RESUME
: Take Charge of your packaging!
Rajiv
Khurana, Management Trainer and HR Consultant, Personnel Labs
At first it looked like a leaf straight out of Royalty. The
language did not seem to be a true reflection of the candidature for an Executive Trainee
position considering all factors. How would you react if you read, “Being given to
understand that a suitable vacancy for a youngman of my caliber exists in your esteemed
organisation, I am hereby submitting my bio-data for your kind perusal and consideration.
I beg to state that I shall leave no stone unturned to discharge the tedious
responsibilities entrusted to me. I will discharge my duties with highest committment,
loyalty and humbleness. I pray for a chance . . . “? Frankly I read it 4-5 times and
finally rejected the resume - the language did not gel with the stationary which seemed to
be flicked out of some government department closet, the typed words which were badly
punctuated, mis-spelled, looked jumpy and were perhaps the third copy of the original
manuscript.
Times are changing. The presentation lay-out of the resume’ are even changing faster with the advent of new presentation software packages. What has not changed dramatically is the way a resume’ is drafted. I find a lot of similarity between the mistakes I used to commit in 1980 (When I started my career) and the mistakes of today’s prospective yuppies. Maybe, they still believe, “So what if my resume’ is not perfect, I can always explain in detail during the interview.”
Next time, Watch Out! If you or your friends blame luck for the APPLY-APPLY-NO-REPLY syndrome, its time to have a relook at the way the resume’ has been structured.
During the early eighties, I used to screen the resume’ wazzu of in-experienced applicants in less than 20 seconds. Today, my team mates also don’t hesitate in deciding whether to call a ‘fresher’ or not in almost the same average time. My friends in the industry confirm the same time too. Isn’t it horrifying? You spend hours in beautifying the resume’ with laser printing, good quality paper, posting or couriering it and the guy out there doesn’t even give a minute to your resume’! He would give it if you could think of making the resume’ interesting from his angle and not your angle. Mind it, only the average resume’ will get the average attention, if you make it company focussed, you become the focus of attention.
Think for a while about your favourite bathing soap or that crispy-multi-contents pizza. Would you smell differently or get a different taste if they were packed in an old newspaper. The idea looks repulsive. Who would sell premium bathing soap or expensive pizza in an old newspaper. Absolutely true. Why should we also send our resume’ in the name of old, tried and tested style?
FIRST IMPRESSION IS THE LAST IMPRESSION. You may agree, YOU DON’T GET A SECOND CHANCE FOR THE FIRST IMPRESSION. Startling but true too. Resume’ only gives you a chance to be called for an interview. It’s more like your visiting card. It reflects you. The prospective employer prepares to meet you based on the contents of your resume’. Think about a complete professional approach instead of the past indifferent hit or miss approach. Football teams can reach the final only when they play the league matches seriously. Resume’ is your first league match. It will not launch you into the final but you also cannot reach the final without it.
EMPLOYERS REALLY WANT TO KNOW : “WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?”
Look at the hiring process from the employer’s point of view. There you are with a stack of resumes on your desk and a job to fill, right now. You’ve got some key requirements that candidates must meet before you’ll even consider calling them in for an interview. All you want to know from each person “sitting” on your desk is :
· What can you do for me?
· How can you fill this job effectively?
· Why should I talk to you?
So you start reading resumes and you see the same old stuff employers have been getting for decades : page after page of job descriptions.
Wait a minute. As an employer, I want to see what you can do for me, but all you’re telling me is what you’ve done for someone else or somewhere else. Of course this is important, and I need to scan your previous work experience, school and college accomplishments. But does all this really apply to my situation? Of course not, and I really don’t have time to read 20-25 years of your and work history before I decide to call you in. This is why purely chronological resumes’ for the most part, are on the way out.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR ABILITIES AND MARKET THEM
A resume must be clear and tell the employer what you really want to do. You should lead the employer in the direction you want to go. Your resume’ must have structure and consistency. The employer may pass you over if your resume’ is too broad. Tell the employer about your special projects, skills set, computer literacy, leadership activities, team leading skills etc. If you expect the employer to find or deduce it by reading your resume’ in full, forget it. The employer will soon forget that you ever applied. A SUMMARY, gives you control over your resume’ and directions to employer in terms of what to look for.
An Objective on your resume can be very useful when targeted and concise, but leave it out if you’re afraid it may block you from certain positions. In that case, give the reader a focus with the first points of your summary. If you do use an Objective, make sure that it quickly defines what you’re looking for in one or two sentences.
DON’T prepare a standard resume’. Instead, FOCUS your skills and abilities you believe are most important and relevant to the position you’re seeking right now. This will catch the attention of the employer immediately. Perhaps, that is what he is searching for. Someone, who can deliver what he expects. Go through the company brochure, job advertisement, annual report etc. to understand what the employer expects. A listing of your past is important but what you can do in future is much more critical for the employer.
Use clear and concise language describing tangible, no-nonsense skills e.g. :
· Proficient in C++, UNIX, RDBMS . . .
· Skilled in taking dictations, MS-Office . . .
· Experienced in account finalisation . . .
· Hardcore direct selling experience . . .
· Independently handled four conferences . . .
rosy and fluffy vocabulary e.g. :
“Self-motivated, hands on professional with an
excellent track record of . . .”
“Born leader with capabilities of head and heart . . .”
“Committed, honest and loyal worker . . .”
These sentences are just like weekly horoscopes. It can fit into anybody’s profile.
EMPATHIZE WITH THE EMPLOYERS. Step into their shoes and feel whether you would take the trouble of scanning through hundreds of resumes in limited time while other organisational pressures are also mounting. If you understand the employer, you can help him understand you better. Treat your resume’ as a genuine writing project and not just something you put together.”
Your resume is your life and career on paper. It’s worth
doing right.
Home -> Jobs -> Resume Packaging