Archive for the ‘interviews’ Category

How to edit your resume in 10 minutes

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
As it often happens, a job offer knocks at your door when it is least expected. Not having an updated CV can be a great deterrent and may even cost you a dream job. The resume of a person is like the cover of a bestseller by which the potential employer will judge you.
A professionally written CV is regarded as the first step towards climbing the ladder of a successful career and hence, one can’t ignore the importance of keeping his CV updated. The experts have opined that one needs to keep the CV updated even when one is not actively searching for jobs.
As is the rule of thumb, one’s CV shouldn’t contain information that is more than six months old.  An updated CV will keep recruiters interested in your profile. Updating CV doesn’t necessarily be a time consuming job. It can be done even under 10 minutes. But before that, following are the few points that one may keep in mind while updating resume.
The CV should be keyword enriched. Including terms that can help in finding jobs in the desired sector will bring the CV into the focus of recruiters.
Customize the CV as per the job requirement. One must avoid maintaining a general CV for all job applications.
All information in the CV must be current and up-to-date. Old CV will create an impression of disinterest in the mind of the recruiter.
The CV must be error free. Misspellings and erroneous information will reflect insincerity of the applicant.
Edit your resume in 10 minutes
If you are facing a time constraint following are few tips which will help you improve your resume in 10 minutes.
Update contact information: If you want the recruiting manager to contact you it is essential that you have your contact information updated. Update your e-mail and phone number immediately they are changed.
Write professional summary: Instead of objective statement writing a professional summary highlighting experience and suitability for the position will encourage recruiters zeroing on your CV.
Mention achievements: To improve your employability, mention your achievements, instead of your job responsibility, in your previous employments.  Recruiters are more interested in knowing about your achievements and skills which will make you suitable for the position.
Format CV: Proper formatting for the CV is essential. Also it will help you create a professional impression in the mind of the hiring manager. Introduce bullets to highlight important facts. Maintain uniform font. Keep the text between 10 to 12 points. Don’t use too much color.
Improve language: Use crisp language. Revise your resume and remove weak language. Use strong words like ‘lead’ ‘managed’ and ‘trained’. These words are easily picked by recruiting managers and will improve your claim for the position.
Inverted pyramid: The resume should be written in chronological order with the most current information at the top. Arrange your job experiences from newer to older. Also you must keep the CV concise.
In this difficult market situation when jobs are hard to find you can’t afford losing job offers. Keep your resume ready and updated so that you don’t miss out on the job offers.

As it often happens, a job offer knocks at your door when it is least expected. Not having an updated CV can be a great deterrent and may even cost you a dream job. The resume of a person is like the cover of a bestseller by which the potential employer will judge you.

A professionally written CV is regarded as the first step towards climbing the ladder of a successful career and hence, one can’t ignore the importance of keeping his CV updated. The experts have opined that one needs to keep the CV updated even when one is not actively searching for jobs.

As is the rule of thumb, one’s CV shouldn’t contain information that is more than six months old.  An updated CV will keep recruiters interested in your profile. Updating CV doesn’t necessarily be a time consuming job. It can be done even under 10 minutes. But before that, following are the few points that one may keep in mind while updating resume.

The CV should be keyword enriched. Including terms that can help in finding jobs in the desired sector will bring the CV into the focus of recruiters.

Customize the CV as per the job requirement. One must avoid maintaining a general CV for all job applications.

All information in the CV must be current and up-to-date. Old CV will create an impression of disinterest in the mind of the recruiter.

The CV must be error free. Misspellings and erroneous information will reflect insincerity of the applicant.

Edit your resume in 10 minutes

If you are facing a time constraint following are few tips which will help you improve your resume in 10 minutes.

Update contact information: If you want the recruiting manager to contact you it is essential that you have your contact information updated. Update your e-mail and phone number immediately they are changed.

Write professional summary: Instead of objective statement writing a professional summary highlighting experience and suitability for the position will encourage recruiters zeroing on your CV.

Mention achievements: To improve your employability, mention your achievements, instead of your job responsibility, in your previous employments.  Recruiters are more interested in knowing about your achievements and skills which will make you suitable for the position.

Format CV: Proper formatting for the CV is essential. Also it will help you create a professional impression in the mind of the hiring manager. Introduce bullets to highlight important facts. Maintain uniform font. Keep the text between 10 to 12 points. Don’t use too much color.

Improve language: Use crisp language. Revise your resume and remove weak language. Use strong words like ‘lead’ ‘managed’ and ‘trained’. These words are easily picked by recruiting managers and will improve your claim for the position.

Inverted pyramid: The resume should be written in chronological order with the most current information at the top. Arrange your job experiences from newer to older. Also you must keep the CV concise.

In this difficult market situation when jobs are hard to find you can’t afford losing job offers. Keep your resume ready and updated so that you don’t miss out on the job offers.

