What Not To Put On Resumes

1. Remember not to share the negative aspects of your previous work history; you don’t have to share everything with your potential employer unless specifically asked. While you should not lie, you must make an effort to always protray yourself in the best possible light. That’s what your resume is all about.
2. While employers like seeing a well rounder personality, you don’t need to give them your whole life story. Don’t list too many hobbies. Yyou can list a couple of interests but don’t get too carried away. A resume is meant chiefly to highlight your professional experience, so concentrate on this.
3. Generic objectives must be avoided. Always remember to tailor your career objective according to the company and position that you are applying for. This will show the prospective employer that you are keen about the role at their company and not just applying to any and everyjob that comes your way.
4. Don’t list too many short lived jobs as potential employers might worry about your level of commitment. Short stints at jobs cause employers to worry as they believe you might not stick around for too long if offered a poition in their company either.  If these short stints of work was through a temporary agency then list the agency as the employer and any work for them on a short term basis list as projects or assignments.
5. If your GPA is particularly low, you need not mention it in your resume. This is only relevant for the first couple of years after you graduate from college, after which it becomes irrelevant and your work experience gains more importance. However if the position you are going for relies heavily on education then it might be in your best interest to include your GPA unless of course it is very low.
6. Don’t list any information that could be even remotely controversial, this included things such as religious beliefs, sexual preference or anything to do with political beliefs.
7. Don’t list more experience than the position you are applying for needs. If the employer is asking for 5 years of experience then make sure you list 5 years of good positive working experience. If you have more experience, simply describe this in brief.
8. Details of your high schoolresults are almost never needed especially if you have gone onto further education such as college so you can safely leave this out of your resume.

Create your resume such that it portrays you in the best light possible. Never lie on your resume but it is wise to avoid unnecessary negative details as well.

Choosing when to talk about a disability can be a problem when attending interviews; if the disability is obvious then the only issue is when to bring it up and talk about it. If the disability is hidden then you have to decide at which point during the interview if any do you make it known. Points to think about before you attend the interview are:

If your disability is hidden

If your disability is hidden then this poses a different set of problems, most of us would probably be tempted not to disclose the disability before attending the interview or even during the interview itself. Interviewers are required by law not to ask if you have a disability but this doesn’t mean they can’t bypass this and find out in a round about way.

• Prepare yourself to talk about your disability if you are asked a direct question regarding it, also if you have a feeling at anytime during the interview that the disability won’t have a negative effect on the interview now would be an excellent time to broach the subject.
• Prepare yourself to answer Questions about the disability if it affected any previous positions you were in for example if you had to have time off because of the disability.
• Keep things short and simple when discussing your disability and acknowledge any problem areas that could occur. For example you could discuss how you would handle any problems in the job which could be affected by your disability. Remember to particularly highlight any skills you have to counteract problems your disability could cause.

If your disability is obvious

Only attend an interview if you are quite sure that you can handle the job as it is described and that you have the qualifications needed for the position.

Take into account if you have a disability that will require any special treatment or equipment at the place of the interview, for example if you are in a wheelchair does is the place where the interview is taking place accessible to you.

Do you need an interpreter or a hearing device? If you do need help then make sure the interviewer understands this and can provide for your needs?

Knowing you need help will probably be the time when the interviewer declines or accepts you with your disability as a candidate for interviewing.

Of course just because you have a disability doesn’t mean that problems will occur but it is handy to be prepared just in case. If you are the best candidate for the position and you present yourself well then the chances are that your disability will not cause a problem.

Most people will have basic knowledge of where and how to look for a job but here is a basic guide to helping you get the most out of your job search:

• Job/career centres – Job centres will usually provide a wide variety of different types of jobs and new openings are posted on a regular basis so it is well worth visiting on a regular basis if you are serious about looking for work. Staff working in the centres is there to assist you in looking for your particular line of work and to help you arrange interviews and offer advice and support in your search.

Career centres differ in that they usually help people searching for work up to the age of 21 though some now also help older people, career centres will usually have jobs that are specifically aimed at younger people and which are not advertised by the job centre.

A lot of the career centres will also hold a register where you can be listed and when suitable vacancies come up they will notify you. Younger people may also be sent on training courses and attend group meetings for getting help with writing resumes and have access to free newspapers advertising jobs and can make use of telephones and computers free of charge.

• Newspapers – Many job vacancies can be found listed in National, local and free newspapers, there are also newspapers that specialise in job vacancies, usually these are printed by region and only have vacancies that are within commuting distance while others have vacancies on a wider scope.

A lot of employers with vacancies will just advertise in newspapers and not list jobs with the job or careers centres so it is worthwhile to scan these on a regular basis. It is worthwhile checking out your local library as most libraries offer newspapers daily free of charge.

