For every position that is advertised, hundreds of eager applicants mail in their CV’s duly updated and polished.Then they wait fingers crossed.At the other end a personnel manager sifts through the reams of paper that land on his desk, marks the precious few c.v.’s that sound promising.The rest he dumps into the waste bin.
So how can you make an impression that will remain with an employer after he’s gone through the entire bunch of resume’s on his table?Can you make a few sheets of paper give you an edge over others? Yes, you can just follow a few golden rules...
In a resume’s you introduce yourself to a potential employer.Use the chance to sparkle, to stand out from the herd---and to make him want to meet you.
Avoid writing essays
Once you’re clear on the purpose of the resume’s, you should stick to the specific details the company has asked for.An average manager spends about 2 minutes while skimming through a resume’s.It’s very important for a candidate to remember that time is very important for a personnel manager as he has to do other things as well.A company looks for a precise c.v.’s if they want anything extra you’ll be later asked to fill in a company application form.This is also a signal that the company is intersted in you.A short and precise resume says the applicant is confident about his abilities.
But highlight specific details
At the same time it dosen’t mean you run over necessary information.’’I did this’’, ’’I did that’’ are absolute no nos.The person who’s gonna take your interview always looks for something different in a resume.
But there is a catch here--don’t try to list skills which you’re not good at.You’ll be caught later at the interview stage.So be careful while listing your skills.
Be clear about objectives
You cannot have a general resume to suit all job vacancies.If you’re an MBA and there are three vacancies in administration, finance, sales and marketing a single resume will not satisfy the requirements of each job profile.Also you’ll need to send in three resume’s instead of one comprehensive one because different recruiters will handle each position.The biggest mistake you could make is send in a resume saying’’Ref: Administration/Finance/Sales/Marketing’’. You ’re clearly telling the company you’re just not sure what you’ll be good at and what your objectives are.
Career objectives change dramatically with different positions and you should be smart enough to describe them.
This means that in a few lines you should be able to tell a prospective employer how you can help in the growth of the company , if you’re recruited by them.
Outline professional ties
If you’re a professional say an engineer or a computer expert, personnel managers are very impressed if you’re a member of a professional association like the Indian Institute of Engineers and an active participant in its activities.If you’re not , please don’t be pressured to add unnecessary information.
A particular position does call for ceratin established qualifications.your resume should tell the company if you’ve got something more than what they’ve asked for.
Small errors, big damage
Sometimes people think that a shoddily written resume will not make a difference as it is qualifications alone which matters in fact, presentation makes a huge difference.No recruiter worth his salt will gaive a second look to a resume full of grammatical and punctuation mistakes.Your first approach to an organisation should not be casual, their should be no spelling mistakes either.You’ll be sending memos within the organisation and you’ve to prove that your communication skills are excellent.