10tips
for updating your resume As a rule, the candidates who provide employers with the best resumes and cover letters are those who are short-listed and succeed.
1. KEEP your resume simple and easy to read. It must sell you.
6. FOLLOW the summary with, for example, the following sections: major achievements, career history, qualifications/education, additional information.
2. EMPLOYERS may find overly complex layouts and graphics off-putting.
7. AVOID simply listing job titles; also explain what your duties included. Use action verbs to describe your work.
3. A POSITIVE approach and strong presentation are good elements.
8. THE IDEAL length of a good resume is 1–2 pages. If you find it difficult to fit everything on two pages because of, say, a long list of courses or publications, consider using an appendix.
4. THE WAY you present your resume effectively demonstrates your ability to communicate and especially to explain a professional business proposition. 5. A SUMMARY of 8–10 lines at the beginning of the resume can be an effective way to present your special skills. Describe your strong points, competence and qualifications in a few sentences.
9. PUT yourself in the employer’s shoes: write a description of the person they are looking for. The better the match with your resume the more likely you are to be called for an interview. 10. UPDATE your resume every now and then even if you are not looking for a new job. It is surprisingly easy to forget your previous duties, and it may also help you sell yourself in-house.
3 ARE YOU A PEOPLE PERSON?
You may have the mind of a rocket scientist, but if you can’t get along with people, you can kiss your chances for success in the workplace goodbye.
Social intelligence, while hard to quantify, is incredibly important. People who are people-savvy just get it. They walk into any situation with quiet confidence, size up the characters and tailor their responses so that they people around them feel comfortable and want to hear more. These are people who are nice whenever they can be, tough when the situation demands it, but always fair. For them, diplomacy is paramount. So, how do you know if you have social intelligence? Find out all the elements in the book Social Intelligence (Random House, 2007) by Daniel Goleman. A related topic is emotional intelligence, which includes having the confidence to hire people who are smarter than you are. Read more at Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (TalentSmart, 2009) by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. The book includes a test that lets you score your EQ.
You can use Toolbox materials at work, to link with your blog, when giving a presentation – or forward it to colleagues. The background ideas are available in a variety of web sources.
In slides: www.slideshare.net In pdf-format: www.scribd.com
The whole magazine: www.issuu.com 23