Rsum Writing Presenting Effectively and Accurately

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Résumé WritingPresenting Effectively and
Accurately

• - M. Arifur Rahman

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Introduction

• A résumé, also known as a curriculum vitae (CV),
  American and British English respectively, is a
  document that contains a summary or listing of
  relevant job experience and education, usually
  for the purpose of obtaining an interview when
  seeking employment. Often the résumé or CV is the
  first item that a potential employer encounters
  regarding the job seeker, and therefore a large
  amount of importance is often ascribed to it.

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Topics

• First-Time Résumé Concerns
• Avoid the Top 10 Resume Mistakes
• Common Résumé Blunders

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Overview

• Résumé is the first level presentation of the
  candidate.
• Education is not the only requirement. Personal
  development and communication are also very
  important for success.

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Terminology

• The Latin term curriculum vitae (often
  abbreviated CV) is used preferentially in many
  places outside of the Anglo-American world.
• Curriculum vitae is Latin meaning "course of
  life" and résumé is French meaning "summary". In
  the business world, the word résumé (also spelled
  resumé and resume) is used especially in the
  United States and in English Canada.
• In North America, Australia, and India the terms
  "résumé" and "CV" may be used interchangeably.
  However, a résumé more often has a free-form
  organizational style and is used for seeking
  employment in the private sector, whereas a
  curriculum vitae (also called a vita, but not
  curriculum vita) usually has a more standardized
  look and format for the purpose of seeking
  positions in academic or educational institutions.

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First-Time Resume Concerns

• For the fresh graduates

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1. Should My Resume Be One Page or Two?

• If you read enough books or talk to enough people
  who "know" about resumes, you'll come across a
  rule stating your resume should be only one page
  long. It's time to let this myth go, along with
  the resume handcuffing it spawns.
• It's great if you can do this. But if you end up
  leaving out so much good material that you
  destroy your interview chances, what good have
  you done?
• Remember A human will read your resume. Some
  readers demand your resume be one page. Others
  will read a two-pager without hesitation. You
  don't know who's who, but the point still remains
  - a one-page rule simply doesn't exist.

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2. Should the Education Section Go First or Last?

• In most cases, it makes sense to put the
  Education section at the beginning of your
  resume, since you're a college student or recent
  grad. But if you've got a lot of great
  internship, co-op or work experience closely
  related to your chosen field, position your
  Experience section ahead of Education.
• Here's another resume area where there's no rule
  Put it where it makes the most sense for you and
  your particular skills and experiences.

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3. Should I Include My GPA on My Resume?

• Yes -- if it's above a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). If
  not, try to make it look better by highlighting
  your major GPA instead of your cumulative one or
  calculating your GPA for the last three or four
  semesters, for example.

4. Should I List Present Address, Permanent
Address or Both?

• If in doubt, list both -- as long as you can
  actually be reached at both. If not, use the
  address where an employer will actually be able
  to reach you for the next few months.

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5. What Can I Put on My Resume If I Don't Have
Much Experience?

• For starters, don't overlook or ignore the skills
  you've gained from projects or part time jobs
  you've taken simply to get through school. You've
  also gained valuable experience from
• Your foreign-language study.
• Alternative learning experiences, like studying
  abroad or conducting research.
• Your computer and Internet use.
• Extracurricular activities.

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6. Should My Resume Include Only Paid Experience?

• Employers are interested in your skills, not
  whether or not you've been paid to learn them. So
  don't hesitate to highlight nonpaying work and
  volunteer experiences if they've given you
  bragging rights.

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7. Should I Include Precollege Information on My
Resume?

• Generally, no -- employers aren't likely to care
  about it much. There are exceptions, of course.
  Suppose you won a national award in high school,
  or you accomplished something extraordinary. Then
  you should highlight it, especially if it's
  connected to your chosen field.
• Remember Resume writing is much more art than
  science, so just as you would with an art
  project, express yourself the way that works best
  for you and the information you're trying to
  portray.

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Avoid the Top 10 Resume Mistakes

• It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your
  resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the
  damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is
  critical, especially if you've never written one
  before. Here are the most common pitfalls and how
  you can avoid them.

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1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

• Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If
  it isn't, employers will read between the lines
  and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you,
  like "This person can't write," or "This person
  obviously doesn't care."

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2. Lack of Specifics

• Employers need to understand what you've done and
  accomplished. For example
• A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
  B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more
  than 20 employees in a restaurant with Tk.20 lac
  in annual sales.
• Both of these phrases could describe the same
  person, but details and specifics in example B
  will more likely grab an employer's attention.

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3. Attempting One Size Fits All

• Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all
  resume to send to all employers, you almost
  always end up with something employers will toss
  in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a
  resume specifically for them. They expect you to
  clearly show how and why you fit the position in
  a specific organization.

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4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

• It's easy to slip into a mode where you simply
  start listing job duties on your resume. For
  example
• Attended group meetings and recorded minutes.
• Worked with children in a day-care setting.
• Updated departmental files.
• Employers, however, don't care so much about what
  you've done as what you've accomplished in your
  various activities. They're looking for
  statements more like these
• Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting
  minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft
  Word-based file for future organizational
  reference.
• Developed three daily activities for
  preschool-age children and prepared them for a
  10-minute holiday program performance.
• Reorganized 10 years' worth of unwieldy files,
  making them easily accessible to department
  members.

