Category: Introduce

Jul 24

Resume Layout Format

So assuming that you are writing a resume for the first time, here are some tips for effective resume writing. Just imagine a resume layout sample based on the article!

Borders and Margins
This is the first thing that you need to take care of. Your resume should look neat and well structured. So when you make a resume on a computer, ensure that you keep a slight distance from the margins of the page.

In my opinion, a tabulated resume looks neat and well-compartmentalized. Hence you can prepare the initial outline of a resume with tables. Make 4 tables on the page: one big left sided table, the right side with two tables and one page-sized bottom table.

Fonts and Styles
Another thing you need to know about before starting your resume layout is how to use different font styles and where. Pick just one font and one font size and stick to it throughout your resume. Of course, there will be points which you would like to highlight, but you can use bold, underline and italics for those. Do not use capitals and larger fonts within the content as they look untidy.

Introduce Yourself
Now let’s move to the actual framing part. The first part of your resume includes your name and your contact details. Center align the name and keep the address, email id and phone number left aligned. You can keep your name in bold and the contact details in italics.

Resume Objective Statement
I’ve said so before and I’ll say it again, if the resume is your advertisement, the resume objective statement is the punchline! Hence, it has to be good and should have a strong impact. The resume objective statement talks about 3 things. Your career goals, your skills and what you intend to bring to the company which would employ you. Having said that, it has to be short, upto 3 sentences maximum, and not verbose, with long sentences. To good effect, you could start the career objective part with a nice, relevant quote by someone in the field you intend to work in.

Skills
Now let me assume that you have made two side-to-side tables on your resume. The left side table should include all the skills which you feel are relevant to the job you are applying to and which you actually possess! Some skills may also require substantiating proof. For example, if you’ve done a computer course in web designing, you ought to carry along a certificate of the same. Read on for skills to put on a resume.

On the contrary, if you’ve held a few jobs before, use the left side table for the professional experience and accomplishments.

Professional Experience
This part is relevant only if you HAVE professional experience. List out chronologically-with bullets-the jobs which you have held in the past and the achievements in the job. If you have had a long professional career, then you can keep this in the left side table. If you don’t then keep it in the right sided, lower table.

Academic Record
The table on the top-right side of the page is for your academic record. This is for your academic record, the schools which you went to and the marks which you obtained.

Extra Curriculars
And the last part of your resume is the long table at the bottom of the page. This one is for listing the extra-curricular activities, your achievements in your hobbies and other interests if any.

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Jul 24

Write a Resume for a Job

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 1
When figuring out how to prepare a resume for a job, it is imperative for one to know about the company that one is applying to. Never prepare a resume without doing research on the company. While thorough research will be required for the interview, at least basic research is vital while creating the resume.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 2
Next step to knowing how to create a resume for a job is creating a good resume objective. In a resume, as per proper resume format, the objecting statement is what is written as well as viewed first. This objective is for your career, in general, not only your job in the company. With this objective, you can very easily let the organization know how ambitious you are and how high you want to reach! Check out how to write a resume objective. Also, you can refer to these sample resume objectives.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 3
Depending on the job that you are applying to, and the nature of the field, you need to make sure that you draft the resume accordingly. For example, in case of a banking or law related job, the best option would be to stick to common fonts, white sheets of paper and black font color (more on resume writing tips for banking jobs). Follow a more straightforward format in this case. However, for a creative job, you can choose to experiment with the resume format, depending on the company and the reputation of the seniors in it. Go through these tips for effective resume writing.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 4
Whatever you do, never ever forget a cover letter. A cover letter is a very important part of the resume. In fact, it can benefit you a lot. It acts as a buffer for the resume. Before the employer takes a look at the resume, he can gauge your abilities and capabilities from your cover letter. Keep the cover letter short and sweet. More so, make sure you add your career objective in the cover letter as well. Read more on how to make a resume.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 5
Do not add any irrelevant information in the resume. That is another reason why research is important before writing the resume. For example, if the company has an office softball team, you can add the fact that you were a high school softball champion in the resume. However, if it is the kind of company that believes in all work and no play, this information will be irrelevant to them, right! Take help by reading more on how to write a resume for the first time.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 6
In case of past experience, you need to give your job profile and responsibilities in the resume. However, many people make a rookie mistake of including the salary amount as well. Do not do that. In case you are asked to produce the salary slips as a part of the joining procedure, that case is different, but never reveal your previous salary before the salary negotiation is done. More help on how to make a job resume.

How to Write a Resume for a Job : Step 7
Neatness and clarity are of the essence in a resume. Always keep that in mind. Do not go about rambling in the resume. Keep things simple and to the point. You can use your amazing vocabulary to floor them during the interview, if that is what you want. Read more on some resume styles.

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Posted in Introduce

Jul 21

Resume Blunders

1. A BLAND OR GENERIC OBJECTIVE: If your objective could be applied to a marketing resume as easily as a resume for an accounting position, then your objective says nothing and will get you nowhere. An objective is NOT some required paragraph at the top of the page that is an exercise in 5 lines of job speak. It’s an actual and real description of your skills as they’re related to who you are and what you want. It should vary with the type of job for which you are applying.

