Hi Folks,
Came across an interesting article on CV writing.
Happy Job Hunting!!
Cheerio
Rajat
So you have applied for that dream job you saw on the Internet? However, despite all your qualifications and work experience being right for the job, you still haven’t got an interview call.
No, there’s nothing wrong with you. But there could be a problem with your CV.
Your resume is the first taste a prospective employer gets of you and is the most important tool when it comes to getting your biggest break. A bad resume can also make sure you NEVER get that dream job.
Here are the biggest and the most common CV Slip-Ups and ways you can avoid them.
1. Who’s interested in Ramayana?
Yes your resume is supposed to tell your prospective employers about you, but please remember it’s supposed to give a short description of your (professionally) and not be an essay. No one reads long resumes.
As Ravi Harjai, Relationship manager (Institutional marketing) at the IndusInd Bank says, “We get 5000 resumes out of which we short list 200. The resumes should definitely be short and crisp, highlighting your strong points. No one will even look at a four page resume.
2. What to share, what not to share
There is no need to mention your age, race, gender and your family history. People also don’t want to know about your last summer vacation so kindly desist from including your personal website. No one wants to know if you are a distant cousin of Amartya Sen, they want to know if you have what it takes.
So what you need to mention are the companies you worked with and the time period you were working in the respective companies. This is one common mistake. Don’t forget to include your tenure dates. This is more imperative for those applying for senior positions.
“Now if you have an experience of more than 10 years, then your achievements acquire more importance and where all you have worked at what position, your qualification has to follow your experience,” says Harjai.
3. This is not guessing game
Don't make your employer guess as to why you have sent them your resume — make it clear right up front. This is your chance to not only state why you are applying to this company but also to show your ‘interactive’ skills.
As Harjai puts it, “The mission statement holds a lot of importance. We can gauge the clarity of the mind from it and of course it has to be concise.” We repeat, don’t make it long. Keep it short and sweet.
4. No bitching please
Now your last employers may have been blood sucking vampires but criticising them in your resume or if you get an interview call will not take you anywhere. Never mention your personal reasons for leaving the job, whether sexual harassment, over-eating or sleeping on the job, ALL are a capital NO. If you have to explain at all, leave them to do it in person.
5. You are not MF Husain
Do not try to prove your artistic capabilities while writing your resume. Do not try to get attention by making your CV by printing the resume on orange paper. Your resume will be noticed but the next place for it will be the bin.
Presenting your resume right is as important as putting in the right content. What’s the point of leaving wide margins and squeezing the content in the centre? Or for that matter not leaving margins at all? Stick to the middle and leave a margin at least one half inch think.
And please, don’t staple resume or use lines, graphics or shading — it’s a resume, not a PowerPoint presentation. Again, keep the font size optimum — neither small nor too big.
Now that you are armed with the mistakes you should not make, happy job hunting.
From India, Pune
101Came across an interesting article on CV writing.
Happy Job Hunting!!
Cheerio
Rajat
So you have applied for that dream job you saw on the Internet? However, despite all your qualifications and work experience being right for the job, you still haven’t got an interview call.
No, there’s nothing wrong with you. But there could be a problem with your CV.
Your resume is the first taste a prospective employer gets of you and is the most important tool when it comes to getting your biggest break. A bad resume can also make sure you NEVER get that dream job.
Here are the biggest and the most common CV Slip-Ups and ways you can avoid them.
1. Who’s interested in Ramayana?
Yes your resume is supposed to tell your prospective employers about you, but please remember it’s supposed to give a short description of your (professionally) and not be an essay. No one reads long resumes.
As Ravi Harjai, Relationship manager (Institutional marketing) at the IndusInd Bank says, “We get 5000 resumes out of which we short list 200. The resumes should definitely be short and crisp, highlighting your strong points. No one will even look at a four page resume.
2. What to share, what not to share
There is no need to mention your age, race, gender and your family history. People also don’t want to know about your last summer vacation so kindly desist from including your personal website. No one wants to know if you are a distant cousin of Amartya Sen, they want to know if you have what it takes.
So what you need to mention are the companies you worked with and the time period you were working in the respective companies. This is one common mistake. Don’t forget to include your tenure dates. This is more imperative for those applying for senior positions.
“Now if you have an experience of more than 10 years, then your achievements acquire more importance and where all you have worked at what position, your qualification has to follow your experience,” says Harjai.
