1. Is your CV well structured, factual and concise so it conveys the experience and not blow by blow activities of each job?

2. Do you summarise what skills you have for the job you are applying for, rather than leaving it to the reader to extract the information?

3. Do you state why you should be given an interview? Sales people ask for the sale, so why don’t you ask for an interview?

4. Have references available, if you don’t want to disclose details, consider using quotes from your referees. Also, include reference details can be revealed at the interview stage.

5. Convey enthusiasm and drive in your wording, if you are not keen and eager, why should they be?

Hope the above points helps.

Enjoy

Robert Davison
Davison Consultancy.

I was involved in recruitment drives for a multinational company. Specially in this recession, you get hundreds/ thousands of resumes and often recruiters do a keyword search. So, if you don’t have enough keyword in your resume, you will not clear the first elimination itself.

I believe, at that point people start writing things that they don’t know about and the real honest candidate misses the first screening.

Thanks for sharing this article.

I’ve also discovered that using some tasteful creativity can help get you noticed more than a generic looking card. A friend with a long OTR Truck Driving history needed help. I made him a card with a tractor-trailer outline that had his name on the box – making it look very professional and adding his CDL lic. # along with his highest level credentials. He was working 2 weeks after he began using the cards.

Another friend didn’t have such good luck and after awhile I asked what he was doing or how he was using the cards only to find out that he’d never handed any out. He wasn’t comfortable with the approach. So your statement about making connections is very important.

Anytime the situation would make it awkward for you to use a resume, have a card ready and don’t be afraid to use it.

First, with hundreds of job seekers for every posting, the portfolio referred to in this article is extremely important to have. Almost does not matter what kind of job you want; figure out a way to create a portfolio to represent your best work. Most applicants will not have this on hand at the interview. Additional tip re the portfolio: when you get the call inviting you to the interview, ask with whom you will be meeting. If they say there will be only one person, think again. The likelihood is that you will meet with a panel. I doubt if many companies allow a single individual to conduct the initial interview any longer. That being the case – and this was the case with my last and most recent position – anticipate multiple interviewers. Instead of one portfolio, create three copies and plan on leaving them behind. I was told I’d be meeting with one person, and it wound up being a panel of three. When the moment came to present my portfolio of work samples, I was able to give each one their own copy to keep. Each binder cost a few bucks, but it was a priceless moment and went a long way in landing the job. Same thing happened at the last interview. Told I would be meeting only with the director, I made up two more portfolios. Guess what: there were two interviewers at the final interview.

One more tip that I would give to anyone in any field. Join Toastmasters. Again, you are selling yourself at the interview. Employers want people who are articulate, composed, and confident. The Toastmasters is a very inexpensive way to enhance your verbal presentation skills. As you do so, your confidence level will rise. Low cost with a very high return on investment.

Concomitant with this, join an industry association or professional society and get involved. Volunteer for committees or even run for office. Just being a member does not cut it. Being an officer will give you credible, usable experience to add to your resume. In addition, you will be networking with movers and shakers in your field.

Good luck to all.

I think that companies that hire people online should at least have the common courtesy to respond with a “thank you for applying for this position” e-mail that isn’t canned. Not informing applicants makes them wonder if their resume has at least been read. I also worry about my resume just sitting in somebody’s inbox for weeks or months before getting deleted…or worse yet, some unknown entity receiving all of these resumes and doing god knows what with them.

In speaking with people in various stages of employment/unemployment, most people truly believe that networking in this economy is the way to open doors…and get past the “gatekeeper” – the automated system looking for key words or the HR rep who can’t think outside the box of what the hiring manager says they want.

In my culture there’s a saying: “Whatever happens is for the better” and I, personally so many times in my life received evidence of that being true. This world is challenging you all the time, so why not to pick up the pieces and challenge it back?

P.S. I found one great video in this blog that suits the case perfectly.