Cv for Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Applying For A Job’

Confucius once said: “If all I do is hear, I will forget. If I hear and see, I will remember. If I hear, see and do, I will understand.”

On-the-Job-Training or OJT is job training that occurs in the work place. It has many advantages, but it can also have a few disadvantages if the OJT is not planned and executed properly. It is part of a college curriculum that aims to train and orient students about the work and their future career. It is very important not only to teach students their chosen career but to show students the reality about working.

Most students nowadays are not serious in their training. They don’t plan ahead and pick the best company that they can choose. Worst, they ended up cleaning the desk of their superior or doing unrelated tasks.

Here is why students should not take OJT for granted:

1. If you will get a high evaluation grade, your employer might hire you when you graduate.

2. Your background OJT is very important when applying for a job. Oftentimes, employers will ask you the relevance of your training to your course and to the position you are applying for.

3. Some companies will give you a monthly allowance if you are doing well in your tasks.

4. OJT will be your training ground. If you still have no idea on what is meant to be a worker, OJT will give a hint of career realities.

5. Your OJT superior my recommend your skills to other companies whom he knows.

6. It will give you a sense of confidence that you can use when applying for a job after graduation

7. Help individuals make informed career choices

Students should realize the importance of OJT on their future career. Having a good performance during OJT is very important especially now that there’s a tight competition towards job seekers and the high qualification of companies.

For articles about career move, visit DitoNa Articles

Felix Gomez Jr is a web developer. His latest activities include web development, iPhone apps development and blogging. Catch him at http://www.shoutbux.com

When applying for a job, it is ideal that you identify your strengths and weaknesses and get prepared to address them. By knowing your
advantage, the chances of getting the job that you want will surely get easier. But you should not get too confident since this is one of the
common mistakes that plague job applicants. Appearing too confident or as somewhat of a know it all person will only get you labeled by
your interviewer as unfit for the job.

Identifying your skills
First thing’s first. You should identify your skills. This is your ticket to get that job and you should be able to articulate your abilities and
expertise as best as you can. Many people have a hard time telling their skills and abilities as this may seem to be bragging. But you
should not be shy or afraid to discuss your skills. In fact, it is important that you convey to your potential employer what your
talents are. You should be able to sell your abilities to your employer. That is how you will get the job that you want. It is important that you
don’t appear arrogant or condescending but you should also avoid selling yourself short. If the interviewer asks you about your strengths
or what separates you from the other applicants, you should be able to readily give a good answer. But before you even go to the interview,
your resume should highlight your skills and talents for your prospective employer to see.

When applying for a job, it is ideal that you identify your strengths and weaknesses and get prepared to address them. By knowing your
advantage, the chances of getting the job that you want will surely get easier. But you should not get too confident since this is one of the
common mistakes that plague job applicants. Appearing too confident or as somewhat of a know it all person will only get you labeled by
your interviewer as unfit for the job.

Identifying your skills
First thing’s first. You should identify your skills. This is your ticket to get that job and you should be able to articulate your abilities and
expertise as best as you can. Many people have a hard time telling their skills and abilities as this may seem to be bragging. But you
should not be shy or afraid to discuss your skills. In fact, it is important that you convey to your potential employer what your
talents are. You should be able to sell your abilities to your employer. That is how you will get the job that you want. It is important that you
don’t appear arrogant or condescending but you should also avoid selling yourself short. If the interviewer asks you about your strengths
or what separates you from the other applicants, you should be able to readily give a good answer. But before you even go to the interview,
your resume should highlight your skills and talents for your prospective employer to see.

Here are some tips on following up on your contacts if you are already in business:

* Send thank you notes to current and future customers. This
rule does not just apply to people applying for a job. This is
much more helpful for those who are already in business, as a
simple thank you note would remind customers of which
company they are dealing with and your brand name will be
imprinted on their minds. This practice should send more
business your way.
* Send follow up messages. If you are in sales, it is good to
follow up on existing buyers who are most likely to purchase
your products again.

You might also want to personalize any correspondence that you
send out as this leaves the customers feeling as if they know you
personally. This should lead you to earning their trust, which in
turn leaves the customer feeling secure that you are handling
efficiently whatever business it is that they throw your way.
* Make sure that you follow up swiftly and promptly. The rule of
thumb is to reply fast, fast, fast. Whether it is a solution to a
problem or sending out an order or replying to a letter,
responding quickly to a customer is the easiest way for them to
think of you and your company in a positive way.

Creating a resume or CV is central to the search for a job, but is something most of us hate doing. Unfortunately, very few people are adept at presenting themselves in the best possible light and this can mean their application is rejected at the first hurdle.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make is sending out the same resume for every application. It’s a big temptation – you’ve spent hours getting the details and layout just right, or perhaps you’ve paid a considerable amount of money to have someone write it professionally. The trouble is, each resume needs to be tailored to the job in question, and it’s vital that you do this if you want to stand out from the crowd.

What does tailoring a resume mean? It simply means writing it specifically for the post you are targeting. To do this you must recognise the keywords the employer will be looking for and relate them to your own experience. Keywords will be found in the job description and person specification, or in the job advertisement and on the company website. They describe the skills, qualifications and experience needed for the post. Keywords should stand out on your resume – don’t forget that in the first round of the selection process, resumes are usually only given a 20 second glance. So if the interviewer doesn’t see what he’s looking for, your resume is destined for the shredder.

