CV and Resume Advice Articles

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CV and Resume Advice Articles

A Good Account of Yourself?
Basic Resumes are detrimental to your career
Common faults with CVs
Common resume mistakes
Cover letters – make sure you have them covered!
Writing a Job Application Covering Letter
CV Advice
CV Types and Styles
Executive Resume Writing
Free CV templates – the way to go?
Free resume template – is a free resume the way to go?
How to assess your CV
How to create the right resume
Is your resume working for you?
MS Word CV templates
Use the power of letters to land the right job!
Recruiters top 20 CV pet peeves
Student Resumes
The Resume
Top Tips on CV Writing
What does your CV say about you?
Why are you moving?
Writing an accomplishment driven resume
Writing an Effective Resume
Writing your CV

Hyderabad best place for business: World Bank

Doing business in Patna and Ranchi is easier than Mumbai or Kolkata. This is a conclusion drawn by the funding agency World Bank in its latest report on business friendliness.

The report titled as Doing Business in South Asia 2007, covers eight countries in the World Bank’s South Asia region and examines 12 major cities in India, six in Pakistan, and four in Bangladesh.

Among Indian cities Hyderabad tops the list followed by Bangalore and Jaipur. The report placed Mumbai at the 11th place, ahead of Kolkata.Typically, large urban centres such as Mumbai and Kolkata have a high volume of business, so regulatory and administrative bottlenecks create serious congestion. Karachi is at the top in Pakistan, while Dhaka ranks best in Bangladesh reported the Times of India.

Five reforms in India and two in Pakistan ?reduced the time, cost, and hassle? for businesses to comply with legal and administrative requirements. No other South Asian economies improved business regulations in 2005-2006, ranking the region last in the pace of global reforms.

Doing Business in South Asia 2007 is the third in a series of South Asia regional reports based on the methodology of the annual global Doing Business report. It tracks a set of regulatory indicators related to business start-up, operation, trade, payment of taxes, and closure by measuring the time and cost associated with various government requirements. Variables such as macroeconomic policy, quality of infrastructure, currency volatility, investor perceptions, or crime rates are not tracked.

Remember to attach your resume

1. Proofread your resume. This is the most basic rule I can imagine, and yet it has been violated so many times that it’s threatening to press charges. I’ve gotten applications for the Administratvie Assistant position from people living in Memhpis. Spellcheck, and fix your grammar. I’m not interested in your “too years of experience”. And proofread your cover letter and/or email, too. Misspelling the name of our company is not helping your cause.
2. Remember to attach your resume. This one really hurts. Don’t send a wonderful email and forget to attach your resume. I know, I know, people make mistakes. People who make mistakes during the application process don’t get hired. Remember, this is your first (and probably only, if you don’t attach your resume) chance to impress a prospective employer.
3. Don’t dump your resume into an email. I don’t know what fool has been giving out resume advice lately (aside from myself), but apparently, lots of people apparently think I’d prefer a resume dumped in an email to a nicely formatted PDF or DOC file. Trust me, I don’t. Unless your prospective employer specifically asks for this, don’t do it. Your resume looks horrible and sloppy when you do this. I did have one industrious applicant who actually submitted her application as an email, but took great care to format it with lots of HTML and tables. Unfortunately, when I printed it, the right side of her resume was cut off. It ended up in the “no interest” pile, along with the rest of the email-as-resume group.
4. Microsoft Works is not your friend. I know, you’ve got Works already and Microsoft Office is expensive. I don’t care. Someone you know has a copy of Microsoft Word. Put your resume together on their computer. Why? Because I use Linux at work and OpenOffice has no idea what to do with a Works file. Even my laptop with Microsoft Office couldn’t open those files without installing a new plugin. Rich Text Format files are likewise not your friend, but a PDF will get you bonus points. (OpenOffice files would have been fine for us, too, but probably not for most employers.)
5. Follow standard resume guidelines. Your resume doesn’t make you look different or clever, and it’s not supposed to. Your resume should make you look professional. That is your primary goal. Your “special” colors are not helping. That cute divider you used is not impressing me. Your resume cannot, and should not attempt to, convey your personality. You can show us your personality when you come in for an interview, after we select you based on your professional resume.
6. Don’t use an embarassing account on a lame email provider. I know hotmail and yahoo are free, but your cutegurl56xx username just isn’t cool. I’m also not interested in trying out the new game advertised on the bottom of your hotmail account. If you must use a free provider, make sure that they aren’t tacking ads on the bottom of your emails. And please, get a better username.
7. Don’t have a resume objective. This goes contrary to a great deal of resume advice out there, but it needs to be said. Raise your hand if you know what the “objective” on a resume is for. If your hand is up, put it down. You’re lying. About eighty percent of the resumes we received for this latest position listed an objective. Out of those, zero percent had an objective that said anything good. Every single one was either generic (”To obtain a job in which my skills will be useful”), irrelevant (”To join a fast-growing company”), or flat out wrong (”To obtain a graphic design position”). At best, an objective wastes space on your resume. At worst, it shows you as boring, lazy, or misinformed. I’d rather read that you were in 4-H than read your objective.
8. Don’t put friends as references. This one was kind of fun. We actually had some applicants naming each other as references. Did they think we just wouldn’t notice? You should never list as a reference a person who would list you as a reference. You should list bosses, professors, etc. If you can’t fill your references without listing friends, you need to figure out why that is, and make some changes.
9. Include a cover letter. There’s some disagreement about this one, but I think a cover letter is a definite plus. I’d prefer a nicely formatted document as the cover letter, but I will settle for a well-written email. What I will not settle for is a one-line email with no cover letter attached. “Please see attached resume.” Okay, please see trash folder. I want something other than just the resume. The letter (or email) is somewhere that you can actually speak to me. If you can’t manage that, I’m not interested.

