RESUME: 1.3

RESUME: 1.3

[Cover Letter Writing Skills]

While writing a cover letter the most important thing to keep in mind is the KISS rule: Keep It Simple Stupid. It always works!

A cover letter is meant to give a brief about you and your accomplishments and should make the interviewer want to read your résumé. Here are a few pointers to write a good cover letter:

1. Keep the letter short

2. Always address the letter properly; make sure your ‘To’ and ‘From’ addresses are correct.

3. Make sure you have the prefixes right. Is the person concerned a ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’; for a lady, if confused stick to ‘Ms.’ If you are not sure of the gender, then it is safest to write ‘Mr./Ms.’

4. Begin the body of the letter with a short note on your college and if it has achieved any laurels. E.g., “I am currently in the final year of ABC College. ABC college has been voted among the top 50 engineering colleges in the country and I am part of its XYZ course…”. . Even if it hasn’t, mention the name and where it is located.

5. The next note should be about where you heard about the company and why you would like to work for them (again in brief)

6. Finally end with telling then a couple of points as to why you suit the position and mention that résumé will support this.

7. Finally end the letter with a thank you and also with a ‘looking forward’ note, E.g., “I look forward to hearing from you soon.” And with “Best Regards/ Sincerely”. Finally sign / type your name.

It is very important that you do not sound verbose in your cover letter. Do not try to give your entire personal or professional data; your résumé is meant to do that. So good luck and start typing!

RESUME: 1.2

RESUME: 1.2

[Tips by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)]

Here’s what employers think about resumes, cover letters and thank you notes, according to a survey released by the Society for Human Resource Management. 

i. Two-thirds of hirers want chronological resumes listing your work history and education in reverse order. Four in 10 like bulleted formats. 

ii. Nearly nine in 10 want your resume tailored to the job or industry. No one size fits all.

iii. About one-third of government hirers said it’s a mistake to lack a cover letter, but only one-fifth of private-industry hirers would miss it.

iv. A good cover letter, if welcome, emphasises how you fit the job requirements and tells why you want to work in a certain organisation.

v. If you were fired or laid off, nearly eight in 10 hirers think you should explain that in a job interview.

vi. Gaps in your work history? About half said you don’t need to draw attention to or hide them. Just state facts, just the way they stand.

vii. Sixty-eight per cent of hirers prefer to get resumes through their websites. Email, job boards, postal mail and applicant tracking systems are less preferred.

viii. Human resource professionals said they spent less than five minutes per resume to decide whether an applicant proceeded further.

ix. Heavy use of applicant screening software means your resume must include key words from the job posting.

x. The biggest resume mistakes are grammatical and spelling errors and missing job history details or dates.

xi. Six in 10 think a thank you note is important after an interview. Make sure you send it. Half prefer emailed notes.

xii. As always, try to use personal contacts to discern what your target employer prefers. Opinions differ from organisation to organisation. There is no one way.

[to be continued...]

RESUME: 1.1

 Résumé: 1.1

 What your résumé should cover:

1. Your Details
2. Education Background: include, school and college.
3. Work Experiences: include internships, work experiences if any
4. Skills: you can mention your online research ability, your proficiency in a foreign language or any Indian languages, computer skills, cross cultural sensitivity and why, organizational skills, etc.
5. Credits: include all awards won; curricular and extra / co–curricular

What your résumé should leave out:

1. Details – a résumé should be brief and concise; leave details for the interview
2. Personal life stories
3. Bad grammar – make sure you have your résumé checked by your peers before submission
4. Vulgarity and abusive language
5. Hobbies – these can be included if you have won accolades / awards for them otherwise let them be

Make Sure:

1. If you have no work experience, your résumé SHOULD NOT be more than a single page
2. Grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct.
3. Send a cover letter along with your résumé
4. Do not attach / send photographs.
5. Carry extra copies of your résumé with you.

[to be continued...]

INTERVIEW: 1.10

INTERVIEW: 1.10 P. I. FAQs & Final Suggestion What are your strongest abilities? Where do you want to be in 5 years? What does 'success' mean to you? What does 'failure' mean to you? What are your three major accomplishments? What kinds of people do you enjoy working with? What kinds of people frustrate you? In the past year, what have you been dissatisfied about in your performance? Which is more important to you: money or the type of job? What have you learned from your activities in college? Were your extracurricular activities worth the time you put into them? What qualities should a leader possess? What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it? What have you done that you consider creative? What do you get passionate about?  Why do you want to work in this industry? What do you know about our company? Why are you interested in our company? Do you have any location preferences? Will you relocate? In the future? Is money important to you? How much money do you need to make you feel happy? What do you want to do with your life? Do you have any actual work experience?  How would you describe your ideal job? Why did you choose this career? What goals do you have in your career? How do you plan to achieve these goals? Describe a situation in which you were successful. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career? What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life? If you had to live your life over again, what would you change? Are you a team player? What motivates you? Are you a goal-oriented person? Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them. What are your short-term goals? What is your long-range objective? What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Do you handle conflict well? Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it? Do you handle pressure well? If I were to ask one of your professors to describe you, what would he or she say? What changes would you make at your college? How has your  education prepared you for your career? What were your favorite classes? Why? Who were your favorite professors? Why? Why is your GPA not higher? Do you have any plans for further education?  - Our Best Tips for Interview Success - Prepare for the interview extensively: review your application, learn about the company, and prepare answers for the typical questions. Practice answering questions aloud before the interview until you can handle all types of questions confidently. Walk into the interview with an air of confidence and professionalism. Offer a firm handshake and a professional demeanor. Listen carefully to the interviewer's questions and answer accordingly. Don't babble incessantly about a related topic or answer the question you wish he had asked.  Be yourself. If your answers are ambiguous or inconsistent, the interviewer will likely consider you a poor candidate. Don't send out any unnecessary warning signs.