Posted in interview tips, interviews | No Comments »

10 Common Mistakes in First Job Interviews – ways of avoiding them

Thursday, August 25th, 2011
First time job interviews are make or break moments in one’s life – success can get a person started on the right track and failure can set one back significantly. So it is important to avoid any and all mistakes if possible.
Not highlighting previous community working experience as a student
One of the major mistakes made by young job seekers during their first interview is presenting the image of being a lone ranger. It is important in some countries such as USA to perform community services prior to graduation – it is handy to use such experience while appearing for job interviews for the first time ever.
Lack of present business and employment trends knowledge
Freshers often appear to be clueless owing to their lack of adequate knowledge regarding present business and employment trends. As such they cannot ask much to the interviewer when it is their turn. However, applicants who make it a routine to update themselves in this regard do not face much problem in this regard.
Being too emotional
It is also advisable to be calm while appearing for interviews so that the recruiters have a positive view of the potential candidate. Often it has been seen that first time interviewees express disenchantment and even anger at the way they have been treated in general. This serves to put the interviewers off.
Portraying no emotion at all
Complete lack of expression also serves to disgust the employers – it is not a good ploy to be absolutely bereft of emotion while appearing for interviews and answer in a monosyllabic manner. Experts advise a balanced emotional condition while appearing for interviews – candidates should demonstrate proper maturity and understanding of adverse business situations and refrain from indulging in overt friendliness by uttering profane words.
Talking too much or nothing at all
Candidates have often been found to talk too much over a particular point or just avoid it. Both actions suggest a dubious character and employers are normally unwilling to have such people in their set ups. It is also better to be true to one’s character instead of trying to imitate others while appearing for interviews. Even if one is introverted certain amount of enthusiasm and optimism for the company and particular job profile has to be shown in order to stand a chance of landing the job.
Overexuberance
First time job applicants are often over eager to impress their prospective employers and commit mistakes like showing over exuberance, not letting the interviewers finish their questions and skirting around issues. Candidates should also ask for some time to answer questions if they feel the need to do so.
Trying to impress all and sundry
First time candidates often feel the urge to impress everyone and end up failing totally. It is an important requisite to have confidence in one’s strengths and accept the shortcomings. It is better to be honest rather than claiming knowledge of difficult procedures, landing the job, failing in them and getting fired.
Not practicing before interviews
Applicants often do not practice interviews with their friends prior to the actual process. They can even have simulated sessions with oneself in front of mirrors. As it is said, this practice would make them better suited to cope with any situation during an interview.
Stereotypical attitude
Companies are nowadays looking for unique professionals who are capable to add to their previous company’s income. It is always advisable to project one’s potential properly before the interviewers.

First time job interviews are make or break moments in one’s life – success can get a person started on the right track and failure can set one back significantly. So it is important to avoid any and all mistakes if possible.

1.Not highlighting previous community working experience as a student

One of the major mistakes made by young job seekers during their first interview is presenting the image of being a lone ranger. It is important in some countries such as USA to perform community services prior to graduation – it is handy to use such experience while appearing for job interviews for the first time ever.

2.Lack of present business and employment trends knowledge

Freshers often appear to be clueless owing to their lack of adequate knowledge regarding present business and employment trends. As such they cannot ask much to the interviewer when it is their turn. However, applicants who make it a routine to update themselves in this regard do not face much problem in this regard.

3.Being too emotional

It is also advisable to be calm while appearing for interviews so that the recruiters have a positive view of the potential candidate. Often it has been seen that first time interviewees express disenchantment and even anger at the way they have been treated in general. This serves to put the interviewers off.

4.Portraying no emotion at all

Complete lack of expression also serves to disgust the employers – it is not a good ploy to be absolutely bereft of emotion while appearing for interviews and answer in a monosyllabic manner. Experts advise a balanced emotional condition while appearing for interviews – candidates should demonstrate proper maturity and understanding of adverse business situations and refrain from indulging in overt friendliness by uttering profane words.

5.Talking too much or nothing at all

Candidates have often been found to talk too much over a particular point or just avoid it. Both actions suggest a dubious character and employers are normally unwilling to have such people in their set ups. It is also better to be true to one’s character instead of trying to imitate others while appearing for interviews. Even if one is introverted certain amount of enthusiasm and optimism for the company and particular job profile has to be shown in order to stand a chance of landing the job.

6.Overexuberance

First time job applicants are often over eager to impress their prospective employers and commit mistakes like showing over exuberance, not letting the interviewers finish their questions and skirting around issues. Candidates should also ask for some time to answer questions if they feel the need to do so.

7.Trying to impress all and sundry

First time candidates often feel the urge to impress everyone and end up failing totally. It is an important requisite to have confidence in one’s strengths and accept the shortcomings. It is better to be honest rather than claiming knowledge of difficult procedures, landing the job, failing in them and getting fired.

8.Not practicing before interviews

Applicants often do not practice interviews with their friends prior to the actual process. They can even have simulated sessions with oneself in front of mirrors. As it is said, this practice would make them better suited to cope with any situation during an interview.

9.Stereotypical attitude

Companies are nowadays looking for unique professionals who are capable to add to their previous company’s income. It is always advisable to project one’s potential properly before the interviewers.

Posted in interviews | No Comments »