Cv for Interviews

Archive for the ‘CV’ Category

Most applicants fail because they lack confidence in themselves. A job interview should never be treated or compared to an interrogation. This wrong notion of what an interview should be actually adds to the fear mounting inside. This fear usually hinders you from effectively expressing yourself during interviews and worst, too much fear may cause some applicants to blank out during the interview.

A good way to prepare for a job interview is to research the company; practice answering the most commonly asked interview questions, and then gather information about the employer. This will not only provide helpful information for the interview but will also boost confidence knowing that you are well prepared to answer any questions during your job interview.

Aside from conducting researches and familiarizing yourself with various questions for the job interview there are still some things you need to know in order to ensure that you get the job you want.

Present the best and most sellable side of your personality

This can be achieved only if you to possess confidence in yourself. It is important that you trust your own abilities and believe that you have the qualifications required for the job that you are applying for. Self-confidence will help you feel at ease during your job interview.

Learn the different types of questions in order to sell yourself effectively

A job interview is all about questions. There are various types of questions used, for instance, questions that probe, questions that put you on the spot and questions that you may find hard to answer. It is important that you know how to easily recognize questions so that you will be prepared on how to effectively answer those questions.

Prepare question topics in advance

Nothing beats preparedness especially referring to job interviews. Since a job interview is all about questions, prepare in advance and practice answering some of the commonly asked questions your potential employer may ask. Practice makes perfect, and doing this will help get you accustomed to the questions thus boosting your confidence during your actual job interview.

Improve your personal grooming

Image and appearance is really important especially during actual job interviews. Your image and appearance tells so much about the type of person you are. Likewise, it is important to choose properly the clothes that you are to wear during your job interview since your clothes reflect just how much you value yourself.

Give a polished interview performance

Try to remember interview dos and donts to avoid mistakes and help swing the interview in your favor.

Carefully assess the job offer

It is also important for you to carefully assess the job offer. Determine whether the job is really the type you want and never be afraid to ask questions. Since it is only through asking that you will be able to know how solid the job offer really is.

Communicate and build rapport with the interviewer

You can achieve this by being an active interviewee, meaning be enthusiastic in answering questions. Show them that you are really interested in getting the job. Develop rapport with the interviewer this will help in ridding you of some of your fears, and will provide you with more confidence.

Telecommuting is a wonderful option for anyone who would prefer working at home to working in an employers office. The benefits of having a telecommuting job are immense especially for parents who want to be at home with young children. Imagine having an extra hour in the morning and evening to spend with your family because you dont have any drive time. Also imagine not having to spend as much time or money on the clothes required to work in a professional office. Granted, you may have to go to an occasional outside meeting every once in a while, but for the most part, itll just be you and your computer and the computer doesnt care what you wear.

Finding a telecommuting job isnt always easy but for the well-skilled job seeker, there are many jobs to be found. Tenacity and patience are the attributes you will need to make your way through the maze of finding the job youre seeking. Below is outlined one resource Craigslist.com that you can use when you start your search for a telecommuting job. This is not the only resource available to you, its just one of many, but its a good place to start. The jobs are there, you just need to find them.

Craigslist.com is a national classified ad website where a lot of great jobs get posted, including those looking for work at home telecommuters. The website is free to read and it’s free to post as well. It’s become a very popular place to find jobs that are available. This article will explain how to find the telecommuting jobs that are advertised.

To find telecommuting jobs, first go to http:www.craigslist.com. Click on any city in the right-hand column, and then choose a job type in the column to the left of the city column. It doesn’t matter what type of job category you choose, we’re going to change that choice anyway.

Once you get to the next page, you’ll see a search box at the top of the page. Leave the KEYWORDS field blank and change the drop-down box to ALL JOBS. Then place a check mark in the Telecommute box. Click Search. All the telecommuting jobs for the city you chose will post to the page.

