Effective Resumes

A resume is normally the first contact point between an employer and a job seeker. It serves the purpose of providing a summary of why a candidate is suitable for a job (cover-letter) and his relevant qualifications/experience.

In this article, advice about creating effective cover letters will be provided and followed by the rest of the resume.

An Effective Cover Letter:

An effective cover letter is a 1-page introduction of your resume that has the ultimate goal of helping the job seeker get the first interview from a job advertisement. This is easier said than done as HR Managers have to go through quite a number of job applications. If your cover letter is rather formulaic and your only concern is that the printing is smudge-free, then here are more useful tips:

Basics:

Be careful to direct your resume to the right person. If you address the wrong person in your cover letter, you may not get a response. Along the same lines, quote the correct reference number that is highlighted in job advertisement and ensure that you have applied for the correct position that corresponds to your expertise.

Academic Qualifications:

In you cover letter, you should just state your highest relevant academic qualification. You need not get into the specifics like the grades of your final semester. An exception is if you have won an academic prize or attained a prestigious scholarship. The rest of your academic achievements can be placed after your cover letter.

Relevant Working Experience and Skills:

You can include a paragraph in your cover letter about how your relevant working experience will directly benefit the goals of the department. In this area you have to spend time researching about the company through the internet and offline materials.

Be A Team Player:

Your cover letter must not come across as an opportunity to highlight your achievements in isolation. You must communicate that you are a team player and are willing to undergo continual skills upgrading.

Overseas Travel:

With the current workplace interconnectivity, it will not be surprising if your job requires occasional overseas trip. If you are agreeable of this requirement, it will be appropriate if you state your willingness to travel overseas in the cover letter.

Do a Spell-Check:

Remember to run a spell-check to ensure that there are no grammatical mistakes in your cover letter. A good exercise is to print out a draft copy and scrutinize for mistakes.

Get that First Interview:

This point sounds rather superfluous but your cover letter has to help you get an interview. It will not help if you provide a wrong contact number or appear to be too busy to come for an interview.

Do not be critical:

Do not be critical about your previous employer or your previous work environment. It is more forward-looking and professional to explain about how your previous job has provided you with relevant working experience.

2) The Rest of Your Resume

State your Academic Qualifications in Chronological Order:

It is important to state your academic qualification in chronological order for ease of viewing. It is also optional to send photocopy of exam results. Your interviewer will request them during the interview.

State Relevant Training Courses:

It will be advantageous for you to state the relevant training courses that you have attended. This will signal to your prospective employer that you are proactive in upgrading your skills and directly improve the productivity of your organization.

Referees:

Your choice of referees is crucial in providing extra information about your abilities. Remember to inform your referees that they may be called to furnish information. It is advisable to provide their email addresses if they are frequently outstation.

Broadcast your website:

You can provide the link to your personal website to add more information about yourself. An added benefit is that you can provide links from your site that you feel will help your boost your chances. A good example is to include your feature in the newspapers/magazines. However, your site should not be a replica of your resume.

About The Author

Colin Ong TS is the Managing Director of MR=MC Consulting (http://www.mrmc.com.sg) and the Founder of the 12n Online Professional Networking Community (http://www.mrmc.com.sg/12n) - colin@mrmc.com.sg

---

Make Your Resume Keyword Rich and Scanner Friendly

If you haven't looked for a job recently, there are... Read More

How To Take The Pain Out Of Performance Reviews

The Painful ApproachFor many years, "performance management" was of an... Read More

Is Your Job Search Guided by the Controller or the Controllee?

I'll define what I mean by these terms. "The Controller"... Read More

Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself!

Interview Question, "Tell Me Something About Yourself?""Tell me about yourself"... Read More

How to Become a Successful Freelance Translator

After completing their translation training programmes at higher professional education... Read More

How to Become a Real Estate Agent

If you're wondering how to become a real estate agent,... Read More

Passing The Police Test Just Became Easier

You've taken the police officer selection test or law enforcement... Read More

Why Human Resources Are The Real Key To Success In This Information Age

The rapid changes that have mainly been brought about by... Read More

Ten Great Careers For Computer ?Geeks

The universal acceptance of computers into our daily lives, both... Read More

Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd

When there is an opening to fill, a company has... Read More

Career Change - Creating Wealth & Happiness

Whether you have a business idea or not, here's what... Read More

Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses

You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions... Read More

Theres No Need to Pad Your Resume

It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your... Read More

Get a Raise: How To Ask Your Boss For More Money

How many people do you know who think they deserve... Read More

What is Absolutely the Best Day to go on a Job Interview?

First of all, to fully understand and appreciate the answer,... Read More

How to Negotiate The Best Salary and Benefit Packages

Salary and Benefits NegotiationOne of the most difficult aspects of... Read More

What Exactly Online Recruitment Agencies Do?

Any online recruitment agency can help you to submit for... Read More

Personal Contacts: The Key to Successful Networking

When the word "networking" is used, we tend to think... Read More

Stop Whining and Ask For What You Want!

When you want something, the best way to get it... Read More

Searching for an Executive Job

A job search for executives is far less complicated today... Read More

Overcoming the 7 Roadblocks Women with Families Face Making Career Changes

Family is the driving force of our lives. You need... Read More

An Unexpected Career Direction

My starting point was how to draw on 25 years... Read More

Retirement: Is It A Career Change Option?

Retirement might be the answer when you ask yourself "why... Read More

Defining Success Your Way!

In my career advising practice, I often find that my... Read More

7 Steps to Effective Communication

The success of any business or organization depends largely on... Read More

Tackling Your Unemployment Creatively

Are you unemployed or been laid off? You are not... Read More

Ebook Review: Winning a Job is Easier with Job Secrets Revealed

IntroductionThere are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of... Read More

How to Use Flow In The Job Search

What is "flow"? Flow as described by the psychology professor... Read More

Evaluating Job Offers -- Eleven Warning Signs You Must Watch Out For

Moving into a new job always involves some degree of... Read More

Behaviour To Climb The Stepping Stones To Career Success

The heading of this article could just as well have... Read More

How to Know if You Are in the Right Career

Ever wonder if you are in the right career? If... Read More

Kick-In-The-Pants Job Search

Believe it: three obstacles will hold you back from your... Read More

So You Want To Be a Nurse When You Grow Up?

You're interested in becoming a nurse. How do you get... Read More