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Jan
24

Achievements on your Resume

It is surprising how quickly some people can forget what they achieved or play down their role in successes. Sometimes this is because you are not feeling too god about yourself. You may have lost your job, or you have been out of the work force for a long time. These are just normal reactions of a human being who have suffered so much stress. However, you must learn to recognize the symptoms if you are playing down your achievements.

Achievements’ is an important part in a resume. It helps to prove your contributions towards the organization and establish your worth as an employee. The resume puts forth your credentials and experience to show what you are capable of.

The achievements section helps the employer to know how these qualities will benefit the organization. Hence, writing the achievements section is very important to improve your chances of gaining the interview call.

Before starting to write achievements on your resume, recall your work history.  At this stage, do not attempt to decide whether the information is relevant or not.

If you are going to convince an employer or recruitment consultant that you are worth inviting to an interview, you have to be able to articulate your achievements and contributions in a compelling way that will demonstrate how you have added value to the organizations for which you have worked.

In presenting your achievements use action verbs. Action verbs are powerful words when it comes to present energy, motivation and efficiency. However, try not to repeat the same action verb twice or to use synonyms in the same sentence, like: developed and designed, improved and enhanced etc.

If an achievement is not easily quantifiable, you can still provide a meaningful indication of the value of the achievement. For example: “Reduced duplication and enhanced the re-usability of test suites by improving testing and planning through discussion forums which enabled team members to share knowledge and identify areas for improvement. The general pattern is: what you did, how you did it and what happened as a result. (what, how and so what.)

The task involves what all you did and aimed to achieve. Effort includes the ways and means adopted by the applicant to achieve the target. The result should bring out how your efforts benefited the organization. Thus, the achievements sentence should be combination of all three points. Write in cause-effect format.

Putting your achievements and specifying them on your resume doesn’t mean you have to brag or embellish the truth. It does mean that you have to make sure that your next employer understands that you didn’t leave your brain at the door each day you came to work and that you applied your skills, knowledge and expertise in ways that were useful to the organizations in which you worked.

Jan
10

KNOWING YOU IN A GLANCE

Potential employers’ HR is receiving hundreds of resume every time they announce a vacant position.  You can surely expect an influx of applicants for a single job. This would mean that personnel in the HR may not devote much time to look at your resume to see if you’re the best person they are looking for. This is a big challenge for you. How can you make your potential employer get to know you in just a few seconds through your resume’? Getting your place in a few list of choice for an interview should be your immediate objective.  Remember that ‘First impression last’ is still true.  In a few seconds your potential employer can make impressions on your intelligence, competence, and professionalism. So your resume should reveal these three important characteristics. You may consider the following key points in preparing your resume before sending it to your prospect employers.

RELEVANCE. Employers are always looking for professional applicants that can match for a specific job. At a glance, they can make a decision if you are the right person for the job.  Employers receiving hundreds of resume may not be able to take more time to scrutinize your resume. Therefore, you have to prepare your resume with relevant educational background, relevant job experiences, skills and core values that can get the attention of your potential employer even at just a short glance. An example of making your resume relevant is by using terms or job title that is related to the job you are applying for.

CONSISTENCY AND ORDER.  A well organized resume does show your personality. In formatting your resume, you have to be consistent as this may leave an impression to the employer of your inattentiveness to details. Here are some details that can show consistency: (a) Font size and style; (b) using bullet points; (c) Spacing; and (d) chronology of information. If you are able to show consistency and a well organize thoughts there is a greater chance that your resume will be read by employers.

LENGTH. Consider the time constrains in reading your resume. It will be helpful if you try putting yourself at the shoes of an employer who is receiving hundreds of resume daily. Most of the time an employer will just want to see key points in your resume that can hook him up. A simplified relevant resume will always have the edge of being read by a potential employer. Don’t make it complicated. Make it simple!

Every second counts, the chance that was given to you which was wished by many, but may not be given to them should be treated with importance. Make an impressive resume that will boost your chance of getting hired.

Dec
06

Creating the killer Resume

The primary purpose of the resume is to show you can do the job you are applying for. If you are not qualified to do a job, why should anyone waste their time interviewing you? They won’t. Therefore your resume is your first step to your dream job.

The job marketplace can be a extremely competitive one, so you’ve got to make a invariable effort to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Why should an employer choose you over somebody else for the job?

The market is no longer what it used to be, and sadly looks like it is unlikely to return to the good old days!

During the filtering process you literally have 10 seconds to make an impact before you get put into the bin. As simple as that, if your front page does not scream at the reader and say’s “I’m perfect for the job” then your resume has failed to do its job.

A high impact targeted resume creates a sky-scraping impact on the front page with the content tailored directly to target the position you are after.

