s job application, as it is the main thing that a potential employer will look at in order to determine whether or not an applicant will fit into their company.
Thus, your CV should be able to give your potential employer a glimpse into what type of person they would be hiring with you.
A CV should be an extension of the best parts of yourself as an employee. As such, apart from the standard information such as personal, educational, reference and contact details, your CV should detail any of your achievements that might be relevant to the job you are applying for, your skills that would make you competent in the job or make you stand out as a performer, and finally, your work experience.
Filling in the ‘Work Experience’ section of a CV is not just about jotting down the jobs that you have done in the past. It is also about detailing the roles you performed, and placing emphasis on the aspects of your past roles and responsibilities that will be most relevant to your potential employer.
You must remember that you are showcasing yourself for the specific role that you will be applying for, and as such, the details that tie into that role in particular, should come to the forefront. With this in mind, applicants should share the following information in their ‘Work Experience’ section:
- The relevant job title
- The company’s name that you worked for
- The period of employment
- The responsibilities performed and achievements attained under that role
For this section, the responsibilities and achievements part is where you earn the opportunity to shine. Here, you can list all the responsibilities you might have had in their previous role, but go into greater detail with the responsibilities that apply most to the job that you are applying for.
Take note that work experience does not necessarily imply paid work. For instance, if you have done personal or unpaid work that you deem appropriately relevant to the job that you are applying for, it might also be helpful to add that information.
Furthermore, you should also list their achievements in your prior working roles. Again, with this, it is important that you try to emphasise the achievements that are most relevant to the job being applied for as well.
Take note that achievements do not only refer to widely recognised or awarded achievements, but also personal achievements that are relevant to the role being applied for.
For example, if you performed well as the leader of a work project, which led to workplace success but did not necessarily warrant an award of any kind, that information may be relevant too.
Listing your achievements can be a helpful way to prove your competency to your employer, as well as help you stand out from your competitors. Once your ‘Work Experience’ is in order, and the rest of your CV information is together, you will be ready to hit the job market.
