WRITE A PATH INTO YOUR DREAM JOB

K.P.Satheesh Department of Physics Government College Kottayam

Consider how a position becomes available

A supervisor or manager who is VERY BUSY needs to fill a vacant position because has an expansion slot in his department OR is replacing someone who just left the company

Consider how your resume gets to someone

Human Resource People are involved :

a generic request to fill a position is received a newspaper advertisement is written the ad has buzz words concerning the position a ton of resumes are received in HR HR scans the resumes for buzz words a stack of resumes are forwarded to the hiring manager or supervisor for review

Consider who is going to review your resume

Supervisor or manager who :
is VERY BUSY needs to get a qualified individual hired must fill the position quickly doesnt have enough time to spend on this

Consider your resume and someone elses resume The general MA Economics (or any other degree) curriculum from one school to another is very similar MA Economics students take the same financial management, microeconomics, math related courses etc. The grade point average or class or division is just a number What would make a reviewer pick one resume over another for two MA Economics students who appear to have the same overall capabilities ?

Your resume must speak VOLUMES in few words Critical Contents in Your Resume :
Educational background / experience

Application experience using commercially available industry software Related work experience Other experience that shows responsibility and initiative in your personal life Use your space E F F E C T I V E L Y

Placement Companies have commented!! Your Resume needs to SELL YOURSELF :

Head-hunters have commented that many well qualified people have not gotten jobs mainly because their resume didnt jump up and say

HEY - IM THE GUY FOR THAT JOB !!!

You may not be able to say all that is needed on the standard one sheet resume

The Resume
The main parts should be : Identity Objectives Education Work Experience Other Related Items

Critical Personal Information

Standard information about you : Name Address Phone number Email address This should be at the top of the resume

Objectives
You need to identify your objective : What is your career plan Short term and long term goals Your objective should reflect what YOU think you want to do with your career BUT also be cognizant of the company objectives. This is a very important statement which should actually change depending on where your resume is being sent

Education Information
Highlight critical achievements : Identify general courses taken but emphasize the practical hands-on application projects Identify use of commercially available software Identify projects that require team work Identify report writing and presentation skills

Education Information
Highlight critical achievements :
Receive a special award or recognition ? Maintained a high grade point average or distinction? Worked on a special detailed project or very involved project as part of a course? Now this is an area where you need to sell your capabilities and experience

Purpose of a Resume
A resume is an advertisement for yourself, designed to communicate your work history and skill areas in such a way that motivates the employer to invite you in for an interview.

Rsums are a
 Self Marketing Tool  Personal Ad  Job Skills Showcase  Value Added to Future Employer

Employers are BUSY!

The average recruiter will give your resume only approximately 10-20 seconds upon initial review! Your chance depends on that

The Mechanics of Resume Writing

Design/layout Grammar/Spelling Phrases/ Not Sentences Carefully Edited Paper Quality Typed document One page? Citizenship/Visa-Status

Content
Categories
Career Objective Education Education Interests/Education Related Experience Employment Experience Computer/Technical Skills Activities/Interest/Honors References

Ten steps to creating an effective rsum

1. Choose Target 2. Find out skills, knowledge, experience and training that are required for the target job.
3. Make a list of your 3-5 strongest skills or abilities that make you a strong candidate for your target.

Ten steps to creating an effective rsum

4. For each of these think of several accomplishments that will illustrate or demonstrate your use of it. (background, action steps, and results) 5. Demonstrate each accomplishment in a simple yet powerful action statement. 6. List jobs held in reverse chronological order.

Ten steps to creating an effective rsum

7. List education and training relevant to your job target. 8. Select rsum format Chronological or Functional. 9. Arrange your action statement according to format selected. 10. Summarize your key points at top of the rsum.

Resume Builders
Top Ten Things Employers Want You To Do
Make A Contribution To The Company The Minute You Arrive Show Us You Are A Leader Express Yourself Be A Team Player Be Goal Oriented Tell Us Why You Are Interested In Our Company Convince Us You Are Driven To Serve People Know Your Strengths And Weaknesses Prove You Are Resourceful And Adaptable Set Realistic Expectations

Common Rsum Myths

Rsums should tell the exact truth good or bad Rsums should be only one page long Rsums need to be written in complete sentences Rsums can fit all jobs

Common Rsum Myths

Rsums should only document your job responsibilities and work history Chronological is the Best Format Rsums should detail every job equally Content is more important than presentation

Objective Statements vs. Summary of Qualifications

Objective statements are using too vague or too specific Objective statements are sometimes too much to read
Summary of Qualifications that are bulleted are usually easier to read Summary of Qualifications speak straight to the point Most HR and Hiring Managers prefer a Summary above Objectives

Summary Statements
Summary statements give you the opportunity to highlight a few of your most important or relevant characteristics. Summary statements focus on your skills. You will want to change your statements to address each job description.