2. BLAND JOB DETAILS: “Responsibilities included overseeing construction of 4 Hilton Hotels in Tri-City Metro Area, each 50 floors in height.” Yeah? So what? That doesn’t say if they went up on schedule or if you brought the projects in under budget. It doesn’t say if you took all four from site work up or if the guy handling two of the four hotels was fired and you were promoted to overseeing all four. Differentiate yourself from the others coming in to interview. If you don’t tell the hiring company how you will be an asset to them, how will they know?

3. ANOTHER JOB, ANOTHER PARAGRAPH: Don’t keep adding on to your resume job after job, year after year. By the time you’re in your 40s, you need to have weeded out some of the earlier stuff. You don’t need all the college activities, just your degree. You don’t need ALL 5 bullets for each of your first two jobs.

4. REFERENCES: Shouldn’t be listed on your resume. “References available on request” is the proper phrase. You present them separately when they’re requested. This isn’t about protocol. This is about protecting your references so they aren’t called until you and the company are serious about each other.

5. IT’S NOT A STORY!: Don’t - whatever you do, DON’T - write your resume in the third person.

6. SKIP THE PERSONAL INFO: You might think your weekend baseball coaching or your church choir participation shows you’re an interesting and well-rounded person, but they’re irrelevant. If the interviewer wants to know who you are as a person, aside from the job interview and your qualifications, he’ll ask.

7. DEGREE DATE: No matter how old you are, don’t leave the date of when you were graduated off your resume. It looks like you’re hiding something (well, you are, aren’t you?), and then everyone counts the years backwards and tries to figure out how old you are. Sometimes you can be ruled out - just for leaving the date off. If you’re trying to hide your age by not stating the date, what else might you not be forthcoming about?

8. SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK: Spell checking visually by you AND someone else, any fewer than three times, isn’t enough. And don’t forget to check your punctuation.

9. GETTING YOUR RESUME OUT THERE - part one: Don’t use one of those resume blaster things. Half those sites aren’t even valid. You don’t know how it will come out on the other end. You don’t even know where it’s going or if the landing targets are employment related. It’s bad form and just….NOT the way to find your perfect job. Finding your perfect job takes focus, attention, detail, individuality, tailoring, specifics. Resume blasting is about as far from that as you can get.

10. GETTING YOUR RESUME OUT THERE - part two: If it’s an ad, you probably have instructions as to how to send it. If it says email, cut and paste it in the form, AND attach it. You never know what it can look like on the other end because of the variety of settings available to each user. Quite frankly, I don’t recommend emailing it at all, because it usually just goes into cyber space, and then it’s all about the hiring company - but sometimes that’s your only option. Emailing your resume takes any option for further participation right out of your hands, because often there’s not even a name given for a follow up contact. You’ve no other option than to wait and wonder.(And it’s just going to HR anyway.

11. GETTING YOUR RESUME OUT THERE - part three: If you know the company, call and ask if they prefer email, fax, or snail mail. I know a recruiter who never even opened his email. Because he was listed in The Kennedy Guide to Executive Recruiters, he received so many resumes emailed to him cold (so NOT pro-active) that he just did a mass delete every morning. Candidates contacted for specific searches were requested to snail mail their resume to him. How about that? Probably fewer than 10% of those who emailed their resumes even bothered to follow up to see if it was received (this isn’t a numbers game).

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Posted in Introduce

Jul 21

Writing an English Resume

Spelling and Grammar Check: Correct spelling and grammar are of absolute importance in an English Resume. Employers will NOT tolerate any mistakes. It is very important that a native English speaker checks your Resume before you send it to an English-speaking employer.

CVwriting.net can provide a full spelling and grammar check and suggest any changes to the content of your Resume in line with what employers expect.

Do not include a photo: Most English employers do NOT like to see a photo on the Resume and, in fact, including one could work against you. Only include a photo if it has been specifically requested for a particular job application.

English Language skills: This is a very important aspect of your Resume and your professional career. You must explain your knowledge of the English language under the ‘Skills’ heading. Describe your level of knowledge as one of the following:

• Bilingual – You can speak English as well as your mother tongue
• Fluent – You have a complete working knowledge of the English language, both written and speaking.
• Working knowledge- you have a good practical knowledge of English for professional purposes.
• Conversational – You can converse adequately in English with good comprehension.

English Resume Format:

Your name, address, telephone number and email address should appear at the top of your English Resume. Always use a capital letter at the beginning of a name including the name of a street, town or country. Do NOT put Resume or Curriculum Vitae as a heading.

Your Resume should be produced on a word processor, not hand written, and be available softcopy as a Word or PDF file. If you are printing your Resume you should use good quality paper.

An employer will scan your Resume in thirty seconds looking for keywords that are relevant to the vacancy he is trying to fill. Keep your Resume short and concise so that your positive attributes stand out. Your Resume should be no more than two pages long.

Do NOT use initials for company names or qualifications, as these could be meaningless to an English employer. Always write the words in full.

Headings:

1. Profile: This is an opportunity to summarize the skills and experience you have described elsewhere in your Resume. It is the first part of the Resume that the employer will read. It should be only one or two paragraphs long otherwise the reader may not go on to read the rest of your Resume. You should also include your career aspirations.

2. Achievements: list any special achievements from your career history or education that may make you stand out from other candidates. List no more than six.

3. Career History: This is a very important part of your Resume. The most common Resume format is written in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most recent employment and work backwards. List the dates between which you worked for each employer the name of the employer, your position and the location at which you worked. Write a short description of the company and then describe your responsibilities including facts and figures as much as possible.

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