Job Search: Have an Effective Resume and be Prepared

Job Search : Have an Effective Resume and be Prepared

The keys to making an impact at any interview are researching and preparing yourself mentally, as well as anticipating the questions you are likely to be asked, and working out the best possible answers to these questions.  All what Hiring Managers want to know about is you, they want to know what kind of a person you are and whether you will fit into the job for which you are applying. Interviewers often focus their questions on trying to discover the real you by asking ‘tailor- made’ questions that will reveal whether what you have got will link smoothly and effectively with the work, culture and philosophy of the organization.

In order to improve your chances of success at interviews and of landing that job there are secrets that you should know. These include:

·         Never lie in your resume

·         Ensure your contact details on your CV are correct

·         Keep  your resume to about three to four pages

·         Make sure the format is in a font that is legible, make it easy for Hiring Managers to read the text quickly and get an immediate idea of your background

·         Use bullets and create spaces in your CV for the reader’s eye

·         Spell-check your resume

·         Mention your achievements in point form per company

·         Put reasons for leaving include your present employment

·         Indicate whether a job was contract/temporary or permanent

·         Include references  (and not friends) and keep them updated

·         If you have been promoted in a specific job  -  point this out on your resume

·         Keep details of your most recent jobs and responsibilities easy to read and factual.

·         Keep old work experience and responsibilities down to a minimum

·         Put your highest educational marks for all your courses  

·         Never use humour in your resume

·         Be well groomed for the interview

·         Don’t be late

·         Be prepared for the interview

·         Take  a copy of your resume with you

·         Have a sincere smile

·         Look the interviewer in the eye

·         Be open, honest and frank with your replies to questions

·         Believe you are worthy for the position

·         Be present – concentrate on what is going on during the interview

Always remember that Hiring Managers are actually trained to spot the negatives and positives when reading your resume. This is a sort of a filtering mechanism they use taking into account some of the factors tabulated above. Hiring Managers have to identify negatives because most people hide their poor work experiences very carefully and lie in their interviews about their strength and weaknesses. This has led to Hiring Managers to become very careful when hiring, as dismissing someone is now harder than ever.

Is job – hopping a negative?  Are ‘Gaps’ on your resume negatives?

To answer these questions I would like to briefly discuss two types of resumes. The chronological resume and the functional resume. The chronological resume reveals too much for the Hiring Manager. If you have a habit of job hopping, are a fresh graduate, or transitioning from a different field, then a chronological resume might not be a good fit. A chronological resume is built so it highlights excellent credentials or a solid work experience, something which you might lack if you have never worked or have a habit of leaving after only a few months. While everyone has their own reason for why their resume may be a bit sparse or contain gaps in history, you want to be able to explain this yourself, which may not happen if they see an almost empty sheet of paper.

 A functional resume, on the other hand, pays more attention to your skills than time. Rather than highlighting where you worked and for how long, it places more emphasis on your qualifications and achievements by writing them in categories on top of the page. While company names and length of employment are not omitted, it is given less importance by simply summarizing them on the bottom, or last page. The beauty of a functional resume is that it can draw attention to important skills and achievements, while hiding flaws such as a lack of experience or gaps in employment.

Contrary to most people’s beliefs, you do not need to reveal everything in your resume. Some things are better explained yourself. While unstable job histories or gaps in employment may look bad on paper, some are backed up by reasonable explanations.

Most potential employers are aware that functional resumes are crafted to hide certain pitfalls, and get suspicious as to what you are hiding. Even if you do have a good enough reason, if you do not maximize writing your strengths, their wariness from seeing you might not give you an opportunity to give an explanation.

Most people who are new to writing resumes rely too much on the resume templates found in their word processing programs. While helpful, using a template can be limiting, since most people do not bother to customize or expand beyond a template’s borders. It can also be detrimental, as a number of other applicants might be using the same template, allowing your resume to simply fade into the crowd.