Types of Resumes
 Chronological-The most widely used style of resume. It presents information on educational and professional experience in reverse chronological order.  Functional/Skill-Stresses skills and abilities rather than dates and times of past experience and education..  Targeted (Not suitable for freshers)

Resume Layout
Try to have one-inch margins on all sides. You want to create the visual impression that there is not too much reading to be done. Font size should be 10-14 pt.! Anything less will give the reader eyestrain. Printing needs to be laser quality.

Electronic Resume Scanning

 Avoid italics, underlining, shadows, and reverse type.  Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes.  Avoid 2 column formats.  Font size should be 10-14
 CENTER your name and address.  Use standard fonts such as Helvetica, Future, Optima, Times, Univers.  Use white or ivory paper.  Multiple pages are okay.  Use key words, jargon and acronyms specific to your industry.

points.

The Anatomy of a Rsum

Heading
Should include: Name Address If you have a permanent and local, put both. Phone number its okay to use your cell phone number. Email Address be careful of trendy email address names such as [email protected].

Education
 List institutions attended in reverse chronological order.  DO NOT INCLUDE HIGH SCHOOL.  List grades only if exceptionally high.  Additional information such as relevant coursework may be included if it is reflective of a specialization or is particularly relevant to the position you are pursuing.

Example Education Information

in Resume
You might state: Graduated with first class with MSc. Physics classes in electronics, spectroscopy, mechanics blah, blah, blah .. So what makes you any different than any other MSc. Physics student from any other place? Why pick you for an interview ?

It might be better to state:

Graduated with with a broad assortment of core MSc. Physics classes. Detailed project related work for courses required design, analysis and testing to confirm analytical models; worked using commercially available software and tested laboratory prototypes; projects required team work along with interim reports and final design reports which were presented at the completion of the project. WOW!!!!!

Education Information PROJECT WORK

Many courses require significant project related work as part of your education Your resume needs to identify this Otherwise the reviewer has no idea as to the detail the depth involved in your coursework Highlight your accomplishments to clearly show your capabilities and your achievements

COMPUTER SKILLS AND SOFTWARE

Highlight software packages you are familiar with: Many courses require use of commercially available software - identify which ones CAD software, Analysis software, etc many of these packages are used in industry and knowledge of these can definitely help Identify typical office related software used such as WORD, Power Point, Excel, etc

Experience
 List work history in reverse chronological order.  Descriptive statements displaying skills, abilities, and professional accomplishments should be listed for each employment listing.  Begin descriptive statements with an action verb.  DO NOT INCLUDE reasons for leaving, past salaries, complete address or phone number for employer, or past supervisors name.  Internships and non-paid employment can be listed in this section. It is not necessary to note if they were unpaid.

Additional Sections
 Information that is not appropriate for other sections of the resume, but is of relevance to your pursuits should be included under an additional heading. Potential headings include:  Honors and Activities  Computer Skills  Accomplishments  Professional Memberships  Projects  Skills or Summary of Skills

Resume Dos
Use a direct, active writing style. Make your statements short. Avoid the use of I; begin sentences or phrases with action words. Expect to do several revisions. A top-notch resume is rarely written the first time. Keep the resume to one or two pages. Employers do not have the time, nor the patience, to read a lengthy document. Make it easy for them to keep reading yours. Make it visually appealing. Use lots of white space and wide margins, which make it easy to scan. Use the present tense to describe your current job. All previous positions should be described in past tense. Support all activities and accomplishments with results and benefits. Summarize employment by briefly describing your functions.

