Enhancing employability: How we turned CV revamping side hustles into serious career

"I went into eight interviews, was shortlisted in some, did actual interviews then ended up getting no offers and this was my aha moment."

Now, she says the best time to revamp your CV is when you are not looking for a job because there is enough time to coach you on what is included.

However, the most common mistake she has seen across more than 200 CVs is incorect usage of artificial intelligence (AI). "People don't know how to use AI commands hence getting generic answers. For your CV to have taste it has to have achievements which are quantifiable, time-bound and realistic. Most people don't know how articulate results that come out of every action."

For executives, she sees copy-pasting of the job description they got when they were employed, 'hence it's too long with nothing.'

Unusual CV requests

She has also handled unusual and unethical requests. "This client was in mid-level and wanted a C-suite client's CV to forge," she recalls.

In the same breath, she notes a request to 'indicate he was a whistleblower.' With changing employment dynamics—onsite, hybrid, remote—she says you must include these terminologies when revamping a CV, especially for international roles.

"The other thing is for certain industries, in IT, finance, roles for instance, you must have some certifications and licences," she adds.

Understanding country-specific CV requirements also matters a lot. "For instance, there are countries that require you to start with your oldest work experience to your current. Some only want you to share work experience that is relevant to the role you are applying. Others only want your skills, which are in a video, through your LinkedIn profile and won't ask for your CV."

The Sh25,000 CV

To a job seeker who wants to better their CV, Ms Mukami advises, "Change your key achievements with every job you apply to and make it as simple as possible because most applicant tracking systems (ATS) are not able to read complex documents."

For every CV revamp, Ms Mukami charges based on the years of experience the job seeker has. For job seekers with 15 years and below of experience, Ms Mukami charges Sh10,000 for a master/comprehensive CV (which includes all experiences, awards, and certifications), two cover letters and application CVs plus two coaching sessions or a Sh13,000 package which contains a master CV, three cover letters, and application CVs and three coaching sessions.

"If you need a CV urgently, I charge Sh25,000 regardless of your experience."

From giving back to society

Walemba Jay, the founder of JayCVs says that his career in CV revamping started as a way of giving back to the community.

"I had six WhatsApp groups that were full and people had developed some trust in me. I had a lady who used to write CVs but she was giving the same skills for every career. So, I felt she was not doing it well so by the time I was getting fired in 2018 and tried applying for jobs with no feedback, I saw this opportunity was good for me," he recalls.

When a HR professional is looking at the CVs, Mr Jay says it takes them less than 30 seconds to make a decision.

"This is why your page one should be able to tell me that you are the person I'm looking for. If it does not, then it means that I cannot even go to page two."

What to include?

A professional summary of what the recruiter is looking for. If there are any major achievements, have them too if they relate to the position you are applying for. Thirdly, include the areas of expertise that you are bringing the education. Towards the end of the first page, you can have the work experience.

"A good CV gives you confidence and helps you steer the interview," he says.

In the same breath, three quick fixes he recommends include keeping the CV separate from certificates and other documents; labeling it with your official name and page numbers; and making sure links are accessible if you send it via Drive.

Many job seekers assume that longer length and bigger fonts make a CV stand out. There are candidates who have the cover page with their name then page two is where they write the content needed. Some also send the cover letter and CV as one file which should not be the case.

While a good CV should not exceed three pages, Jay shares he sees recurring issues like unnecessary information like date of birth, religion and marital status which should not be in the CVs.

ATS tools

With the increase of recruiters using the applicant tracking system (ATS) which looks at quantifiable achievements, Mr Jay shares you need to include strong action verbs which help the system to score you highly based on the skills they are looking for.

"These tools (SkillsSyncer, Jobscan, MyPerfectResume) are available online. So, you upload your CV against the job description (JD) then it gives you a score. As it scores you, it is also giving you a report. So, even as you replace one word and re-scan, you'll see the score grow. You can only get shortlisted if your score hits 80," he explains.

While he believes that applicants are well-placed to be able to beat the system, the problem job seekers have is that they take very little time in making applications.

"We don't give the application process the attention it deserves."

With clients locally and internationally, he says that in the UAE photos are required on CVs in some fields.

The other thing is that in the UAE, in the UK, Europe, and Australia, their CVs do not have as many responsibilities as Kenyans. So, you write them in the form of achievements and you must quantify every responsibility.

"You should not have more than five responsibilities per position. And their CVs are shorter, a page or maximum two."

Kenyanise your CV

According to Mr Jay, AI will not replace his job but complement it. Today, he says, Kenyans use AI wrongly and do not Kenyanise the content. For instance, a job description for an accountant in Kenya is totally different from a JD for an accountant in the US.