These nine rules are all fairly simple and straightforward. Following them will go a long way toward impressing a prospective employer. Remember, your resume is your first impression. It should sparkle, or at the very least, glimmer a little bit.

Mumbai Local Train Map

How to Present Your Resume

One of the most important things you must consider when writing your resume or curriculum vitae is the design and layout.

The first thing to consider is your choice of typeface. You want your resume to stand out, not compete with wedding or funeral announcements. Our advice is that you stick to a simple, clean typeface like Arial, Times Roman, or Helvetica. They are our choice because of their simplicity of design and clarity. Another trap to avoid is combining different typeface styles (like Times Roman and Helvetica). Each of these typefaces offers a variety of light, italic, and bold that can be used to produce an attractive visual effect.

Length

Debate among the “experts” continues as to whether resumes must be limited to a single page. Our take on this reverts to common sense:

• If your work experience is limited, i.e., you are a recent graduate or have only held one or two jobs, there is probably no reason for your resume to exceed a single page.

• If you can reasonably limit your resume to one page, do so.

• If you have held a number of positions and cannot describe your accomplishments and responsibilities on one page, then two pages are certainly acceptable. However, you do not need to provide detailed descriptions of jobs that date back more than eight or ten years, unless they add something significant to your experience and qualifications. Be sure to emphasize your most recent experience.

• Attachments, such as additional pages of publications (for writers, researchers, and academics), are appropriate.

• Exception: Consulting resumes are expected to include all relevant experience, even if they extend to multiple pages.

Layout

When you design your resume, bear in mind that open spaces make it easier to read. Avoid cramming your page(s) with heavy masses of print.

Paper

Standard office stationery is the safe choice of paper on which to print your resume and cover letter, although a quality paper stock may improve the overall effect. Slightly off-white papers is acceptable, but beware of using pastels or darker colors, which look unprofessional.

Print as many originals of your resume as you need on attractive, letter-quality paper. Never send photocopies of your resume to a potential employer. They’re okay for friends or employment agencies, but not the employer with whom you want to win an interview.

Another point is that the resume you mail may be photocopied by a personnel department, and subsequently passed along to other members of their firm. Copies made from copies can lose readability. In an emergency, some professionally maintained office photocopiers may do a good job, but we think it’s better to avoid such emergencies by always having “perfect” copies of your resume on hand.

Accuracy

A final word: Proofread your resume at every step in the process. Get a knowledgeable friend or colleague to help. Mistakes on resumes are embarrassing, unacceptable, and potentially disastrous. No matter how much you may pay to have your resume created, you’re the one who loses if it isn’t right. So be meticulous and don’t settle for less than the very best

Writing A Killer Resume-3 Tips

When deciding to look for a new job and putting together a resume there are a couple things you need to consider, the first thing you need to do is to think about what type of job you want to acquire and use this to write your objective.

Once you have your objective you can build your resume based upon the objective. Your objective will be the “headline” of your resume. Just like a magazine or a news article the first thing that people typically look at before deciding to read the article is the headline. Having a strong objective will entice a hiring manager to read further.

Here are three tips to use on your resume:

1. State your objective clearly

When writing your objective make sure that you use power words and action verbs, words such as increased, managed, developed, and many other action verbs will help your objective stand out from the crowd. As most hiring managers do quick scans of your resume once receiving it these action items will highlight your past accomplishments.

2. Use bullets

When someone quick scans a document, such as your resume, they will be looking for short sentences that stand out. The best way to make sure that your major accomplishments stand out is to use bullets. For each of your past jobs use three to four bullets on some year major accomplishments and use specifics such as grew customer base by 200% in assigned territory.

Using bullets and specifics will catch the eye of the hiring manager and this will be one of the first things a look at after they get past your objective.