Resume Dos continued

Pick a resume format and be consistent. Use positive language in describing your accomplishments. Write out all numerals up to and including the number nine. Use the numerical form for 10 to 999,999. Use short phrases rather than complete sentences. If you can say something in three words, don't use 10. Keep the reader of your resume in mind. Ask yourself, If I were the employer, would I interview this person?" Unless the answer is an unqualified YES, you still have some work to do. Use words and phrases appropriate to your employer/industry. Lay out your resume so that a job description or a sentence on the first page doesn't run over to the second. Use capital letters, dashes, bolding or bullets for emphasis. Use these symbols sparingly, or they lose their effect. Proofread your resume for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical and typographical errors. Have your resume critiqued by several professionals.

Resume Donts
Avoid using abbreviations. Use professional or technical jargon only if it is relevant to the position you seek. Dont use odd-sized paper, overly fancy stock, color, style, or anything considered eccentric. Use a good white, cream, or light gray 8 x 11 paper stock. Leave the photo of yourself off the resume. You don't need to list references. Reserve them for the interview. Leave off personal data: age, marital status, number of children, health. Avoid overemphasizing your educational background if youve been out of school five years or more; youre selling your work experience rather than your academic record.

Your Resume should be:

Concise. Focused. Easy to read and find information. Scannable. Error-free.

Example of a practical resume: Education emphasized

Candidate is a Physics Postgraduate who did both graduation and under-graduation from Government college, Kottayam with optional optoelectronics paper for BSc. And one optoelectronics special paper for MSc. Sending resume to a company whose main products are optoelectronic related.

James Joseph Pallickal House Kumarakom, Kottayam Kerala State Phone:91-481 2678890 E-mail :[email protected]

Objective
Obtain a senior scientist position to utilize my current capabilities, knowledge and understanding of modern fiberoptic design utilizing simulation software complemented by test verification.

Education
Government College, Kottayam MSc. In Physics with Optoelectronics as one of the Special papers. Thesis work involved analytical software development for fibre optic design

 Government College, Kottayam

BSc. In Physics with modern optics as one of the core papers and optoelectronics as special paper. Successfully completed project work in computer aided simulation techniques for optical fiber design

Relevant Computer and Software Skills

Adept in using the following software in both windows and Linux platforms Languages: C, C++, Java Analytical Matlab, Mathcad General Purpose TEX, MS Office, Open Office

Work related experience

Department of physics Government College, Kottayam Active participant organized team of 4 undergraduates responsible for optical lab equipment maintenance. Prepared reports and documents. Presented the final report which suggested several modifications.

Communication and training skills

Department of Physics, Government College, Kottayam Counselled School students in an antidrug initiative conducted by the College NSS Unit Trained beginning undergraduate students to use optical devices.

More detailed description of the areas are contained on the attached pages. References provided on request.

Action Phrases
*

Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food * Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees * Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant

Action phrases will help you avoid being too brief and from understating your qualifications. Think about your qualifications as a professional would
Use Action Verbs! Keep it brief and to the point
Organized Planned Supported Reported Described Led Communicated Created Initiated Edited Developed Sold Directed Assisted Solved Analyzed Managed Designed

Checklist
Is it attractive? Does it make a good first impression? One page? Or can two pages be justified? Is it concise? Is extraneous information reduced or eliminated? Is unfamiliar information clarified? Just what is the Wilma Wonderwoman scholarship?
Example: Wilma Wonderwoman Scholarship Recipient: Awarded to the senior who displays outstanding leadership.

Cover Letter Basics

Guiding Principles
What are your themes? What sets you apart? Specify how you will benefit the employer Be as specific as possible-- with examples How does your background meet their specific qualifications? You are just what they are looking for and you have the proof to back up your statements

Employer Name
If the name isnt given, employ your research skills to find out the name Be sure you have the gender and title correct

Position
A good cover letters targets a specific position Lack of clarity may lead to the perception that you dont know what you want to do

Use examples
My excellent financial management skills will greatly benefit your company vs. Through my work at the Jane Smith House, I honed my financial management skills by developing spreadsheets, reporting on cashflow accounts and ledger balances

Show your knowledge of the employer

I am interested in working for Delta because of your reputation for quality I have been following your decision to pursue portal technology as a part of your communication strategy. I am eager to work for a Delta because of your commitment to cutting edge technology.

Relate skills to the objective

Objective: Entry-level writing position In my position at Joiner Co. I entered data, contacted clients to update their addresses, and wrote letters and reports. Composed more that 50 letters sent to corporate clients such as Zeneca and Campbell, Inc. Wrote narrative for statistical report that was included in annual report sent to 1000 organizations nationwide.

Do You Have any Questions?

Otherwise