• Magazines, journals and agencies – A lot of professions will have their own journals or magazines in which employers will advertise openings, some of these can be bought from a newsagent off the shelf while others are only available as subscription.

If you are looking for work locally then vacancies will usually be listed with employment agencies, these cover all different types of work and employment agencies can be found listed in the yellow pages.

• Employers premises – A lot of employers will have job vacancies and work opportunities posted on the premises, the larger stores such as DIY companies and food retailers will have job boards which people can look at which saves them the time and expense of listing vacancies with agencies or newspapers.

Some companies will list your name on their books even if they haven’t got an opening at the moment and keep you in mind for future vacancies.

• The internet – The internet is a great way of looking for a job, employment and recruitment agencies use it to advertise job openings locally, nationally and internationally. Local companies will also have web sites where they list any vacancies that they may have and most will let you apply for the job online.

You chances of being hired are increased greatly if you come across as being confident, successful and competent at your interviews yet you are been placed at an unfair advantage for people to see you in your best light because the interviews are usually stressful and nerve racking.

There is not much that can be done about that other than try and remain calm and collected and don’t get flustered, for your interviews to be a success you have to learn how to manage them comfortably and remain in control. Here are five key strategies to help you achieve success:

Selling yourself

Your interview is your chance to sell yourself yet many people get confused about what this actually means and rather than show themselves in the brightest light possible by talking about the accomplishments they have achieved and the difference they made to the company and elaborating on this they simply answer with the bare minimum.

Turn negative into positive

Sometimes during your interview you may be asked something you have no knowledge of or have never used before, this could quickly turn into a negative aspect of the interview. For example the interviewer could ask you about working on spreadsheets within Excel, if you haven’t used the program the don’t simply say you don’t have any or have never used the program. You could easily turn it around back into a positive aspect by saying that you have worked extensively with spreadsheets in Lotus so you were sure you could pick up Excel in no time at all.

Go from big to small

If for example you are asked about your experience with mergers and acquisitions go from big to small to organise your thoughts, start big and give a very short description of the depth of your experience, then follow up with the smaller ones.

You got this far and passed the first test

Try to remain calm and collected and remember you have got this far and passed the first test which was probably the phone interview after reading your resume, this if nothing else tells you that at least they are interested in you and what you have to offer.

Take the bull by the horns

If you sense the interview is closing and there is something that you wanted to get out and haven’t yet had the chance then don’t hold back, you could say something like “before we end I would just like to mention one more point that I think would be valuable to the company” then proceed to tell the interviewer. It is important to voice your thoughts if you think they are an asset to the interview and it will show initiative.

What is a resume?

A resume is a short one or two page summary of the achievements, skills and experience you have, it is a step towards getting an interview for a job. In order for you to write a successful resume it is helpful to know what employers look for, how to prepare your resume and what action words to include in it for maximum benefit.

An effective resume

The resume should clearly state your name, address and contact phone numbers clearly in bold on the top of the page, it should then include a brief objective about the kind of work you want and are qualified to do. The degrees or awards you earned in education should then be listed followed by your work experience. Lastly any other information you think is relevant should be listed such as, any special skills, leadership experience or participation in sports or events.

What employers look for

Studies have shown that employers are most impressed with excellent communication skills, good grooming and previous work experience. The top ten qualities that most impress interviewers are:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A honest and trustworthy person
• Someone who has excellent teamwork skills
• Someone who relates well to others
• Someone who is motivated and uses their initiative
• Someone who has strong work ethics
• Excellent analytical skills
• Someone who is flexible and adaptable
• Someone who has excellent computer skills
• Someone who has excellent organizational skills

Use action words in your resume

A resume can be greatly improved by the use of certain action words to describe your accomplishments and experience, some of these include:

• Acquired
• Adapted
• Achieved
• Analyzed
• Audited
• Calculated
• Centralised
• Collaborated
• Condensed
• Coordinated
• Cultivated
• Designed
• Developed
• Drafted
• Edited
• Enforced
• Evaluated
• Expanded
• Formed
• Founded
• Implemented
• Improved
• Maintained
• Managed
• Marketed
• Motivated
• Operated
• Organised
• Oversaw
• Performed
• Produced
• Programmez
• Promoted
• Published
• Recruited
• Reorganised
• Solved
• Staffed
• Supervised
• Taught
• Tested
• Trained

Checking your resume

Once you have written you resume before you go rushing to print it take the time to check it over, a silly mistake or misspelled word could mean the difference between you getting the interview or your resume being rejected. Tips to remember are:

• Run a spell and grammar check over the document
• Get a friend or relative to review it
• Use clean white high quality paper
• Print only on one side of the paper
• Uses a font size of between 10 and 14 points
• Don’t use a fancy or decorative font use a plain one
• Use just one typeface
• Avoid italics, script or underline
• No vertical or horizontal lines, shading or graphs
• Never fold or staple your resume
• Always make sure if you put your resume in an envelope to use one that is big enough to hold it without creasing or folding

The big difference between a resume and a CV is the length, content and general purpose. A resume should be one or two pages long and include your achievements, skills and education while a CV is two or more pages and is more detailed and should include details of your educational background, experience, publications, achievements, awards and any other details relevant to the position you’re seeking.

