|
Yeh Resume Maange More Part 1
Anil Mahajan
As I have said earlier, most people look down the wrong end of the
telescope when it comes to reasons why they can’t get that job. They
mistakenly blame things like the economy and their age. But the thing
that lets most people down is their application. You see, the point of
a good cover letter and résumé is to secure the interview.
I am writing this article to discuss a few gospel truths and
dispelling wrong myths as usual.
A. First of all we must be clear about the resume and its objective.
The One and Only One Purpose of the resume is to win an interview. If
it does that, it worked. If it doesn’t, it isn’t an effective resume.
•A resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less. A great
resume doesn’t just tell them what you have done but makes the same
assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get
these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It
convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in
this new position or career.
•It is so pleasing to the eye that the reader is enticed to pick up
and read it. It “whets the appetite,” stimulates interest in meeting
you and learning more about you. It inspires the prospective employer
to pick up the phone and ask you to come in for an interview.
•It’s not an official personnel document. It’s not a job application.
It’s not a “career obituary!” Your resume is YOUR marketing tool, not
a personnel document. The resume is a selling tool outlining your
skills and experience... It is about YOU the job hunter, not just
about the jobs you’ve held. It’s not just about past jobs!
•A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future
job.
•It focuses on your future, not your past.
•It emphasizes your accomplishments, not your past job duties or job
descriptions.
•It documents skills you enjoy using, not skills you used just
because you had to.
B. What are the most desirable qualities for job seekers in the
workplace? Your resume must convey that you carry all these essential
attributes. I am giving herebelow the following list of in-demand
skills:
1. Willingness to share information and ideas.
2. Commitment to teamwork.
3. Responsiveness to change.
4. Ability to work under pressure.
5. Sense of ownership of work and ideas.
6. Willingness to take calculated risks, without fear of consequences.
7. Multicultural experience and/or ability to speak multiple
languages.
8. Ability to communicate clearly and honestly with peers, managers,
customers.
9. Understanding of business strategy and how you create shareholder
value.
10. Commitment to continuous learning, skill development.
Ample presence of these attributes in your resume will give a positive
aura to your profile.
We have talked about the purpose of resume and what are the most
desirable qualities an employer looks for in a candidate. Let us now
move to more things which are essential
C. Bad Transportation of resume: A lot of candidates send their
applications to the placement consultants and companies via email with
multiple recipients in the “to:”, “cc:” or “bcc:” fields. ALMOST ALL
BIG JOBSITES having national or international presence broadcast your
resume via email with multiple recipients in the “to:”, “cc:” or
“bcc:” fields. These big jobsites also flash your resume from their
site’s e-mail ID to another of their own e-mail IDs. Now this is
criminal. You are deliberately killing yourself in job market - it
could be career Hara Kiri or career killing by these jobsites, where
you pay for your own COLD BLOODED MURDER. Resumes received this way
are treated as spam (i.e. deleted). Over 90% Placement consultants and
recipient companies delete them because they feel that:
You are TOO DESPERATE FOR A JOB and you have mailed your resume to
every Tom, Dick and Harry in business. A placement consultant doesn’t
want to waste his time for the applicant whose resume is widely
circulated in the placement circuit like the eye flu.
You are desperate because you are UNEMPLOYED/ UNDEREMPLOYED.
You are Unemployed / under-employed because you are HIGHLY
INCOMPETENT.
You are highly incompetent and hence a PARIAH.
You are a pariah and hence your resume deserves IMMEDIATE DELETION.
This immediate deletion could be at the server end through SPAMGUARDS
or MANUALLY in his DESKTOP
D. Essentials in the Subject Title
As a placement consultant, I receive a lot of resumes. Candidates
generally do not give any importance to the subject title and their
resume also does not get any attention from the recruiters. Like the
cover letter the subject title is an under-utilised resource. The
following titles from recent posts are losers:
A sample cover letter
Your name
Your residence address
Your Tel no.
Your e-mail ID
Contact name, Contact job title and deptt.
Contact company, Company address, Company tel no.
Company e-mail ID
Date
Dear Mr/ Ms/ contact,
The first paragraph tells why you are contacting this person, then
either mentions your connection with that person or tells about where
you read about this job. It also quickly states who you are. Next it
impresses them with your sincere, researched knowledge of their
company. The goal is to demonstrate that you are a worthy applicant
and attracting or luring them to read further.
The second paragraph tells them more about yourself, particularly why
you are an ideal match for the job by summarizing why you’re what they
are looking for. You may also clarify anything unclear in your resume.
The third paragraph is an optional extension of the second paragraph
The last paragraph is your goodbye. You thank the reader for his time.
Include that you look forward to their reply or give them a time when
you’ll be getting in contact by phone.
Sincerely
Sign here
 |
|
Jobnet's
Placement Consultants Directory - India & International
What's Inside?
Placement Consultants in
over 38 cities in India
International Placement
Consultants in over 31 countries
Coverage in MNC's NGO's
UN Government & Indian Co websites
Special Section for
Freshers
with complete Addresses,
telephone numbers, email ids & specializations.
Jobnet Placement Consultants
Directory -
Order Online
or Call - 09811017183 |
