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Resume Writing Tips & Career Advice

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August 31, 2012 — 0

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Interview

Today’s job market is a competitive one. Prospective employers definitely have their pick of qualified, and often overqualified, candidates. There are a number of things you can do to help you perform well in your interview. With a little preparation and some simple follow up, you can greatly increase your chances of impressing potential employers and landing a job.

Get A Step Ahead With Good Research

Before you enter an interview, it is a good idea to research the company that you are about to interview with. What kinds of products and services do they offer? What segment of the market do they cater to? Armed with knowledge about the company, you will better be able to answer interview questions. For example: If a prospective employer asks you, “Why are you a good candidate for this position?” You would tailor your answer in a way that fits what they are looking for. Because of your research, you are aware that your potential employer values employees who take the initiative. Some companies would value a team player more than the person who takes the initiative, and you would answer that question differently if you had that piece of information. There are many questions that are commonly asked during interviews, and it is a good idea to have answers ready for those inquiries. Being prepared for those questions ahead of time will make you seem confident when you present your answers instead of stammering and attempting to come up with a suitable response.

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August 10, 2012 — 0

Write A Winning Cover Letter

Coherent and Organized Resume

When you apply for jobs,employers usually ask for a cover letter alongwith your resume (For a great resume building experience visit Resumonk). A cover letter is nothing but an introduction to your resume and should hence be organized,relevant,customized and nothing short of great. It basically tells the employer why he/she should read your resume, call you for an interview and subsequently hire you. While there are many sites out there to help you with the formatting and content of a cover letter, here are a few basics.

The cover letter usually consists of 3-4 paragraphs:

  1. The opening paragraph is the most important paragraph as the employer forms a sort of first impression of you by looking at it.Its a good practice to mention the place/person from where you heard about the job.It is,however,not a pre-requisite and should be done only in some cases.One should also mention the post he/she is applying for.The employer basically needs to know why you are writing to them.
  2. Next,you mention your relevant skills and accomplishments.Be careful not to make it look like a mini-resume. Write only about your most important skills,accomplishments and qualities.The employer will get to know about you in detail by looking at your resume,hence this is not the right place.
  3. In the final paragraph,mention why you think you’re right for the job.Try convincing the employer but be mindful of keeping it short and attractive.Conclude the letter by directing the employer to the enclosed resume and thanking him/her.

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July 3, 2012 — 0

What is a Virtual Internship And Why You Should Consider Doing One

Resume writing tips for college students

Rahul was worried about his future and was scared when he looked to global meltdowns and cut throat competition of job market. Being unable to secure admissions in IITs or NITs he was worried that not carrying a brand name on his CV will be worsening his chances to get a good job. He came from a small town and was also not having good communication skills which hindered the path of a bright future. Then he discovered that his laptop which has been his soul mate since the starting of his college life can be a solution to all his problems. He started searching about work from home internships about which he came to know from his seniors. After few rejections at last he was able to secure a social media marketing internship and from that point he never looked back and ended in getting a job in a multinational. His parents as well as his friends were amazed by his transformation. The only reason for his success was that he kept the learning process running during his online internships and developed his skills alongside.

So just what are Virtual Internships? Virtual Internship is just like any other internship just that in a VI a student will never have to set foot into an employer’s office. They can complete their internship right from their comfortable couch at home or from their lazy bed in their hostel!

By this get more internship experience on to your profile.Sit in some remote town in India, and intern for the UN or NASA or some NGO in Africa. How cool is that!

So I will discuss what the benefits of doing an internship from home are and what can be its disadvantages (Don’t worry they are very few and can be overtaken very easily).

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July 3, 2012 — 0

Corporate Enough?

Corporate Lingo

The word ‘corporate’ has become almost synonymous with a high flown style in the usage of language as a via-media of communication devoid of any meaning. A simple conversation between two employees in an organization will sound so artificial that you wouldn’t talk like that in a million years in the real life. Well, we’ve so finely distinguished the ‘personal’ and the ‘professional’ that we no longer remain ourselves, but give up to the seeming-to-be professional expectations that seem to demand us to roam around putting a mask of ‘corporate-ness’, and well this hasn’t proved to be(neither is going to be) of much benefit, believe me.

So all the people there who want to get hired, these inflated, high sounding words aren’t going to take you anywhere or get you hired. What employers are looking for these days is genuineness. The entire hiring process is about the employee trying to prove himself fit and worthy for the job which is being offered by the organization. And it definitely doesn’t want a bunch of two-faced individuals who resort to flattery using corporate fluff to make a simple point.

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July 3, 2012 — 0

Aim and Shoot

Aim and shoot - optimize your resume

Are you also one of those people who consider a task well finished after completing your resume and then forward it to a million employers so that you find a job real soon? Well then you’re one big escapist. This phenomenon, popularly known as resume blast, has been common for quite a while now. Although it makes the work of the job seeker real simple, job providers have developed a serious aversion to it. They’ve learned to ignore such resumes making your job search a futile exercise. So at times when you’re unable to track down what might be the cause of your rejection, make sure you don’t ignore the constant ditto resume forwards you do to each employer.

Think of it this way. If you seriously care about someone, don’t you bother to write a personal note or message for them? So why ignore your prospective employers? Think of your employer as one of these people who are going to play an important part in your life and write to them as if once they read they’re convinced that you’re the person who’ll make their organisation complete. Essentially what I’m trying to say is that you need to start writing personalized resumes for each employer whom you want to work for.

No matter how corporate a writing a resume sounds, also, no matter how much mechanically it is treated with respect to the function of merely conveying information, an all-encompassing resume will take into account who’s going to be the prospective reader of the document.

So the question now is what do you do to make the resume-reading-experience for your hirer special? With personalized writing I mean the person who’s going to read your resume has to feel that he/she has been given priority. You have to speak the same dialect that they expect you to speak, but still manage to convey what you essentially have to. This doesn’t mean at all that you don’t maintain your individual identity and uniqueness of your personality going too far flattering your employer.

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June 29, 2012 — 0

Résumés Writing Tips For Freshers

Resume writing tips for college students

A resume is a document used by individuals to represent their background and skill sets and are mostly used to secure employment.A typical resume contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. Resumes are usually comparable to a CV, although in some countries a resume is much shorter than a CV.

Contents of a typical resume:

  1. Contact details
  2. Career objective
  3. Employment History
  4. Educational Qualifications
  5. Special achievements
  6. References

The contents of a resume should be relevant to the job/industry one is applying for. For eg. While applying as a medical professional, writing about one’s dancing skills would be highly inappropriate. However,some people do like to include their hobbies and interests so that the employer can get to know them better. Also, one does not necessarily need to include personal details such as gender, marital status etc.

Styles of formatting a resume:

Some of the common formats in which a resume can be organized are:
  1. Reverse chronological resume – In this format,one job experience is enlisted in the reverse chronological order,generally covering last 10-15 years.It works to build credibility through experience gained.However,this format is not advised for people having gaps in career summary.
  2. Functional Resume – This format enlists work experience and skills sorted by  skill area.It works for those making a career change,having a varied work history and little experience.It is also preferred for applications to jobs that require a very specific skill set.
  3. Hybrid resume – As the name suggests,this format balances the two formats mentioned above.Owing to repetitions,this format is less widely used than the other two.
  4. Online Resume – These days it is common for employers to only accept resumes electronically,either out of practicality or preference.Many potential employers now use search engines,which makes it important for job seekers to use keywords. Many employers also use electronic resume processing systems to handle large volumes of resumes. Job ads may direct applicants to email a resume to their company or visit their website and submit a resume in electronic format.

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