You will need to click into each job separately to determine if it is a legitimate job posting or not. Often you will also find regular jobs posted as telecommuting jobs, so read the postings carefully. Watch out for the postings that offer more money than what you know to be a normal pay range for the job you’re seeking, they are probably scams. Also, be careful about going to interviews, if its not in an office building where other people are around, like at someones house, either pass on the offer or explain to the interviewer that with internet fraud as bad as it is, you would feel more comfortable meeting in a public place like a restaurant or a coffee house.

CraigsList doesnt offer a feature to search the entire country and it’s a shame because it makes this type of research very time consuming having to check each city individually. It may be easier for you to set a “Favorites” folder with all the searches so you can get to each city quickly. You should consider checking every major city since telecommuting can be done from anywhere in the country. It doesnt matter if youre in a tiny town in Texas and the company is located in New York City or Los Angeles. Just be sure to watch the ad to be sure it doesnt request you to be local to the employer, some require periodic meetings in their office. And lastly, be sure to only apply to the most recent entries as these jobs go quickly, no need to waste your time applying for a job that’s already filled.

Good luck with your job search. A little hard work along with some patience while seeking out the jobs should help you to be employed in no time.

How to Use a Resume Objective to Help Your Job Application

A resume objective statement, while an optional section of your resume, can be a powerful tool for job seekers if it used to its full potential. Strong objectives indicate how you will be of value to the company in one clear and concise statement. It tells potential employers your purpose or goal by applying to their company, and indicates the direction you want your career to go.

The decision to include an objective is not one to be taken lightly, since a weak or ineffectual objective will detract from the entire resume. In fact, many recruiters feel it is better to exclude an objective entirely than to include a weak statement or one that is too generalized. As a rule, individuals who are applying for non-traditional positions such as internships or co-ops, those with limited professional work experience, and those who are seeking to break into a new career or field stand to benefit the most from the inclusion of an objective statement on their resumes. In these instances, the objective will allow employers to immediately identify the type of position you are seeking and clarify your intent and interest in the organization. However, if you are using your resume for a more general purpose such as a job fair, employment agency submission, or website job board posting, it does not make sense to include an objective that will limit your options. Other individuals will need to make a personal decision as to the value an objective statement will add to their resume.

If included, the objective appears at the top of your resume, right beneath your contact information. An objective will typically address one or more of the following areas:

1. The type of position desired – Are you seeking an internship, a part-time, or a full-time position? Is your goal an entry-level, experienced, or supervisory position?
2. The actual name or title of the position you desire – Are you applying for the Administrative Assistant or the Technical Services Manager opening?
3. Is there a specific environment, industry, or field that you are targeting?
4. Any skills you hope to utilize in a new position

Since the purpose of an objective is to direct employees as to your specific goals within their organization and indicate how you will add value, it may be necessary to tailor your objective to each individual position. Objectives that are vague and non-specific are useless, so if you are not able to identify a specific goal or value in your objective, do not include it on the resume.

How To Survive A Bad Performance Review (And Move To Your Dream Career)

Q. I wasnt happy with my last performance review. Should I dispute the review? Write a letter for my file? Talk to a lawyer? Or just let it go?

A. Most professionals feel you should offer some kind of response. But whether to respond, and the way to respond, will depend on your companys culture, the unwritten message and your own career goals.

1. Assess your report in light of the companys culture.

In some cultures, anything but glowing praise will be viewed as negative. In others, tough reviews are the norm.

Often your boss will be expected to come up with at least one point of constructive criticism. After all, nobody walks on water. But if youre being attacked or unfairly criticized, you must explore further.

Sometimes youll win more points by taking the review in stride than by fighting. But in some cultures, a single negative review means you need to start job-hunting right away.

2. Calculate your bosss strategy.

Sometimes your performance report has nothing to do with you or your performance. Your boss might honestly want to see you leave the company or make sure the next promotion goes to someone else.

Your boss may be a new hire who is still learning your companys culture. She may combine good intentions with weak implementation.

Or maybe your boss wants to get your attention: hes dropped hints and youve ignored them. Or he wants to help you progress but doesnt know how to communicate tactfully.

3. Listen for unwritten messages.

Does your company have a category where a low score means youre headed for disaster? Does your boss try to tell you, Its a great review! when you know otherwise?

