Cv For Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Job Resume’

Are you in desperate need of a job?  If you are currently unemployed or if you truly think that your current job is making you “crazy,” you may be.  When it comes to finding a new job, especially in a hurry, there are many individuals who think that the more job applications they fill out or the more resumes they submit, the better their chances of finding a new job are.  But, what about the employers who are currently not hiring?  If you are wondering whether or not you should fill out a job application or submit your resume to a place that isn’t hiring, you are not alone.

When it comes to determining whether or not you should submit a job application or drop off your resume to a place that isn’t hiring, there are a number of important factors that need to be taken into consideration.  Perhaps, the most important factor is if you know for sure they are not hiring. When it comes to filling out job applications, there are many applicants who try and determine, upfront, whether or not there are any positions available.  If you happen to stop by a local business or call to ask about hiring and get a negative response, you may not want to submit an application anyways, especially if you gave your name.  This tends to create a bad impression; an impression that states that you don’t necessarily listen to what you are being told.

Now, there is a difference between knowing in advance that a business isn’t hiring versus being told as soon as you go to turn in your job application or your resume.  If you are told when you are submitting your resume or job application, it is advised that you ask about the future?  Does the company representative that you are speaking with think that they will be doing any hiring in the future? If so, you may want to think about asking them to hang on to your job application or your resume for future use. In some states, employers are required to save all job applications and resumes for about a year.  Of course, if the business in question later advertises the fact that they are hiring, you are advised against automatically assuming that your resume is still on file. You may want to call, just to make sure.

One of the few downsides to applying to places that aren’t necessarily hiring at the current moment is the timing. As it was previously mentioned, many employers are required to save any job applications or resumes that they receive for a period of time, like a year.  This is nice because some employers decide to not even advertise the fact that they are hiring, instead many just go through the resumes or job applications that they accumulated overtime.  The only problem is the overtime part.  You may have submitted your application eight months ago and only end up getting a response now.  If you are like many job seekers, you should be able to find a job in as little as a few weeks, sometimes a month or two at the most. That means that by the time your application or resume gets noticed, it may already end up being too late.

As a reminder, the decision as to whether or not you want to apply at a place that isn’t hiring is yours to make, but it is advised that you proceed with caution when doing so.  If you are told that applications are not being accepted at the current time, even just to hang on to, you are advised to cut your loses and move on. The last thing that you want to do is create a scene or try to convince an employer to hang on to your application, as you may end up creating a bad name for yourself; one that may haunt you, you resume, or your job application for years to come.

Congratulations, you are one of the progressive jobbers who have realized that a voice Curriculum vitae is huge positive statement on your job application. Why? Because your resume is probably your best shot - and in many cases the only shot at you getting an interview. Typical busy bee recruiter has less than 2 minutes for a resume - if at all that. Your voice CV buys you some additional time, if you get some of the smarts:
Decide the approach for your voice CV: (A) I am going to present highlights from my resume (B) I am going to add information to my resume (C) I am going to build intrigue with a story or an achievement (D) What are attention grabbers - in a 1 minute voice recording you should have 3 or 4 attention grabbers.
Here is your check list:
1. I have a script before I can record
2. I have rehearsed and heard myself, I slept over the script and it looks good
3. Someone listened to my voice CV and gave me feedback (not a patronizing friend)
4. My voice CV adds value to my job resume - in 4 or 5 specific points
5. There is quantification of my achievements that a recruiter can relate to
You have a great voice, then
(not because you can sing in the shower or your friends thought so)
Do not get carried by the voice and try to sound good
Do not over stylize
Remember not everyone with a great voice made a great orator or a singer
Nothing unusual about your voice resume then
Good, focus on the content
Speak slowly, clearly
Choose words that make you sound better
Short sentences help you sound better
Choose to present in lists
Remember some of the greatest singers or orators did not have the best of voices
End note: Your voice CV is about your career and not your voice - So try one.
I have a voice CV, but do not know of a place to post it?
Oh that’s easy
GoRecroot is one of the better places for a multi media career portfolio.

A resume is the first and the most important step in the process of job seeking. A resume consists of a brief account of your qualifications and experience. It basically showcases your skills and experience. The whole idea of a resume is to put you in such a light that the prospective employer finds you perfect for the job.

A resume should contain personal details such as name, address, telephone number, email ID and date of birth. Educational details are next. An important thing you should keep in mind is to start from the latest information and then move backwards. Start from your recent education and mention the subjects studied at your college, school, courses, etc. Similarly, start from the latest job responsibilities you are holding. Mention your job profile and what all you learned at the job instead of simply mentioning the job-title and employer. It is not necessary to write exact dates, a simple mention of months and years is sufficient. There are various formats you can work with.

The chronological format includes a job-by-job listing of your experience. It proves effective for the people who have careers moving in the upward direction. Another format is the functional format in which you highlight key skills and knowledge. It widens the scope of people who have been changing jobs often, as they can talk about responsibilities, projects and skills learnt from each job. Then you can also use a combination of the chronological and functional formats. Such a resume will mention the job-by-job experience alongside accomplishments at each job.

There are certain factors you must keep in mind while formulating your resume. The resume should not ideally go beyond more than 2 pages. Try to keep the information as precise as possible. If you have some 30 years of experience, it is not necessary to enlist all of it. The details of the last 10 years of your career will suffice and the rest of the information should be provided in a very concise manner. Use more of action verbs such as: supervised, organized, learned, contributed, etc. The freshers in the industry can highlight their responsibilities at the college/school level. Mention the extra-curricular activities that you have taken part in. You must also mention your achievements. Be careful to tailor make your CV according to demands of the employer. Use an Arial or Times New Roman font; do not go for very decorative fonts. Do write about the skills pertinent to the job, making you fit the brief perfectly. List out five or six key attributes the employers are looking for and prepare your resume accordingly.

