How to write a CV for jobs in Rwanda

The Rwandan CV at a glance

• Call it a CV and write it in English unless the advert asks for French or Kinyarwanda.
• Aim for about two pages.
• Open with a brief profile: your field, strengths and the role you want.
• Experience and internships in reverse-chronological order, then education.
• Contact details: name, phone number, email, city, and LinkedIn if you have one.

Your languages

Many roles involve more than one of Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili. List each language with an honest level, such as fluent, professional or basic, and mention where you’ve used them at work.

Applying for public sector jobs

Government jobs are usually advertised and applied for through the official public service recruitment portal, which has its own forms. Keep your CV up to date anyway: you’ll draw on it for the forms and for interviews.

Referees and what to leave out

• Two or three referees with their title, organisation, phone number and email are commonly expected. Ask them first.
• Leave off your national ID number until an employer formally asks.
• Leave off a photo, date of birth and marital status unless the advert asks for them.

Tailor it to each job

• Search the public service e-recruitment portal for government roles, and LinkedIn and Job in Rwanda for others.
• Match the advert’s requirements, including language requirements.
• Lead with experience that shows results in the languages the job needs.
• For NGOs, check whether they want your CV in English, French or both.

Cover letter

Most adverts ask for an application letter. Keep it to one page, address it as the advert says, and write it in the language of the advert.

Common mistakes

• Listing languages without a level.
• Copying the same CV into every application.
• Long CVs with every training certificate.
• Missing documents the advert lists.

Sample CV

A fictional example in the local format. Use it as a pattern, not a script.

Why it works

• Each language with an honest level, and where it’s used at work.
• Reach and outputs under each role.
• No national ID number, photo or date of birth.
• Referees with full contact details, asked first.

Example: turning a duty into a result

Community health programme assistant

Languages, reach and a concrete output, all in one line.

By career stage

Graduate or first job

Lead with internships, volunteering and your degree, and show the languages you’ve used in each.

Changing careers

Use the profile to name the new field, and list relevant training and certificates near the top.

Experienced

About two pages. Lead with results, and match the languages and years of experience the advert asks for.

CV keywords for ATS

Applicant tracking systems and recruiters search for the skills a posting names. Examples for common roles; use only the ones that are true for you, in the posting’s own words.

Programme assistant (NGO)

community outreach, monitoring and evaluation, data collection, reporting, Kinyarwanda and English

Accountant

IFRS, reconciliations, RRA tax declarations, QuickBooks, financial reporting

Software developer

JavaScript, React, Node.js, REST APIs, Git, PostgreSQL

Questions