Suppose youve been getting terrific reviews and now you get slammed with a truckload of criticism. Maybe you really did have a bad year. Or maybe theres an agenda you need to understand.

4. Get the facts without getting defensive.

Ask your boss to explain each criticism.

For example, if your boss said your project was delivered late, get dates and times. If youre criticized for interpersonal skills, ask for specific instances.

But give your boss a chance to save face.

Anyone can make mistakes. An overworked, harried boss can skimp on her own data collection. You can say, without confrontation, My records show I managed six projects, not four. Can we go over this point?

5. Delay your response.

Ask for a second meeting, explaining calmly that you need time to think. Use the time to collect your backup file. Consider a consultation with an outsider: career coach, consultant, human resources professor even a lawyer if the situation warrants.

Do not discuss your report or your decision to seek help with your peers. Ever.

6. Back up a rebuttal with facts, not emotion.

Assemble your own evidence of performance. Collect letters of appreciation, dates and times of project completion, statistics showing how you helped the company.

Often simply placing a rebuttal letter in your own file will defuse the impact of a negative evaluation. When youve had a strong track record, your company will ignore an occasional negative, unless someone has introduced a new agenda.

Your boss may be ordered to grade on the curve, i.e., assign some employees the low category even if everyones doing great. And, being human, he may assign those ratings to those who are least likely to speak up. A strong, carefully written rebuttal will clarify your strength of purpose.

7. Avoid jumping to conclusions or to a new job.

When clients ask, Should I look for a new job? my answer will be, When you work for any organization, keep yourself marketable. Maintain your network. Identify reputable recruiters and build ties with them.

Its rarely a good idea to share your career change plans with your colleagues or boss until you have a written offer in hand. And its rarely a good idea to accept a counter-offer from your present company. (Over half of all workers who accept a counter-offer are gone within six months, one way or another.)

But if your company wants to send a Go Away! message, they may be happy to give you a good reference that reflects your real contribution.

If you have ever been told that you have a great voice, then you may have thought of making use of that great voice in a professional way, as a singer, announcer or as a voice over talent. Voice over, or adding your voice to advertisements and recorded messages, can be a very lucrative field for a trained talent. If you would like to get the training necessary to succeed as a voice over talent then here are a few steps to take.

But first before I give the step-by-step guide to a career in voice over, remember one thing: in the commercial world all kinds of voices are needed: low voices, whiny voices, gravelly voices, flat voices and even average voices. So, even if you dont have a classic good voice you can enter the field if you have determination. Here is what you should do.

1. Take Acting Classes:

Yes, take acting classes if you are in a major city. Find a course and enroll in it. Why acting classes? You need to know how to create the characters who speak in a commercial. Just taking an animation class won’t do it. You need to start the process organically. It’s not about the voice, yet, it’s about the intent beneath the voice that shapes the voice.

2. Take a Voice Over Class

After you’ve opened yourself up for three months in an acting class, time to move into specifics with a voice over class. In L.A., the best resource is http:www.voiceoverresourceguide.com. It lists all the studios as well as all the classes in L.A. At the top are http:www.voicecaster.com and http:www.kalmenson.com.

3. Start Practicing at Home

In addition to class, listen to any and every commercial on the TV and radio. Mimic them. Pick up magazines and read aloud the ad copy as though it were a commercial. Get so used to your voice that silence sounds wrong.

4. Find Your Niche

Once you’ve gotten a handle on your instrument – your voice – you need to know what your range is and, by association, what your market is. Are you the classy BMW voice, the GenX hamburger guy, the Don Pardo game show host? You could be all three and more. Knowing all that you can do will help you with confidence and direction when promoting yourself.

So, start studying, keep practicing and try to determine where your voice would fit in best.

In the next article, I will discuss how to get your demo reel ready and made, how to find an agent, and how to book the job.

Many newcomers to Information Technology get an overly-optimistic picture of the field from tech school ads that continually make note that “an average MCSE salary is 80.000 a year!”.

And if someone’s thinking of getting into IT and goes on the internet to do some research, they’re met with the opposite end of the spectrum – complaint after complaint about how much IT is a terrible field, you can’t break in, there’s no room for newcomers, etc.