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5. Going on Too Long or Cutting Things Too Short

• Despite what you may read or hear, there are no
  real rules governing the length of your resume.
  Why? Because human beings, who have different
  preferences and expectations where resumes are
  concerned, will be reading it.
• That doesn't mean you should start sending out
  five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking,
  you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum
  of two pages. But don't feel you have to use two
  pages if one will do. Conversely, don't cut the
  meat out of your resume simply to make it conform
  to an arbitrary one-page standard.

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6. A Bad Objective

• Employers do read your resume's objective
  statement, but too often they plow through vague
  pufferies like, "Seeking a challenging position
  that offers professional growth." Give employers
  something specific and, more importantly,
  something that focuses on their needs as well as
  your own. Example "A challenging entry-level
  marketing position that allows me to contribute
  my skills and experience in fund-raising for
  nonprofits."

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7. No Action Verbs

• Avoid using phrases like "responsible for."
  Instead, use action verbs "Resolved user
  questions as part of an IT help desk serving
  4,000 students and staff."

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8. Leaving Off Important Information

• You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate
  mention of the jobs you've taken to earn extra
  money for school. Typically, however, the soft
  skills you've gained from these experiences
  (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more
  important to employers than you might think.

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9. Visually Too Busy

• If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring
  five different fonts, it will most likely give
  the employer a headache. So show your resume to
  several other people before sending it out. Do
  they find it visually attractive? If what you
  have is hard on the eyes, revise.

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10. Incorrect Contact Information

• I once worked with a student whose resume seemed
  incredibly strong, but he wasn't getting any
  bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly
  asked him if the phone number he'd listed on his
  resume was correct. It wasn't. Once he changed
  it, he started getting the calls he'd been
  expecting. Moral of the story Double-check even
  the most minute, taken-for-granted details --
  sooner rather than later.

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Common Resume Blunders

• Make sure your resume is in top-notch shape by
  avoiding the top 10 resume blunders

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1. Too Focused on Job Duties

• Your resume should not be a boring list of job
  duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing
  what was required and demonstrate how you made a
  difference at each company, providing specific
  examples. When developing your achievements, ask
  yourself
• How did you perform the job better than others?
• What were the problems or challenges faced? How
  did you overcome them? What were the results? How
  did the company benefit from your performance?
• Did you receive any awards, special recognitions
  or promotions as a result?

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2. Flowery or General Objective Statement

• Many candidates lose their readers in the
  beginning. Statements such as "a challenging
  position enabling me to contribute to
  organizational goals while offering an
  opportunity for growth and advancement" are
  overused, too general and waste valuable space.
  If you're on a career track, replace the
  objective with a tagline stating what you do or
  your expertise.

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3. Too Short or Too Long

• Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto
  one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn't
  be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete
  impressive achievements. Other candidates ramble
  on about irrelevant or redundant experiences.
  There is no rule about appropriate resume length.
  When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will
  this statement help me land an interview?" Every
  word should sell you, so include only the
  information that elicits a "yes."

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4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles

• A resume is a form of business communication, so
  it should be concise and written in a telegraphic
  style. There should be no mentions of "I" or
  "me," and only minimal use of articles. For
  example
• I developed a new product that added 2 million
  in sales and increased the market segment's gross
  margin by 12.
• Should be changed to
• Developed new product that added 2 million in
  sales and increased market segment's gross margin
  by 12.

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5. Listing Irrelevant Information

• Many people include their interests, but they
  should include only those relating to the job.
  For example, if a candidate is applying for a
  position as a ski instructor, he should list
  cross-country skiing as a hobby.
• Personal information, such as date of birth,
  marital status, height and weight, normally
  should not be on the resume unless you're an
  entertainment professional or job seeker outside
  the US.

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6. Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good
Career History

• It irks hiring managers not to see the career
  progression and impact you made at each position.
  Unless you have an emergency situation, such as
  virtually no work history or excessive
  job-hopping, avoid the functional format.
• The modified chronological format, or combination
  resume, is often the most effective. Here's the
  basic layout
• Header (name, address, email address, phone
  number).
• Lead with a strong profile section detailing the
  scope of your experience and areas of
  proficiency.
• Reverse chronological employment history
  emphasizing achievements over the past 10 to 15
  years.
• Education (new grads may put this at the top).

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7. Not Including a Summary Section That Makes an
Initial Hard Sell

• This is one of the job seeker's greatest tools.
  Candidates who have done their homework will know
  the skills and competencies important to the
  position. The summary should demonstrate the
  skill level and experiences directly related to
  the position being sought.
• To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse
  job openings to determine what's important to
  employers. Next, write a list of your matching
  skills, experience and education. Incorporate
  these points into your summary.

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8. Not Including Keywords

• With so many companies using technology to store
  resumes, the only hope a job seeker has of being
  found is to sprinkle relevant keywords throughout
  the resume. Determine keywords by reading job
  descriptions that interest you, and include the
  words you see repeatedly in your resume.

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9. Referring to Your References

• Employers know you have professional references.
  Use this statement only to signal the end of a
  long resume or to round out the design.

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10. Typos

• One typo can land your resume in the garbage.
  Proofread and show your resume to several friends
  to have them proofread it as well. This document
  is a reflection of you and should be perfect.

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Summary

• Be careful and thoughtful to prepare your resume
• Seek Help whenever required
• Update the resume regularly
• Research and Customize for each position you are
  applying for.

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More Information

• Resume review session on Next Thursday from
  11P00am to 400pm.
• More session might be available in the future if
  required.
• Take helps from international online career sites.

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Thank You

• Any Questions?