When you would use a CV?

You would generally use a CV instead of a resume when applying for jobs in the academic, educational, and scientific or research fields. Just as with a resume there are different types of CV’s depending on the position you are going for.

What should be included on your CV?

A CV should include your name, address, contact information, skills, education and any experience that you have gained. In addition to the basics you should also include on your CV any research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, awards and any other information that you think is relevant to the position you are applying for. Before writing your CV it is helpful to write down all the information and organise it into different categories.

How to write a CV

There are several points you should remember when writing your CV these are:

• Keep it clear, well organised and easy to follow
• Only put the relevant and necessary information in it
• Make sure it includes everything that is needed
• Don’t mix fonts or use fancy fonts
• Make sure it is up to date

Be truthful

Sometimes we can be tempted to over exaggerate our skills and achievements when writing a CV or resume to make things sound a little better than they actually are, don’t give way to temptation because the employer will almost certainly want to check your credentials. Whatever you put in your resume or CV make sure you can back up with examples should you get an interview, if you can’t then you are wasting both your time and that of the interviewer.

Check it over

Once you have written your CV don’t rush to print it, make sure you check it over thoroughly and look out for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. When you have read it over ask someone else to double check it for you, it is easy to miss something yourself. Also check the format of it, is it easy to read and clear. Is there plenty of white space, make sure it isn’t cluttered. Check the format of your CV and make sure it looks professional.

An E-resume is an electronic version of your resume specifically to be used and read online using a computer, because e-resumes are so versatile they have become very popular with both job seekers and employers alike. The benefits of an online resume are:

• It can be read from a computer anywhere
• It can be saved on your hard disk or a removable disk
• It can be sent anywhere over the internet
• It can be found by search engines when it is online with a e-resume service
• It can be converted into different file types for use in different applications, such as databases
• It can be printed out when needed

Why are e-resumes successful?

Online resume databases are essentially online filing cabinets which vary in complexity from simply being stored online to allowing potential employers and recruiters to:

• Tag and later identify how company’s received the resume
• Assigning resumes requisition numbers which indicate job objectives
• Allow company’s to search resumes using keywords
• Give resumes a ranking depending on keywords
• Generate reports about the resumes

The key to why online resumes are so successful is their ability to be searched by keyword so recruiters can come across your resume when they search for particular words, for example if they are looking for someone with excellent computer skills and you have put in your resume that you are proficient with computers, your resume will show up.

Some understanding of this process will help you to understand and use this technology to your advantage. Studies have show that company’s process thousands of e-resumes on a daily basis with small and medium size businesses viewing resume banks daily in the search for possible candidates.

Keywords

Keywords are critical for your resume to be a success, each database will have a built in search engine that is setup specially to pick out certain words relating to the position that the company has to offer.

There are no special keywords as these will vary from company to company depending on the position that is open so keywords will be chosen by the recruiter. However keywords that you should put into your resume should hold all the important information about the skills and achievements that you hold, these could be:

• Your technical expertise
• Your management skills
• Your knowledge of the industry
• Your education and training
• Your geographic location
• Your previous employment history

The company looking for candidates will set up their search engine with keywords and scan resumes and locate any that have the keywords their looking for in them, they will then count the number of keywords found and rank them accordingly. Since keywords are what makes your e-resume a success or failure here are some tips for good keyword placement:

Listing your keywords

• On a piece of paper list between 20 to 60 terms that best describes your skills and achievements.
• List terms that are both technical and non technical, for example computer software that you are good at such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Express as well as business management skills such as resolving conflicts and negotiating.
• List your keywords as nouns rather than verbs, for example facilitation rather than facilitate. * List acronyms and their spelled out version, for example if you list ISDN on your resume spell out integrated services digital network too.
• Put all your keywords into your resume using statements in your resume text.
• Look for opportunities to put in your keywords under headings.

Dressing for an interview just requires a bit of common sense and a little knowledge of fashion, when asked what to wear to an interview most people will say to dress a little on the conservative side.

What you wear however should relate to the person you are and shouldn’t really be the focus point of the interview, having said that there are a few unwise choices and clothing or accessories that should definitely be avoided.