3. Use space wisely

If at all possible try to use one page for your resume. Make sure that your resume is easy to read and uncluttered and use a lot of white space. There is no need on your resume to go completely in-depth on all of your past experiences just make sure that you highlight your major accomplishments. When someone sits down to read your resume, since most people have a short attention span, give your information to them in quick bite sized chunks.

The main job of your resume is to catch the attention of the company or the person who is doing the hiring, make sure your resume grabs their attention and they will want to interview you and this is where you should really shine. The resume is like a presale of yourself and your accomplishments make it as easy as possible on the person reading the resume to get to the important parts.

Three Guides To Improve Your Resume

Sometimes your resume can hurt more than help you. In today’s job-search market, you are often competing against large numbers of applicants, and your resume has to be good enough to make it past the first screening.

The first people to view your resume are often lower-level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration. You can minimize the chances of your resume being eliminated during this round by following three simple rules.

LESS IS MORE

Don’t tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone-screen you. So don’t fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer.

For example, you may have worked several years at your present employer. Certainly you could fill up several paragraphs with all that you’ve done. Instead, think of the one or two most critical projects, duties or functions that you provide. List the most important and give them no more than a sentence or two each.

Here is an example:

EXPERIENCE: Mar 2003 to Present: XYZ Company, Their City, CA Senior staff design engineer. Products designed/Projects involved: A, B, C. Description of Most Important Project and why Description of 2nd most important project and why

Skip the hobbies and personal info. Avoid mind-numbing detail that will cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal — two pages only if you are a 15- to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.

MORE KEYWORDS

You want the computers to flag your resume for closer examination. Do this by including as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills, as well as specific industry words that may be appropriate. A convenient method to accomplish this is to include a separate “Keywords” section on your resume just below the “Objective”. Think of this as an important catchall specifically for the computers to “see”.

Here is an example from a candidate employed as a medical quality assurance auditor:

KEYWORDS: Quality System, QA, QS, Audit, Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), International Standards (ISO), Corrective and Preventive Action Programs (CAPA), training, QSR, Medical Device, calibration, 510K, TQM, PMA, FDA.

Also, include the names of major companies you worked with or for, as this often is important to employers. Include those in the “Experience” section.

BE SPECIFIC

Don’t just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and tell the benefit of your accomplishment. A good way to do this is to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed.

Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, try to “monetize” your accomplishments (state them in terms of money). At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.

SUMMARY

Building an effective resume dosen’t have to be drudgery. Using the above three guidlines will keep your resume lean and to the point standing a greater chance of landing on the “to call” stack and getting you a phone screen.

Positive And Faster Employment With The Right Letter Tips

Mario R. Churchill wrote a very good article about the value of good cover letters. Here’s what the author says.

There are different available work opportunities that are needed to be filled by people searching for jobs. In fact, there are thousands of job seekers applying for jobs but when it comes to applying, writing cover letters are a part of the job hunting process that every applicant must go through in order to assist employers make a decision in accepting the applicants to become a part of their company.

Cover letters are important for job seekers and also employers as well because it helps assist employers choose from the different applicants applying for a certain position in their company. A cover letter can tell an employer a lot about the applicant overview of what they can do and benefit for their company.

Writing cover letters are not easy but with the right tips, you can be on your way to writing a perfect cover letter. Here are tips in making a perfect cover letter that will get a positive faster employment for job seekers.

Perfect Cover Letter Tips:

1. The applicant should write individual letter application for different positions applicable to the applicant choices and the job applied for.

2. You should not think of yourself like other applicants but think of yourself as a special applicant qualified for the job position.

3. Write your cover letter addressed to a specific person or employer in a direct manner.

4. Cover letters should be brief, positive and well-written that explains the kind of person you are and the reason for writing a cover letter. You can also include experiences that can benefit in the company you are applying for.

5. A cover letter should be brief and easy to skim as employers do not have much time to spend reading a cover letter.

6. Make no repetition on your cover letter already included in the resumes attached to the cover letter.

7. Every applicant is advised to make background research on the company and learn the goals or aims of the company before writing the letter.

8. One thing about writing a cover letter is that you or your friends can proofread it so let your letter be proofread by your friends and yourself before submitting it.

9. Attention-grabbing headings are best when impressing an employer and in the end giving impact to the reader that surely will result in an interview or being hired.

10. Minimize using the “I’s” on your cover letter, instead focused on what you can do for the company.

11. Spell check your cover letter and be sure to have it typed and printed in the same paper used also with the resumes. Also, sign your cover letter after its’ been written.

12. Cover letters should have an overview of the abilities and skills of the applicant using the selling method to the employer in order to get the job applied for. Cover letters should be in a formal yet business letter format so that employers will become attentive in reading your letter.

