How Can I Highlight My Skills Over Qualifications in Just Two Lines on My CV?

My name is Senthilkumar, and I am working in Abu Dhabi at a reputed electromechanical company as a Training/Recruitment Coordinator. I am currently drafting my own CV and would like to mention that qualifications are not required for me because I possess enough skills and knowledge to effectively perform my duties. I would like to emphasize that in Official/Business English, I only need to include two lines that impact this particular aspect.

Your assistance in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Senthilkumar

Your request is a bit odd. Please note that you can't be your own judge—it's for prospective employers to make the kind of judgment call you wish to make. However, please elaborate on the reasons for this request. Don't you have any qualifications, or do you think they are very lowly? I suggest sticking to the facts and allowing prospective employers to make their own assessments of your caliber.

If you do want to highlight your experience, please do so. This way, the reader of your resume would be forced to notice the wide disparity between your qualifications and experience. While not all employers give such a combination equal weightage, there will surely be some who would. It may also be pertinent to mention that there are scores of professionals whose qualifications really don't match the general perception of what they do, so you aren't really an exception.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Dear Senthilkumar,

Sateesh has given a very nice explanation; however, this is in addition to or in support of what he has said.

The Importance of Qualifications

Qualification is required anywhere and everywhere. At times, I could not get a training assignment because I did not undergo Train The Trainer (TTT) from a particular training company. The client was not interested in expertise or years of experience; the very first selection criteria was TTT from the company.

Sateesh has written, "Suggest sticking to the facts and let/allow the prospective employers make their own assessments of your caliber." To do this, you need to include the following statements in your CV:

- Handled recruitment of __ (number) posts in __ (number) years.
- Reduced recruitment expenditure from __% to __% from year __ to __ OR maintained recruitment expenditure at __% of HR budget consistently for __ years.
- Stuck to the approved turnaround time for filling vacancies. My service rate was __%.
- Organized __ (number) of training programs in the year __ (number). Trained __ (number) of employees through these training programs. The service percentage was __ as per budgeted training programs.
- Out of __ training programs conducted in year __, measured the effectiveness of training for __ programs, because of which revenue of __ (number) was saved.
- Through __ training programs, I helped maintain a customer satisfaction ratio (or any other ratio) of __% in __ years.

Inclusion of the above statements in the CV is no easy task. Please refrain from making any tall claims as there is every possibility of the interviewer asking you skillful questions to verify those claims. However, if you are able to do so, you might even surpass those with long experience or very good qualifications. The only thing that would matter is a level-headed interviewer or HR at the other side.

All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Mr. Satheesh, I would like to thank you for your valuable advice. My intention was to convey to the recruiters that I have enough experience, knowledge, and skills to perform a job as well as someone with a degree. I did not complete my degree, and my highest qualification is SSC failed.

Examples of My Qualifications

1. How would you rate my English knowledge with this qualification?
2. The individual working under my supervision has a degree but continues to assist me and is willing to do so on many points.

As you excel in English, I would like to request your assistance in crafting a cover letter for the Recruitment Cum Training Coordinator position in Business English. I acknowledge that my weakness lies in business English, but I am proficient in quickly learning new concepts.

Thank you.
Regards,
Senthil

Dear Mr. Dinesh, thank you very much for your above statement and advice. It will be very helpful to me, but I don't think it will be very tough to do. Sorry, no offense. I don't have a problem with doing the work, but my problem is understanding the name of the task that I am doing. Maybe this is exactly where qualification is required to understand the name of the task? My boss never taught me the work that I am going to do; he only taught me how to do the work. It would be very helpful to me if someone provides the Job Responsibilities of a Recruitment Cum Training Coordinator relevant to an Electro-mechanical Company.

Thanks,

Senthil

If you do not have any professional qualifications, the issue may lie in your CV not being shortlisted initially. The initial screening is often conducted at the clerical level by new employees or interns who lack the experience or authority to exercise judgment in the screening process. They simply check if the job specifications mentioned in the advertisement match your CV. If there is a match, your CV goes into the shortlist folder; if not, it is relegated to the reject pile.

Additionally, while you can seek assistance from others in crafting a proper Cover Letter, it is essential to first share a draft of it before seeking help. A Cover Letter should focus on highlighting your Unique Selling Points (USPs), something that you are best equipped to do.

Regards,
Dr. Parveen Ahmed Alam