Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
Do you know what kind of resume you’d need if you were applying for a job in the UK? How about Saudi Arabia? Or China?
As with the varying countries nationalities, cultures and mores, resumes are most assuredly different for various parts of the world.
For example:
In China the guidelines include -
Personal Information (include):
1. Sex
2. Marital Status
3. Date of Birth
4. Nationality
5. Permanent Address
Career Objective: Describe what you want to achieve and position sought
Education:
1. List high school education with reference to specific courses and programs
2. Include extracurricular activities that are relevant to job search
Special Skills (include):
1. Language Skills
2. Computer Skills
Professional Experience:
1. Indicate whether work was part-time or full- time.
2. Explain all gaps in employment history.
3. If part-time work was chosen, indicate why you did NOT work full-time.
Personal Interests (include):
1. Sports activities
2. Other interests
Format: Begin with Objective, go to Education, then list Professional Experience and everything else (in that order)
Length: Two pages; no longer than three pages
In the UK the guidelines include -
Education:
1. Secondary education, include dates/names/locations of schools, plus qualifications received
Special Skills (include):
1. Language Skills
2. Computer Skills
Professional Experience:
1. Include reasons for leaving
Interests/Hobbies: Describe how time outside of work is spent
Format: Education followed by professional experience
Length: No longer than two pages
And in Saudi Arabia the guidelines include -
Personal Information (Include):
1. Date of Birth
2. Marital Status
3. # of Children
4. Nationality
5. Citizenship(s)
6. Religious Affiliation
Education:
1. Include name and address of each institution attended
Professional Experience:
1. Use company descriptors
2. List all employers worked for
Special Skills (include):
1. Language Skills
2. Computer Skills
Residency Permit/Letter of Release:
1. Note whether you have a transferable igama (residency permit) from your present employer or can obtain a letter of release
Format: Education, experience, personal details (in that order); do NOT leave any gaps in dates.
Length: Three to four pages is acceptable
As you can see, there are variances by country. Make certain you know the guidelines before you submit your resume overseas.
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
If you are, then you better rethink what you’re doing.
Why?
In today’s competitive job market, objectives have mostly been replaced by the far more effective Tag Line, which is your professional title or goal, and a Skill Set, which lists your qualifications to fill the job. Each should provide concise and specific data to the hiring manager in terms that emphasize what you can do for the targeted company.
By using a professional title in the opening of your resume – something like Certified Public Accountant, CEO, Systems Analyst, etc., you will be stating who you are and what you want in terms of your career.
Your tagline can be specific – Telecommunications CEO. Or it can be generic - Accounting Professional.
It might showcase an objective – Candidate: MBA Program; Candidate: First Grade Teacher
Whatever you use, it should be germane to your job search, and you should follow it with your skill set.
What is a skill set? Specific qualifications that you have, which are required in the job posting.
As an example, those for an Accountant might include:
Accounts Payable/Receivable, Audits, General Ledger, Reconciliations
A teacher might use: Grades K-5, CBEST & MSAT Certified, Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
Placing your skill set directly beneath your Tag Line at the beginning of your resume provides the hiring manager with invaluable data.
If you do insist on using an Objective Statement, these are the ones to avoid:
1. Ones that demand a certain salary (Let’s face it, you haven’t even been called in for an interview. What right do you have to demand anything?)
2. Ones that address your needs – eg: ‘Seeking an interesting position in the Accounting field with great growth potential’ (Here, you’re telling the hiring manager what you want, not what you can do for the company)
3. Vague statements that fail to target specific industries or jobs – eg: ‘A full time position with benefits.’ (The hiring manager might very well ask, doing what?)
Remember, if you make the resume all about you – what you want/need/demand, it’s unlikely you’ll be called in to interview.
If you make it about what you can do for the targeted company, you’re more likely to be seen as a potential candiate.
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
For those who would prefer not to write their own resumes, hiring a resume writer becomes the next challenge.
Do you go with the cheapest? The one with the biggest/flashiest internet ad? The one who guarantees the moon?
Here are a few points to keep in mind when you’re searching for a resume writer:
1. Is the individual certified to write resumes?
This is an important factor. Not all resume writers are created equal. The industry isn’t regulated; therefore, anyone can ‘hang out a shingle’, claiming they’re a resume writing expert.
A true professional will belong to or work for a company that belongs to the Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW) – the industry’s gold standard. The PARW has a certification program, granting the CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) designation to an individual that passes its rigorous test. Not everyone passes on the first try. The test materials are difficult and comprehensive.
2. Is the individual charging too little or too much?
A lunch at your favorite restaurant shouldn’t cost you more than a professionally written resume. If it does, then the individual doing the work most likely isn’t a seasoned professional. Nor should the service cost as much as a mortgage payment no matter how many years the resume writer has in the field. Check out various sites and you’ll soon determine the average price of a resume. Stick with those companies that most closely match the norm. Not too high; not too low.
3. Is the service a member of the Better Business Bureau or other agencies that keep track of customer satisfaction?
If not, move on to the next company. If a company is a member of the BBB, check out their track record with complaints. Do they resolve them readily?
4. Does the writer or writers have industry experience?
Not only experience in writing resumes, but in the client’s particular industry. Not everyone understands Information Technology or Engineering. If you hire a resume writer who has no idea of the jargon or nuances of your industry, especially if it’s technical, then you’re in trouble.
5. Does the site guarantee the moon?
Something like getting a job in 30 days- guaranteed. Or getting interviews with the resume despite the horrible economy or the fact that industry jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries.
Use common sense when it comes to guarantees. No service can promise every one of its clients that they’ll get a job. That’s just not practical. If they have 20 marketing clients and only two jobs are available, then that means 18 of their clients are going to be turned down. Resumes, no matter how professionally they’re written, can’t guarantee an interview. There are many other factors at work, including whether the individual has the perfect skills for the job. Be wary of too-good-to-be-true guarantees.
6. Great ads don’t make for the best service.
Just because a resume writing company has catchy, intriguing ads or a dynamite site doesn’t mean their service is right for you. As a smart consumer, you still need to determine if their writers have knowledge of your industry, if the service is priced competitively and if they’re a member of an organization like the PARW or BBB.
You’ve chosen your career steps wisely. Now, it’s time to use the same due diligence with the individual or company that will craft your resume.
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
I hear it all the time -
“I know I’m supposed to put results or accomplishments on my resume, but I don’t have any!”
“I have very little authority over what I do at my office. I do my work as I’m told. I have no outstanding results.”
If either of the above statements were true, the individuals who made them would have been out of a job long ago.
Employers don’t keep staff on because it’s the nice thing to do. They retain staff that produce, that help the company to grow – or at the very least, to survive.
When I speak to an individual who claims to have no accomplishments, I ask – “If you were to quit your job today, how many employees would your company need to hire to replace you?”
Invariably, the answer is two or more.
Guess what? That’s an accomplishment. By taking over the duties of others, by wearing many hats, by being available for special projects and completing them in a timely manner, you’ve racked up an achievement. What’s more, you’re saving your employer the extra salary s/he would have to pay for that second or third employee.
That most certainly is an accomplishment.
Don’t sell yourself short. Think of the extra projects you’ve done at work and the additional duties you took on when others were laid off. Determine how much you saved your company by being available for these tasks. Give that effort a dollar figure.
When you do, you have your first accomplishment that you’ll be putting on your resume.