3. This is not guessing game
Don't make your employer guess as to why you have sent them your resume — make it clear right up front. This is your chance to not only state why you are applying to this company but also to show your ‘interactive’ skills.
As Harjai puts it, “The mission statement holds a lot of importance. We can gauge the clarity of the mind from it and of course it has to be concise.” We repeat, don’t make it long. Keep it short and sweet.
4. No bitching please
Now your last employers may have been blood sucking vampires but criticising them in your resume or if you get an interview call will not take you anywhere. Never mention your personal reasons for leaving the job, whether sexual harassment, over-eating or sleeping on the job, ALL are a capital NO. If you have to explain at all, leave them to do it in person.
5. You are not MF Husain
Do not try to prove your artistic capabilities while writing your resume. Do not try to get attention by making your CV by printing the resume on orange paper. Your resume will be noticed but the next place for it will be the bin.
Presenting your resume right is as important as putting in the right content. What’s the point of leaving wide margins and squeezing the content in the centre? Or for that matter not leaving margins at all? Stick to the middle and leave a margin at least one half inch think.
And please, don’t staple resume or use lines, graphics or shading — it’s a resume, not a PowerPoint presentation. Again, keep the font size optimum — neither small nor too big.
Now that you are armed with the mistakes you should not make, happy job hunting.
From India, Pune
Hi,
Its a nice article and it is surprising that most of the people do not take resume preparation seriously.
I found the following format of resume to be most suitable to project a person profile correctly.
Name
Contact Number
E-mail id
Objective: in Three to four lines which will give an idea of the persons suitability for the job as well as his commitment to professional growth.
Experience
Total Exp ( releted exp and non relavant exp)
Name of the Current/Last Organisation
Designation
Duration: when you joined and when you left
Description of the current employer: two to three line
Description of the job that you are/were doing. Highlight in bold all the catch point. It has to be only one paragraph 4-6 lines.
Achievement:Highlight your achievement and always try to quantified the achievement.
The same format can be applied for other exp.
Educational Qualification
Special Training
Few other personal details.
I welcome feedback on this format.
Regards
Rajesh Kumar Pradhan
From India, Delhi
Its a nice article and it is surprising that most of the people do not take resume preparation seriously.
I found the following format of resume to be most suitable to project a person profile correctly.
Name
Contact Number
E-mail id
Objective: in Three to four lines which will give an idea of the persons suitability for the job as well as his commitment to professional growth.
Experience
Total Exp ( releted exp and non relavant exp)
Name of the Current/Last Organisation
Designation
Duration: when you joined and when you left
Description of the current employer: two to three line
Description of the job that you are/were doing. Highlight in bold all the catch point. It has to be only one paragraph 4-6 lines.
Achievement:Highlight your achievement and always try to quantified the achievement.
The same format can be applied for other exp.
Educational Qualification
Special Training
Few other personal details.
I welcome feedback on this format.
Regards
Rajesh Kumar Pradhan
From India, Delhi
Couldn't agree more with these 5 no-no's. I'm sure there are plenty more!
You might want to take a look at , see what you think.
From Australia, Ballarat
You might want to take a look at , see what you think.
From Australia, Ballarat
Hi Rajat!
Very useful tips....am sure it'll help us in making no-nonsense profiles. Another point I'd like to add here....
Maybe we should use a more dignified word than "CV/resume/biodata".... it makes the listener feel that the person is desperate for a 'naukri' and not a 'career'.... The word I found closest to this was "Profile" and I do use it in my job-hunt.
What do u says guys?
Would strongly recommend the book "Ask the Headhunter" by Nick Corcidilos for people who're looking for careers and not jobs....
check out the link www.asktheheadhunter.com
Cheers!
Lalita
From India, Madras
Very useful tips....am sure it'll help us in making no-nonsense profiles. Another point I'd like to add here....
Maybe we should use a more dignified word than "CV/resume/biodata".... it makes the listener feel that the person is desperate for a 'naukri' and not a 'career'.... The word I found closest to this was "Profile" and I do use it in my job-hunt.
What do u says guys?
Would strongly recommend the book "Ask the Headhunter" by Nick Corcidilos for people who're looking for careers and not jobs....
check out the link www.asktheheadhunter.com
Cheers!
Lalita
From India, Madras
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