Every applicant should have a cover letter for every job application and with it a resume attached. In fact, employers find it much easier if the cover letters are perfect and impressive but these letters should be in brief details emphasizing what benefits the applicants can do for the company.

The right tips for a perfect cover letter can get every applicant the position desired for. With the tips considered, every applicant will have a better writing ability for a cover letter and most likely be a candidate for a faster employment.

Resume Layouts

A resume is just a basic chronological explanation of your work history, but how its laid out and worded can make a great amount of difference in how much attention you get.

What a resume should look like ?

A great deal of care and much more formatting is necessary to achieve an attractive layout for your paper resume. And, while there is no single appropriate layout that applies to every resume, there are a few basic rules to follow in putting your resume on paper.

• Leave a comfortable margin on the sides, top, and bottom of the page (usually one to one and a half inches).
• Use appropriate spacing between the sections (two to three line spaces are usually adequate).
• Be consistent in the type of headings you use for different sections of your resume. For example, if you capitalize the heading EMPLOYMENT HISTORY, don’t use initial capitals and underlining for a section of equal importance, such as Education.
• Do not use more than one font in your resume. Stay consistent by choosing a font that is fairly standard and easy to read, and don’t change it for different sections. Beware of the tendency to try to make your resume original by choosing fancy type styles; your resume may end up looking unprofessional instead of creative. Unless you are in a very creative and artistic field, you should almost always stick with tried-and-true type styles like Times New Roman and Palatino which are often used in business writing. In the area of resume styles, conservative is usually the best way to go.
• Always try to fit your resume on one or at most two pages. If you are having trouble with this, you may be trying to say too much. Edit out any repetitive or unnecessary information, and shorten descriptions of earlier jobs when possible. Ask a friend you trust for feedback on what seems unnecessary or unimportant. For example, you may have included too many optional sections. Today, with the prevalence of the personal computer as a tool, there is no excuse for a poorly laid out resume. Experiment with variations until you are pleased with the result.

Basically, long story short…

Pay extra attention into designing your resume layout. You wanna make it clear, neat and non-cluttered.

I generally do not believe in those paragrahed description on what your roles and responsibility are. I believe in being clear and concise, straight to the point! I mean, if you are an employer and you have hundreds of resume a day, would you wanna read a story on what your responsibilities are? NO! Keep it simple, use point forms! That’s what bullet points are for my friend

Be clear about your tasks, highlight your achievements. And last but not least, always try to keep it less than 2 pages long..

5 Essential Guides On Posting Resume Online

 

If you are still stuck on the habit of searching job ads on the newspaper then you are certainly missing the great wonder of technology and Internet that makes job search easy, convenient and successful. Through the idea of postings your resume online, you are into great career opportunities that would come to your way. Here are the 5 essential guides on posting resume online.

1. Resume Posting is a service where job seekers post their resumes to an online job search site for employers and recruiters to find. Employers or recruiters usually find you within the resume database, of an online job search site, using key words will put up the chances for most of the applicants to find easily by the employers and finally call for a job interview. However it depends on how you select appropriate keywords for your resume and remember that this service is usually offered free for job seekers.

2. Use a word processing programs such as MS Word that have basic and advanced tools to create and format your resume. You should also create an electronic friendly version of your resume by making a back up data in MS Word based resume to a Notepad. The former application will convert your resume into ASCII text which allows your resume to be read in email format.

In order to ensure that the employers can find you, your resume should contain key words that is strongly related to the position that you are applying for.

3. The primary advantage of posting your resume online is that your resume will be available to a wide array of employers and recruiters in the shortest period of time. Presumably, you will gain access to a large number of job opportunities compared to the access you will have by viewing employment advertisements, company web sites, employment web sites or the newspapers. And it is easy, fast and rather practical.

4. The biggest advantage of online resume posting is also its biggest disadvantage because it makes your resume along with your personal information available to the public. It can result to numerous phone calls from headhunters, agencies, employment consultants or even telemarketers. Its a reminder for everyone to not give too much personal information in their resume online, be careful and wisely before putting any remarks that might become a problem.

5. You should choose your resume bank wisely. Some offers their service for free while others have a monthly free. Aside from the service cost, you should consider the scope of the service that you choose. Some resume bank offers national exposures while others might be run by professional association or network of businesses. Weigh in the pro’s and con’s before finally submitting your resume online to avoid regrets at the end.

Posting resume online through resume banks or job search sites like (monster.com, jobsdb.com and many others) will certainly help you form a wide network in your career search. The key reminders are: prepare a strong resume, search for the best resume bank based on your needs, post your electronic resume and prepare yourself for the great career opportunities that awaits you. Build a confident before and after meeting with an employer and be sure to take all the charges when it comes to present yourself professionally and elegantly.

The end