Here’s an example of targeting: let’s say you are a secretary who speaks several languages and can take shorthand in all of them, but are applying for a job in an office where only English and audio are used. Languages and shorthand, impressive as they are, would not be the most prominent skills on your resume. Instead, you would focus on the skills required, which might be fast typing, advanced Excel or Powerpoint. Languages and shorthand would be mentioned briefly, perhaps under the heading “Additional Skills.”

Another common mistake, usually made by older applicants, is including their entire work and educational history. It’s usual (in the UK) for CVs to go back only 10 years in terms of work and if you have a degree, school qualifications can be omitted, unless specifically requested or relevant. Employers occasionally ask for a full CV, in which case you do have to include everything.

Choosing the wrong format can also condemn your resume to the bin – different styles work best in specific situations. Many people stick to the chronological resume, but this is not always the most appropriate. It works well if you have been steadily progressing up the ladder in a particular career, or if your most recent jobs are likely to impress the company you hope to work for.

A skills-based or functional resume is great if you have gaps in your work history, as you can use it to highlight the fact that you have exactly the skills the employer is looking for. It’s also useful if you are moving to a new career or area of work and your work experience isn’t completely relevant.

A targeted resume is aimed at a precise job or career, for example if you retrained as a teacher in your 30s or 40s and were applying for a teaching post, your work-related heading might be “Teaching Experience” and your main skills would all be relevant to teaching, for example using IT in the classroom and curriculum development. For soft skills, such as communication skills and team work, you would use examples from your teaching career.

You may need to have different styles of resume for different applications. If we use the previous example of the secretary, she might have had a series of language related jobs and is now applying for linguist and non linguist posts. She could choose a chronological resume for the language jobs and a functional resume for the others.

To sum up, individualist every resume for the job concerned, choose the most suitable format for the situation and remember: keywords must jump out at the reader in the first 20 seconds.

Scoring the interview for the job that you want doesnt have to be rocket science. Sometimes you can score that interview by simply making a phone call. There are many ways that people go about trying to get an interview. The methods of achieving one vary by company. It is best to know what the companys application process is before taking your first step.

Generally, when a company is hiring they post an ad in the newspaper or an online job bank. How to contact them is usually included in the ad as well. You dont want to email a resume to a company that is requesting that you walk in with your resume. You dont want to call a company that requires a faxed resume etc. Ignoring their initial contacting information will guarantee that you will not get that interview because you have already proven that you cant follow simple directions.

Sometimes, you can get a job lead from a friend before the job has been posted. If this is the case, you can either ask the friend to give the employer your resume and cover letter. If your friend doesnt actually work where the lead came from, you can try calling about the position and ask what the application procedure is.

There are four general methods of applying for a job, and they include these basic methods.

Sending a Resume

Some companies prefer that you mail in your resume. For this type of approach, it is best to include a cover letter with your resume. The cover is a basic letter that describes the position that you are interest in and a few details of your qualifications and skills. It is basically your lead in to your resume. Before writing your cover letter, you should know whom the letter is to be addressed to. You never want to begin a cover letter with Dear Sir or Madame or To whom it may Concern. It shows that you have not prepared, and that you are not looking for a specific position with their company, but any job that you can get your hands on. Basically, it is disrespectful to your prospective employer.

Emailing Your Resume

Emailing resumes is becoming a commonplace way for recruiters to get resumes. Most companies offer this method as an alternative to the others. However, there are few tips on how you should go about it.
You should attach your resume as a word document or PDF file. These are the most common formats and what most companies will accept. The subject line should read like this: Smith, John (clerical position)This makes it easy for the recruiter to know who the email is from, and what it pertains to. It also assures that your email will be read.
Sometimes there are specific methods for addressing an emailed resume. Some companies have certain subject line requirements so follow them. If your company wants you to paste your resume, dont send attachments because your email will be deleted right away.

Faxing Your Resume

Again, you will need to include a cover letter when you fax in your resume. If you are not using your own fax machine, be sure to include your proper contact information. The rules for your cover letter are the same as for mailing your resume. More about cover letters will be provided a bit later on in this book.

Walk-In Your Resume

For this type of application procedure, you will want to dress appropriately. You would want to dress just like you would for an interview. Companys usually ask you to do this if you are going to be working directly with customers. They ask for a walk in because they want to get a look at your grooming habits right away. Sometimes, a walk in will have the employer giving you a brief interview on the spot, to see if they will require a formal interview later. So be on your best and most appropriate behavior.
Also, walk-ins do not require you to bring in a cover letter with your resume. Your appearance is sort of the cover letter. Sometimes, you will be requested to fill out an application form as well. Smile and be polite, no matter who you are talking to. That could be the difference between getting an interview and just taking an extra trip for nothing.

Telephoning for an Interview

It is not particularly common anymore for companies to ask you to call them for an interview. That is usually saved for jobs that include sales andor jobs that are not so easily applied for by the other methods. Telephoning for an interview is a bit common when a company requires that you be on the phone a lot. It gives them a feel for the quality and the personality of the person on the phone. When making this type of interview request, always speak in a clean and clear manner. Be polite and prepared to answer any questions that may be asked of you. You might approach the telephone interview like this:

Hello Mr. Brown, I am Mike Sandal. I am calling with regards to your ad in the Post about the clerical position. If you are asked your experience andor previous work experience, be prepared to answer quickly and explain how long you have been doing that type of work and give a brief description of your duties.