As usual, the truth lies in the middle. As much as I love the IT field, I’ll be the first to say that it’s often hard to get that first job. Many tech schools have a job placement department, and that can be one big plus in their favor.

What if you don’t have that resource working for you? When you’re breaking into any field, IT or not, you must not make the classic mistake of sending a ton of resumes and waiting for the phone to ring. The odds are that it won’t.

You must get out and talk to people. The term “networking” doesn’t just refer to allowing computers to talk to each other; it also refers to people talking to each other. In your case, you’ve got to get out and meet people. Check the business section of your local newspaper. There will be dozens of networking meetings listed in there. It doesn’t matter that you aren’t in the field yet; go to these meetings and meet people. Initiative is never a bad thing.

And once you get that first job, make it count. Show up on time and do what you say you’ll do. If you don’t know something, dig into Google and find the answer or ask a more knowledgeable colleague. (Just doing these few basic things will put you way ahead of the pack.)

Getting started in IT is as tough as breaking into any other field. Having worked in a few different jobs in my life, though, I can tell you this: No other field in the world rewards individual drive, initiative, and achievement like Information Technology. The fact that you have to work so hard to get in will make your eventual and unstoppable success just that much sweeter.

Massage therapy can offer senior citizens a number of benefits that will greatly improve their sense of health and wellbeing. As the population continues to age, it is important to consider ways that we can work to improve the lives of those affected by the passing of time. A number of studies have shown that massage therapy can have a direct impact in managing the effects of aging. It has also shown promise in bringing comfort to those suffering from arthritis and other physical ailments.

As people age, they naturally become less active. This lack of physical activity can lead to the onset of other conditions which, if not dealt with, can greatly reduce their quality of life. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) has been promoting the use of massage therapy for some time now. According to a recent study, there is a general awareness of massage therapy but a lack of understanding of its direct benefits.

In the case of senior citizens, there are a number of benefits that be derived from therapeutic massage. According to the Touch Research Institute, it is extremely useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s patients, as it can facilitate relaxation and communication. In the case of arthritis sufferers, it can greatly assist in pain management and help increase range of motion. It also triggers natural joint lubrication, which is extremely important for those suffering from arthritis.

Massage therapy has also shown promise by helping to increase strength and muscle coordination. It can also greatly improve one’s posture by reducing muscle tension, which has the added benefit of assisting seniors with a higher quality of rest. Massage has also been known to boost one’s natural energy levels, along with their mental awareness. Study after study has shown that there is a place for massage therapy within the health care community.

More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of massage therapy. In an age where the common approach to pain management has been dominated by the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, massage therapy has shown to be an effective and natural solution to the ailments associated with process of aging. If you or a loved one are interested in learning more about the benefits of therapeutic massage, please visit the website mentioned below.

Have you got what it takes to secure an executive role? Job hunting is stressful. Just spending time looking for appropriate jobs in the paper or on the internet is frustrating and you know that when you find one or two executive appointments that you want to apply for, you will be up against a lot of competition.

Standing out from the crowd is important at every stage of the process. From your CV to your final interview, you want to be the candidate that impresses. Whether this is your first executive position, or you are a seasoned senior manager, you still need to make your application and interview different enough to secure the job.

If youre dealing with an executive recruitment agency, there are three key areas where you need to be on top of your game in order to increase your chances of success:

1. On the Phone

Often, your first direct contact with a recruitment firm is on the phone. A telephone interview is a real test of your skills, because you cant use eye contact of body language to reinforce what youre saying; you have to rely on being prepared, focused and flexible so that you create a great impression.

2. Your CV

The key here is to focus on your achievements and experience, making everything you put on your CV directly relevant to the position. The internet is awash with information on how to make your CV more presentable, but there are some key points to remember:

Keep it short
Keep it relevant
Put your contact details at the top
Focus on things you’ve achieved, rather than your skills

3. Your interview

The interview for an executive appointment either as a preliminary with the recruitment agent or a first or second interview with the company is your best opportunity to show that you will be an asset to the business. Self-confidence is important, but not to the point where it could be viewed as arrogance. Use positive language and positive body language, give examples to show how you have achieved results in your current position and ask intelligent questions. Make sure you have researched the company well before your interview and double-check the requirements of the job.

