Sharpen Your Arms

Sometimes we are getting frustrated about job purpose and desperately try to find out the wrong factors. We think about our CGPA, smartness, even geographical status. But unfortunately, we do not notice our fundamental theorems which are related to resume, CV, Bio-Data, Cover letter, and so on. So we have named this article “Sharpen Your Arms”.

Resume, CV, and Bio-Data

Resume:

Resume is a French word meaning “Summary”. A resume is ideally a summary of one’s education, skills, and employment when applying for a new job. It thus is usually 1 or at the max 2 pages long.

• Summary of something.

• A resume is a written document that lists your work experience, skills, and educational background.

• The goal of a resume is to make an individual stand out from the competition.

CV (Curriculum Vitae)

Curriculum Vitae is a Latin word meaning “Course of Life”. It is more detailed than a resume, generally 2 to 3 pages, or even longer as per the requirement.

A CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a marketing document in which you are marketing something yourself, where you need to sell your skills, abilities, qualification, and experience to the employer. It strongly indicates the candidate’s professional experience.

The Intention of Your CV

• Contains a list or summary of

  • Educational Experiences

  • Qualifications

  • Work Experience

• Attracts Attention

• Creates a Good Impression

Bio-Data

Bio-Data is the short form for Biographical. In a Bio-Data, the focus is on personal particulars like date of birth, gender, religion, race, nationality, residence, marital status and the like.

So… CV & Resume

A CV & Resume is your essential marketing material. It tells prospective employers why you are a fit for the job and organization.

A CV should contain:

• Cover letter

• Basic contact information (mailing address)

• Educational Details

• Personal achievements/others

• Affiliation/Volunteering Experience

• Qualifications

• Linguistic Proficiency

• Personal/Field of Interests

• References

What should you include in your CV?

Career Objectives:

• Your career objective tells the employer what you are really looking for in a position.

• For teamwork job: i.e. I want to work in a team where we can take on new and exciting challenges.

Educational Qualifications:

• Should be written in a reverse chronological order

• With the percentage of marks and name of the Institutions

• Year of passing

Awards:

• Awards demonstrate your achievements to your employer

• Forget about any awards you received prior to 7 years

• Give the award details with quantifiable terms

Skill Sets:

• This section tells the employer what skills you have that fit the position they are looking for.

• Try to describe the skill you have and how you have demonstrated it. i.e. Keyboarding Skill – with wpm

• Communication skill – i.e., A member of the debating team at school

• Basic Computer Skills – i.e., Regularly use email to communicate with other people and the internet to research topics of interest.

Employment History:

• Part-time jobs – Teaching Assistant, data entry,

• You may have taken a position during your holidays.

• Position held, Responsibilities, Duration, and Key Achievements.

Voluntary Work:

• Some activities that you may have done on a voluntary basis.

• This area will help you to tell an employer how you have learned new skills, worked with a team and learned responsibilities for your assigned work.

For i.e.

– Volunteered library work

– Organizing educational tours

– Mobilizing fund for some disaster areas

– Community-based activities

Interests and Hobbies:

• In this section, you can demonstrate your strengths to an employer.

• If you have limited experiences, this is a valuable tool for demonstrating your abilities to an employer.

• For i.e., Puzzle solving, Playing any team games.

• Please avoid jokes and irrelevant hobbies such as gossiping, sleeping, etc.

References:

• This is the final part of the C.V.

• Include the names, organizations and contact numbers of people who can act as referees for you.

• Give them a call and ask their willingness to act as a referee for you.

Cover Letter

• Your formal introduction

• The First read, it can make or break your entry

• A must with your resume

Remember!

• 10 to 30 seconds is all the time an employer is going to give your resume in deciding to keep it or pass it on!

• Make sure to convince the employer you deserve that interview!

A successful Resume is:

• Easy to read and understand

• Not an autobiography

• Concise and straight to the point

• One or two pages

• Uses action verbs to describe your job-related experiences

• Free of errors- Spelling & Grammar

• Is presented in chronological order

Never include these on Resume:

• Personal, family or health information

• False information- fictions work experience and inaccurate dates

• Unprofessional e-mail address

• Irrelevant information

• Abbreviations and acronyms

• Fancy fonts, colors, format

• GPA – if it’s lower than 3.0

Reminders!!!

• Proofread for grammar and punctuation

• Check the spelling

• Get feedback from someone in the know

CV Writing Tips

• Focus on the job you want

• Emphasis on achievement and results

• Easy to read design and language

• Spelling mistakes are unforgivable

• Education or employment first

• Quantify every statement

• Ask someone to review your CV

DO’s

• Be brief – a two-page CV is ideal (maximum three pages).

• Prepare CVs for individual companies.

• Customize your CV/Resume for your job target

• Use action verbs/ positive words – it will create strong i.e. motivated, monitored, created, analyzed, coordinated, etc.

DONT’S

• Avoid folding your CV

• Don’t include irrelevant information – previous Salary, unproofed awards, prizes, and publications, etc.

• Say what you did, not what you think

• Personal information – marital status, religion, health, native place, etc.

• Avoid unusual font size, stylish letters, graphics, underlining and unusual spacing, etc.

• Avoid repeating information

• Avoid personal pronouns (I, my, me)

• Don’t outsource, do it yourself