What not to wear

• Wild or brightly coloured nail polish – With the fashion in the current trend these days on long manicured nails either your own or false ones, an important thing to remember here is to avoid any wild bright colours or glittery effects. Nails should be well manicured and neat if you have to wear polish then stick with French polish or natural.
• An excess of jewellery – Only wear the bare minimum of jewellery, no more than two rings on one hand and if you wear earrings then choose something small and never wear anything large and dangly. Never wear any face jewellery such as nose rings or lip rings and ankle bracelets are a big no.
• Backless or open toed shoes – Avoid wearing backless or shoes with open toes, shoes with excessively high heels should also be avoided if possible as should mules. Wear a sensible heel in a colour that matches your attire and which are not out dated.
• Bare legs – Even in the hottest weather always have your legs covered in stockings, just a plain neutral stocking avoiding seams or patterns.
• Out of date suits – Avoid jackets with lapels that are more than three inches wide or are less than one inch wide. Wear a loose full bodied jacket avoiding a tight fitting one.
• Skirts that are above knee length – Wearing a skirt that shows a lot of thigh is not going to impress, also avoid wearing tight fitting skirts or bold coloured ones.
• Capri pants or leggings – These should be avoided at all costs, if wearing pants wear a suit.
• Leather jackets – leather jackets are out including blazers they look too much like outer wear and will only make you sweat even more.
• Turtle neck sweaters – Always wear a shirt with a collar and preferably a tie, when wearing a tie make sure it is not outdated.
• Printed or fashion handbags – choose a traditional small handbag that is inconspicuous and conservative.
• Red briefcases – if using a briefcase then use a traditional one in a conservative colour and which is in a good condition.

When in doubt stick with conservative colours, shades in grey and blue are good colours while wearing black can be too conservative and dull. If wearing black then offset it with a coloured blouse, shirt, scarf or tie, always remember that first impressions do count so make sure you always take care with your appearance.

Most employers will doubt that you can back up claims you make of your skills and achievements, they will have probably looked through thousands of portfolios when recruiting for jobs and have been let down more than once. When your resume lands on the employer’s desk they aren’t likely to give you the benefit of the doubt no matter how good your claims are so the best way to go is by producing a portfolio which can back up any claims you make in your resume.

What does a portfolio consist of?

A portfolio is simply a collection of your achievements and work which includes classroom, volunteer and internship all neatly put together and presented in a three ring binder which you can then bring with you to interviews that you attend. During interviews you can then present your portfolio to the interviewer to back up what you said in your resume about any experience, skills and education that you have.

For example if you said in your resume that you have excellent communication skills then in your portfolio you can support that statement with examples of work you accomplished that needed excellent communication skills. A portfolio can have other benefits; it can draw the focus from you by presenting it thus relieving stress.

What can I put in my portfolio?

• Any papers or essays that you have written should be included, these will highlight your written communication skills as well as show off your organisational skills.
• Any thank you notes or commendations that you received from any previous jobs should be included as these will back up claims of you being hard working and willing to succeed.
• Any videos of speeches that you have made in previous work, this will highlight how well you can deliver information and show off your people skills.
• Any posters, brochures or advertising material that you made during previous employment, this will show off your design skills and show you have knowledge of the software used to produce the material.

Basically your portfolio is only limited by your imagination and the time you want to spend investing in it but it is a worthwhile investment that very few people bother to do, while it can’t guarantee that it will get you the job it does show that you are willing to put in that little bit of extra effort and time which says something.

What is a behavioural interview and how do you know if your interview is or will turn into a behavioural interview? The answer is simple and a clear guide to a behavioural interview is when the interviewer says to you “so tell me about a time when…”

The interviewer will use the behavioural interview technique as a guide to your future success based on your past experiences. Simply put this means that if you have done well in past experiences then the chances are that you will do so again in the future. An example would be if you told the interviewer you saved the company you’re working for now money by cutting back on certain aspects then he/she will think there’s a good chance you could do the same for them.

Elaborate on your past achievements

When asked behavioural Questions then speak out and elaborate on what you have achieved in the past by giving examples, for example if the interviewer should ask you to tell them how you have managed to meet deadlines in the past, give them detailed examples of deadlines and how you specifically met them.

Do your homework beforehand

Practice well before the interview giving yourself Questions and writing down how you would answer them in the best possible way to show off your achievements. You have to be ready for anything and always be ready to back up any claims you make of your achievements. If you say you’re good at something then be ready to give a full explanation of it when asked.

Example questions the interviewer could ask

• Tell me about a time when you were convinced you were right and others where wrong, what did you do about it?
• Tell me about a time when you had to carry someone who wasn’t pulling their weight, how did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you made a mistake, what did you do to recover from it?
• Tell me about a specific time when you succeeded?
• Tell me about a time when you had to meet a deadline, how did you manage?

Of course these are only a few examples of the type of questions that can be asked when using behavioural techniques, the best way of dealing with them is to sit down and think of the achievements you have accomplished and make these a strong point during your interview.

With a bit of luck your future employer might later ask in the interview behavioural questions relating to topics that are your strong point. Write down two or three example answers that you could provide at the side if the questions and study them.