It is important to format your resume since you are being judged by the way your resume looks. You can choose to exclude certain details such as hobbies if they are totally unrelated to your profession. However, if you are applying for a Public Relations job and your hobby is making friends, then it is sensible to include it. Do not give reasons for leaving your current job as it has a negative impact. Leave such tough questions for the interview. It is advisable to inform your references beforehand and hand over a copy of your resume to them. Last but not the least; keep updating your resume regularly.

Nearly all job seekers are well aware of the importance of a resume when applying for a professional opinion, but few realize the vital role that an accompanying cover letter plays in the selection process.  In fact, your cover letter is just as important to your job search as is your resume. 

Consider this: recruiters and managers often receive dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants for every one available position.  With so many applicants to review, interviewers do not have much time to determine if you are qualified for the job.  In fact, a recruiter typically spends between one and two minutes quickly glancing over a resume, hardly enough to thoroughly investigate if your skills set and experience is a good match for the position. 

This is why a cover letter is such a critical tool to the job seeking process.  The purpose of a cover letter is to clearly express your interest in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer.  So while the resume is a generic advertisement, your cover letter tailors your application to each specific job.  By condensing your resume into key points and drawing the recruiter’s attention to the most relevant areas of your experience, you are assisting the recruiter in matching up your qualifications to that of the open position.  And by taking the guesswork out of your resume, you greatly increase your chances of getting a call for an interview.

A cover letter has to “sell” your qualifications to a complete stranger and convince them that you are worthy of an in-person meeting.  Therefore, as you can imagine, it is not an easy document to write.  There are several guidelines, though, that should assist you in the cover letter development process.

Typically a cover letter is less than one page in length and has four main sections: the introduction, a highlight of your qualifications, a summary of why you are interested in the position, and a concluding follow-up.  Before you start listing a litany of skills, though, it’s important to do some research on the company and the position for which you are applying to give you a better understanding of the company’s products or services, history, values, and target customer market. This will help give you a better idea of what recruiters are likely to be seeking in a candidate, and allow you to tailor your cover letter to specifically address those areas. 

Part 1 - The Introduction:

Your cover letter should be addressed to the hiring manager, whenever possible.
Specifically mention the position(s) that you are seeking
Let the recruiter know how you heard about the position.  If you saw the position advertised or were referred by someone, be sure to include this information.
Grab the reader’s attention and stimulate their interest in you right away!!

Part 2 – Summary of your Qualifications:

Highlight your strongest qualifications for the position you are seeking.  Be sure to limit your qualifications to only those that are the most relevant to the position. 
Show, rather than simply tell, the manager your qualifications by including specific, credible examples from your experience. 
Quantify these qualifications whenever possible by focusing on pertinent figures, projects, awards, and equipment/software/tools you’ve used that are relevant to the job you want.  For example, rather than highlighting your “excellent customer service skills” indicates that you “achieved a 98% customer satisfaction rating” or “increased department sales by 25% in the first quarter”.

Part 3 – Why you are Interested in the Position:

Let the recruiter know why you want to work at their company.  What is it about the company that appeals to you?
Why does this particular position appeal to you?
Indicate why you are a good fit for the company.  How will be an asset to the team?

Part 4 – Conclusion and Follow-up:

Refer employers to your enclosed resume so that they can review your qualifications in further detail.
Request a personal interview or meeting with the hiring manager.
Indicate how the recruiter should contact you.  Be sure to provide a working phone number or e-mail address.
Set a time to follow up.  For example indicate that you “will call to follow up on Monday afternoon”. 
Thank the reader for his or her time.

One final note: your cover letter is the first impression that recruiters will get of you.  A strong focused cover letter can convey a powerful, positive first impression.  A weak non-focused letter, though, can kill any interest a recruiter may have in your qualifications, regardless of how strong of a fit you may be for the position.  Be sure that you proofread carefully for grammatical and typographical errors before sending any correspondence.

Hiring a resume service to put together your resume can be a really good idea – especially if you are not really sure how to make a resume that can accurately convey your experience and abilities.  Hiring a resume service can be a great move to help you project a professional image and help you get the job that you really want.  How do you go about hiring a resume service, though?

First, look in the Yellow Pages and see if there are any businesses that offer a resume service in your area.  You can also utilize the Internet since we are now living in the Information Age.  You can just e-mail the resume service all of your information and they put it together in a gorgeous format that is sure to impress you as well as any prospective employers.  Look to your community college as well for a resume service.  These types of services are often provided for free and are meant to help you craft your own resume with a minimum of involvement and just a little bit of advice.

Keep in mind that if you want to hire a resume service to make your resume, you will have to pay a fee for it.  If you think that the rates the resume service is charging is a little more than you want to pay, just move on to another one.  This writer once had her own resume service.  I learned by trial and error how much to charge people.  I also learned about the headaches of non-paying customers, but that is a different story!  At any rate, while times have changed considerably since I had my business, it is not uncommon to find a service that will ask for anywhere from $25 to $50 for a resume and then another $20 or so for a cover letter.

Now, you might be feeling a little sticker shock here, but realize that when you hire a resume service, you are getting a professional.  That means that the person who is doing your resume has had experience putting together winning resumes and you will have a quality product for your money.

If you are serious about getting the job of your dreams and have little to no experience crafting a resume, you may want to look into hiring a resume service to help you along the way.  All you need to do is give them pertinent information and then wait for the finished product to arrive in your e-mailbox.  After that, you take the beautiful resume that your resume service has provided, send it out to prospective employers and then wait for that phone call!