"If you plug it into the JD in the AI, it might give you the US version hence missing out on some of the keywords like SHIF, the NSSF and being an accountant, you should handle tax issues," he says.

Though no experience is ever wasted as a job seeker, Mr Jay says you should only include 10-15 technical skills in your CV.

"I have a harmonised rate for all clients. We charge Sh2,000 for fresh graduates. One to three years' experience we charge Sh3,000, four to six years Sh3,500, 7-9 years we charge Sh4,500, 10-15 years Sh7,000 and 15-20 years we charge Sh10,000 then 20 and above years is Sh15,000."

In a month, he says he gets 20–30 international clients per month, alongside daily local clients.

According to Mr Jay, 90 percent of job seekers do not have career goals and are applying for jobs to survive. However, there must be something, a goal, other than that. If you are transitioning, do it procedurally. Volunteer, do certifications...let there be a clear path.

"I always want a job seeker to give me a clear goal. I am doing this because in the next three years I want to be a finance manager. So, I do your CV aligned to your goal. That is why you find someone hitting 40-50 years in the same position because they didn't have clear career goals. If you are working for five years in the same line, in the sixth year you should be a manager."

From computer science graduate to CV revamper

Wamaitha Karanja, the Chief Career Ignitor at Kernel Associates, says after pursuing Computer Science in her undergraduate and working for some time, she shelved the certificate for personnel management.

With a passion for understanding how human beings will benefit from everything one does, Ms Karanja enrolled at the Institute of Professional Management, now the Institute of Human Resource.

"I did a HR course and my eyes were open. 'Oh, there are ways we should talk about people's salaries. There are ways we should empower employees? Recruit? I was like... this is the place for me."

Though she worked in different companies after that, Ms Karanja became well known as a headhunter that companies trusted her to outsource employees.

"Recruitment is meeting a good candidate and a good employer and merging them. It is corporate cupid."

Your CVs seven steps

With more than 10 years in CVs revamping, Ms Karanja now says that there is no perfect CV, only a fit for purpose one. The crucial thing to consider  is your audience. "So, start by analysing who your audience is so that you know which vehicle you're going to use to present them your best version of yourself."

Before revamping CVs, she says you must establish the knowledge required for the position and identify the decision maker. "Secondly, establish the key competence, personal attributes, and experience...which I acronym it as KCPE."

Any application involves two sides, what is in it for you and what is in it for the one paying you. She says a job seeker should first consider what the organisation wants before thinking about personal needs.

"You bring this out in three ways. Is it factual, time-bound and quantifiable? If your CV lacks all seven things then you are regurgitating a lot of nothing," she explains.

After answering the seven steps, she says you need to show your employer why they are hiring you. This could be by mentioning you met targets, won awards or medals, how other bosses want to work with you, how you helped colleagues in performance improvement plan (PIP), or collaborated with colleagues. This way, she says, you have closed the neat loop of who you are and sold it.

Overused buzzwords

Ms Karanja warns against is writing words in your CV simply because they sound good. "Don't just say, I helped them attain the target...it even sounds boring. Instead use, I developed, enhanced, collaborated, delivered. These verbs explain slightly more on what it is that you've been able to do."

To her, insecurity and self-doubt in a CV look like avoiding your achievements. "I have seen analysis paralysis and more so with women. I have seen an inability to go for top salaries especially with women. We don't fail at interviews because we don't know but because we can't articulate ourselves. We don't know how to toot our horn."

Sh15,000 per CV

She charges Sh15,000 for a CV revamp and provides a master CV, consultation, and a suitability statement. "I don't do cover letters because most people take what was on the CV. When I do the master CV, I put everything of yours; schools attended, certificates, and professional qualifications. What it does to the mind is it shows you where you came from, what you've done and how you did it."

When sending out an application, clients extrapolate from the master CV.

According to her, women who took gap years to care for children or due to illness should not shy away from stating it.

Why? "You were increasing our gross domestic product, you were working on what's important to you so come back and say you were not in a position to contribute but now you are back and you know your capabilities."

In the same breath, she never uses the word 'weakness' in CVs. Instead, she writes 'developmental area,' which she says, if you want to improve, you will.

A success story?

One success story was an engineer with a diploma working for a manufacturing company that dealt with pumps. "I was recovering from cancer in 2014 and I had gone to a mall with family. It was raining as my brother went to bring the car closer, this gentleman, who was exhibiting, gave me a seat and a newspaper before selling his pumps to us," she recalls.

Many months later, she received a brief for an engineer who sold pumps. He sent his CV and, although he did not have a degree, she revamped it with her model.

Come interview day, she put the asterisk on his CV and informed the client, who quickly realised he was an ideal employee based on his years of experience, and he got the job, which transformed his life completely.

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