The executive appointments market is a competitive one, and following these steps could increase your chances of success.

How to Search for a New Career Before Giving Up Your Old One

Are you thinking about changing careers but scared to blindly jump into something new? Are you not sure where to start? Most people are unhappy and frustrated with their current job, but dont know how to create a plan to move into a new career.

If you are lost about where to start, and not sure what career would interest you right now, think about your hobbies. What did you love to do when you were a kid? If you love books, maybe you would like to work in a library or bookstore. If you are good at math, consider an accounting position. Thank about how you would spend your time if you didnt have to work to earn a living.

Taking a class to learn a new skill is now easier than ever. Most colleges offer online courses that will allow you to work at a time convenient for you. You will have specific deadlines to meet just as if you were in a classroom, but you are able to work at your own pace and within your own weekly schedule.

Try something new, even if youre not sure if you would like it. Learn photography, update your computer skills, or take a yoga class. Even if you wind up hating it, you wont know if you dont try.

If you have an idea about what you would like to do, why not work at it part-time? Suppose you work in the medical field now but think you now want to work with animals. You could get a part-time job working in a veterinarians office or a kennel. There are plenty of part-time gigs you can do at night or on the weekend. Of course, youre giving up some of your free time, but isnt this a small price to pay to test the waters before making the plunge to full-time? Starting out part-time for an employer is one of the best ways to work into a full-time position later.

Volunteering is always an option. While you are helping others, you are also finding out if something is right for you. How about coaching a sports team at your kids school? Could you tutor someone who doesnt know how to read?

Maybe you wont wind up changing careers after all, but instead build a part-time business that allows you to be creative and express yourself. If you play the piano, could you give personal lessons? If you are good at crafts, why not sell yours online? If you love dogs, maybe you could be a pet sitter for your friends and neighbors.

The possibilities are endless if you just use your imagination. As long as you are doing something that feeds your soul, you are spending your time on a worthwhile cause- yourself!

A sample job acceptance letter should be kept on the computer of job seekers to be customized for a new situation and used when it is needed. A job seeker should also know how to use it, and when to use it. With that in mind, a sample letter follows.

Date
Name of Hiring Manager
Company
Address
City
Zip

Dear Hiring Managers name,

It is with great enthusiasm that I accept your offer for employment with Xyz Company. I look forward to a long and mutually profitable relationship, and will do my best to live up to the faith that you have shown in me through your decision to invite me to become a part of the team here at Xyz.

Im excited about the prospect of contributing to the great success the company has had and look forward to this opportunity. You will recall that my experience includes sales, marketing and business management. Im sure my skills will translate well to the excellent environment at Xyz.

Again, I thank you for your time, for the confidence youve placed in me, and for this wonderful opportunity to join the team.

Sincerely,

John Doe

Youll notice that this sample letter is short and to the point. It thanks the person who did the hiring without being sloppy or overly sentimental. It also congratulates the hiring manager on making a wise decision and choosing the right person, but in a way that is matter of fact, and does not seem like bragging.

It is always a good idea to keep your acceptance letter based on factual, short, precise, and a bit formal. You are in the early stages of the work relationship you are forming at this new company, and want to put your best foot forward. This letter will help you do that. Youll probably be excited and nervous after being accepted for the new position, and writing a sample letter before you are hired will allow you to do your writing with a clear mind, undistracted by concerns about what you will wear that day, or anything that came up in the conversation. Using a letter like this is an example of doing your homework and being a smart job seeker. In fact, you should also keep a sample cover letter, sample follow up letter, and a sample thank you letter for after the interview in your documents folder of your computer, ready to customize as the need arises.

Smart job seekers do everything they can to present themselves in the best possible light. That extra effort is what makes the difference between a low paying job with little satisfaction and a well paying start at a new career. Using samples of these documents youll use in a job search just makes sense and will help you on your way to that satisfying new career.