You only have one sheet of A4 size of paper to make that 10 second impact. So, if you start to cite all your schooling you did 20 years ago and the fact that you love ice scream and have a clean driving license that isn’t really going to get you the job.

They don’t care about the list of the number of schools you attended with examinations, grades, addresses. You must therefore demonstrate that you have the list of skills they are after.

They are not interested with the list of your hobbies. Instead tell them what you’ve achieved by applying the skills you have.

On your work history you must tell them what benefits your clients have gained from your work. Why should they hire you?

Listing pointless information on the front page is part of the problem of the generalized résumé approach which does not work as well as the high impact targeted method.

You need to convey the message to the reader that you are precisely the person for the job. You need to show that you have the skills they are looking for and that you have demonstrated use of those skills for other clients and provided business value to those clients by utilizing those skills.

It’s great that you have job skills, but what do you accomplish using them? If your resume shows all sorts of job skills with no results from using them, you are simply a well-trained person who can’t get anything done. Hiring managers want people who produce results. Make sure your resume shows your results.

Resume is, in my opinion, your gateway where you can go into a hundred different directions and never be right. Instead of diving into the resume tidy weeds, use these resume tips to get some perspective on what your resume needs to actually say. It’s how you get the interview.

Nov
21

How to look good in paper?

85964 89721 How to look good in paper?Roll up your sleeves and put some commitment into your job search by writing a totally good resume. A resume is your tool to make a vital first impression to a potential employer. It may be the only chance you get to make an impression, so make it a good one.

Each section has an integral function and showcases your skills and experience by demonstrating how that experience will benefit a potential employer. Your goal is to get a job. Potential employers want to know why they should hire you.

All resumes have three basic sections. The first section is your contact information, including your first and last name, address, home and cell phone numbers and email address. Since we are in the new era of technology you can also add personal web pages. An example might be a website of your photos if you are seeking a career as a photographer.

The second section is your work history. Include all employers, dates and achievements or job responsibilities. The third section lists your education and includes degrees, schools attended and dates. There are optional sections you can add such as computer skills, professional organizations, publications, languages and volunteer experience.

Just a warning when writing a resume, there are things that you must consider before sending it to a potential employer. Your resume should be aesthetically pleasing. Make sure you are consistent in your formatting and use an easily readable font. Do a thorough spell-check before you post or send your resume and double-check all your dates. If you are sending a resume via standard mail, use white resume-standard paper.

Your resume is an important tool to take you closer to the job you desire. But then, there’s no sure shot way of knowing what exactly the employers are looking for in a resume. It would be easy if you knew their mind. Right?  Therefore, aside from the tips above you must do a thorough research about the company, for you to be ready for the battle field?

Your resume is your passport to the coveted job. It’s a sales proposition which highlights your skills, credentials and abilities. If you could sniff what employers wanting a resume, you could use that to present yourself in a favorable light. Remember that you’re trying to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack – that’s your competitive edge.

Resumes take 15 – 30-seconds to convince an employer about your suitability. To stand out among a blizzard, it has to clearly communicate your abilities. So, articulate your strengths effectively; remember what you say and how you say it, are critical for that winning resume.

Oct
17

Your resume is your getway

1361797 521902851 Your resume is your getwayGenerally resume is just a simple document used by individuals to present their background and skill. However it is a great tool to enter the real corporate world. Your resume is your masterpiece. It is your first step to success.

A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. When making your resume put in mind the glance rule that employers applied when hiring. With employers receiving hundreds of resumes you must make sure that your resume hooks an employer’s attention within a short time glance.

Employers are always looking for a quick match.  If your resume doesn’t catch their attention they will skip you. If you want to make it easy for them to make a quick decision you need to pass their scan test and your resume must capture their interest in the first few seconds or they move on to someone else.

A great way to do this is to use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs you want. Employers make snap judgments when glancing at your resume. So, you must make it plain and simple. Additionally it needs to be better and different or it looks like everyone else’s.

If they see unrelated job titles or skills the likelihood is very high that they will make an immediate assumption that you are not qualified for the job you want.

Resume design should get attention but it’s really the content of your resume, the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate as well as the level of salary offers you receive.

Your objectives to apply should be mentioned in your resume. The objective must meet the employer’s goal if they hire you rather than your own needs.

Don’t include your references. It takes up a lot of space. It is better to state that references are available upon request. Never include your age, nationality, marital status and religion because these might cause a bias.

These are just some of the tips that you can follow to achieve a masterpiece. Remember that your resume is your gateway to the dreams. A single word in it will trash out your goals.

Get it right, and a good resume can hook and reel in any job you want. Get it wrong and you keep sitting on the sidelines.

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