INTERVIEW: 1.9

INTERVIEW: 1.9 

Sample HR Questions & Suggested Answers - II

Here are some extra questions that you need to be ready to answer if you want to ace your interview. 

d. Why do you want to work in this company?

Your Answer Should: Involve your experience with the company, if any. It should be honest and also make the interviewer know that you have done your research on the company.

e. What are your hobbies? (Also be prepared for - why you like a particular hobby?)

Your Answer Should: Be true. It should reflect you as a person with interests. Hobbies tell a lot about a person. So think carefully while answering this one.

f. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Your Answer Should: Tell the truth yet not sound either boastful (while mentioning strengths) or self critical (while mentioning weakness). Try not to mention more than one weakness. If you go on and on about your many flaws, the interviewer may think that you lack self esteem and are under confident.

g. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Your Answer Should: Not be boastful and full of fluff. Do not use terms like”  I see myself as CEO of a prestigious company, etc.” It is safer to stick to a practical answer. Something like “I see myself working in the same area of expertise but at a more responsible position”,  etc. will reflect honesty and loyalty to a field of experience. 

h. Tell us / me something that your résumé does not cover about you?

Your Answer Should: Emphasize on your extra curricular activities where you have shown leadership abilities, team spirit and individual responsibility. It should cover arenas that you have not mentioned in your résumé It could be a personal interest that you pursue like a passion for photography, etc. or it could be a foreign language that you are currently learning. Along with that you should make it a point to talk about why you were part of that activity.

- Questions You Should Ask the Interviewer - Successful candidates always ask questions at their interviews. In fact, the questions you ask reveal more about your suitability for the job offered than anything else. For example you an ask for feedback regarding your energy level and communication skills. This way you can show the panel how well prepared you are (and will be in the future) for becoming a professional.   - General Rules for Asking Questions - Only ask about topics you genuinely care about. You want to appear sincere and interested, not desperate for something to say. Research the topic thoroughly before mentioning it so that you can engage in a subsequent discussion. Prepare for your interview just as you would for an exam. Make sure the answer isn't obvious or has already been answered. Watch your tone of voice and your body language. Many nervous applicants are unintentionally rude when they ask questions, which automatically puts off the interviewer. Be gracious and diplomatic in how you phrase your questions and reply to responses.

  [to be continued...]

INTERVIEW: 1.8

INTERVIEW: 1.8 Sample HR Questions & Suggested Answers - I    a. Justify your decision to pursue your current professional course? Don't tell the panel that you are looking for a 'challenging job in a good firm with lots of money, status and glamour'. Instead, you must convey to the interview panel that you have made a rational and informed decision about your career choice. There are broadly four areas which your answer could touch upon: Career Objectives: You could talk about your career objectives and how your current professional course will help you achieve them. Value Addition: Value addition will essentially be in two forms knowledge and skills. Background: This is where you connect your past to your future. You should be able to convincingly justify your decision to pursue the mentioned course. Opportunities and Rewards: You could also at this stage mention the opportunities that are opening up in the sector/ industry concerned for you.

b. How do you spend your spare time?

I have a good collection of books of different genre and enjoy reading. In addition, I love driving during late evenings or on rainy weekend afternoons. Also, for the last two years I've been volunteering at the local children's hospital on Saturday mornings.

c. What are your strengths and your weaknesses?

First of all, take time to write down 3 of your strengths and 3 weaknesses. These are examples from personal life; you can quote your relevant real professional life examples.

"Since my childhood, I have a habit, if I want to go to a movie and my parents wanted me to finish my maths homework first, then I used to solve the Math's problems first and also I used to make sure that I do it correctly. I would not care how much effort was involved, how much convincing was required, so my first strength is that I am a determined person.

Secondly, I have a habit, when I take up some work; I make sure that I do it very well. It was my dad's 25th birthday. All my family members had completed the decoration, but I started when everybody finished, because I was not satisfied with the way it was done. I worked alone for four hours and at the end of it, everyone appreciated it. Moreover, my father, for whom it was a surprise, was delighted. My second strength is that I love perfection and I achieve it most of the times.

Now as I have told you about my strengths I would like to share with you something. One of my strength of being a determined person is also my weakness. When I take up some commitment, I invest so much energy, hard work and efforts in it that I sometimes neglect my personal life, social life, health and family life. I still remember I have not visited my very close friend since last 2 years. My strength of being a determined person is also my weakness.

My mother tells me that I spend a lot of money. I think she is right and but from other perspective, I think what I am doing is also right. Whenever I buy something - clothes, watches, shoes, I buy best quality products, and good products or services are always expensive. My second weakness is that I spend a lot of money on quality products."

The first thing you need to do prior to interviewing is assess yourself. This includes listing your strengths and weaknesses, your accomplishments and achievements, reviewing your strong and your weak subjects, and recording some of the key decisions you have made in your life.

You should then review your interests, the disappointments you've encountered, your work environment likes/dislikes, your professional and personal values, your goals, needs, limitations and life style preferences.

 

[to be continued...]