PROFESSIONAL RESUME BUILDING

PROFESSIONAL RESUME BUILDING. Definition of Resume: A resume provides a summary of your education, work history, credentials, and other accomplishments and skills. There are also optional sections, including a resume objective and career summary statement. Resumes are the most common document requested of applicants in job applications.

A resume should be as concise as possible.

Typically, a resume is one page long, although sometimes it can be as long as two pages. Often resumes include bulleted lists to keep information concise.
Components of a Resume:

1. Contact details:

Name, address, email and telephone number, clearly displayed,
Is the email address appropriate?
Is the message on the mobile phone appropriate?

2. Career Objective:

Only include this if the job applying for
Is part of career plans?
Example: To gain experience in office administration before studying for a Bachelor of Business in 2012.
Is related to something you are passionately interested in.
Example: To use my many years of horse management and riding experience to assist in the care of performance horses.
Don’t include a career objective if you just want to “get a job” that has no relation to your interests, career plans, or prior experience.

3. Education:

Your school and current year level.
If your grades are good include them. If they aren’t it is better to leave them out.

4. Achievements:

These important aspects of your life tell a prospective employer a lot about you.
This is not the time to be modest or to underestimate what you have achieved.

Try to write your achievement statements starting with a strong verb eg Achieved, Created, Lead, Managed, Won, Assisted, and Awarded.

Awards
Leadership positions in school and sport
Certificates
Special responsibilities
Membership of Associations, Choirs, Service Groups eg lifesavers
Membership of sporting teams and years of involvement
Achievements in the Arts – Music, Art, Drama

5. Skills

Languages
High level of mathematical ability
Musical ability
Technology Skills
Basic computer use – Indicate the level
Advanced computer skills.
1. Graphics
2. Photoshop
3. Video editing
4. Excel
5. Solving hardware problems
6. Solving software problems
7. Programming
Other technology skills
1. Electronics
2. Film making

6. Work Experience:

a) Paid work:

Any work that you have done for an employer where you had to give them your tax file number.
Include
Job title
Name and address of employer
Dates that you worked for them eg Jan 2009 – April 2020
Responsibilities

b) Informal work:

Helping in a family business, pet care or gardening, school work experience.
Include
Job title
Name and address of employer
Dates that you worked for them. Example; Jan 2009 – April 2020
Responsibilities

c) Volunteer work:

Fundraising, door-knocking for recognized charities such as Red Shield Appeal, caring for elderly relatives or neighbors, assisting at a school or church function.

7. Interests:

Let them know something about you as an individual. Example: singing with a band, running in fun runs, surfing.
Modeling, fashion or shopping doesn’t interest to list….unless you are looking for work in a fashion retail store and then it would be important to mention these interests!

GROUP DISCUSSION:

Definition:

Group discussion is an important activity in academic, business, and administrative spheres.
It is a systematic and purposeful interactive oral process.
Here the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings takes place through oral communication.
The exchange of ideas takes place in a systematic and structured way.
The participants sit facing each other almost in a semi-circle and express their views on the given topic/issue/problem.

Differences between Group Discussion and a Debate:

Debate is competitive while group discussion is a cooperative group process.
In a debate, a speaker can speak either ‘for’ the topic or ‘against’ the topic whereas in a GD, the speaker can express both.
The final decision or result in a debate depends on voting while in a GD, the group reaches a generally accepted opinion.

Expectations of the Panel conducting Group Discussion:

The following qualities of the candidates who are participating in the Group discussion are tested.

Team player
Reasoning
Leadership
Flexible
Assertiveness
Initiative
Creativity (out of the box thinking)
Inspiring ability
Listening

Phases in a GD:

Initiation/introduction
The central group discussion
Summarization/conclusion

What to do in a GD?

Speaking is important; do not sit silently. Speak freely.

Do not monopolize the conversation or talk too much.
Give everyone a chance to speak.
Maintain eye contact with everyone in the group.

Show active listening skills.

Do not interrupt anyone while they are speaking.
Keep the topic on track and don’t be irrelevant.

Encourage someone silent to talk.

Do not argue with anyone.
Do not debate with anyone, while the group looks on.
Do not repeat what has been said; be attentive; try to develop on ideas expressed or give out new ideas.

Clarify your doubts and then proceed. Be brief.

Do not commit grammatical errors while talking.

Some topics for Group Discussion:

Terrorism in India
Religion should not be mixed with politics
Morals & Values among Indians is Degenerating

FACING THE PERSONAL (HR & TECHNICAL) INTERVIEW:

An interview is a physical interface between the interviewer and the interviewee to assess the interviewee’s potential for a purpose.
Remember that your interaction with the company office is a formal one.
This should be evident in your manner and clothes.
One should not show a sloppy attitude or try to be humorous.
In terms of knowledge, you should show your awareness of your field (make sure you revise your textbooks) and awareness about the world (by reading newspapers and magazines).
Be thorough in your approach and make sure you prepare for the interview comprehensively.
Start preparing for your interviews well in time so that you have enough time to review your subject knowledge and increase general awareness.
The degree or the level to which you are prepared is an important factor.
A compromise on this front could mean a lifetime compromise on your career.

Recruitment processes generally follow two rounds of interviews.

These two interview rounds are as follows:

Technical Round:

Technical interviews go beyond personal interviews as they test the subject learning of the candidate.
What have you learned during your four years in an engineering college?
Can you clearly explain some important concepts?
Can you apply these concepts in the practical world?
These are some of the questions that are tested in the technical part of the interview process.
Interviewers will try to ascertain the level of your seriousness during the technical interview.
You may be asked to explain certain things you have learned during college.
At times, you may be even asked to draw diagrams or solve questions during the interview.
It is a viva where you have to demonstrate your learning.
Go over your textbooks carefully and revise the concepts that you may have learned in the first or second year.
Do not leave out anything.
Or at least some common concepts must be absolutely clear.
If you are a mechanical engineer, for example, make sure you know all the ratios correctly.
Carry copies of your project work that you may have done and also show your comfort level in the work done.
Do not, if asked, say that you did not know much about the project or that it was just a theoretical one and that there are no applications of it.
In case you have not taken it seriously, take a look now.
Demonstrate that what you have done was important to you and it also has wider application.
But then also keep in mind that if you do not know an answer, do not bluff.
Accept your shortcoming and simply say, “I don’t know sir.”

HR Round:

In the HR Interview, many students face difficulties, simply because they have not thought about their ambitions and themselves.
Before you appear for campus placement interviews, you should introspect and know yourself.
Be articulate as to where you see yourself in 10-20 years.
Describe your dream and ambition clearly.
Do not show that you are taking up the job merely to gain experience and will shift as soon as you get a better one.
Give thought to your goals and be clear in your mind.
If you are not convinced about these, how will you convince anyone else about your future?
An interviewer generally tests your communication & interpersonal skills, your intelligence, enthusiasm, maturity, flexibility, and leadership skills.
He/she can also test your problem-solving skills.
Also, an interviewer wants to know how much knowledge you possess beyond your respective core field.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN INTERVIEW:

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why you are interested in working for our company ?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16. Discuss your resume.
17. Discuss your educational background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work holidays/weekends?
23. How would you deal with an angry customer?
24. What are your salary requirements?
25. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
26. Who are our competitors?
27. What was your biggest failure?
28. What motivates you?
29. How do you handle the pressure?
30. What is the name of our CEO?
31. What are your career goals?
32. What gets you up in the morning?
33. What would your direct reports say about you?
34. What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
35. Are you a leader or a follower?
36. What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
37. What are your hobbies?

PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS:

Psychometric tests are a standard and scientific method used to measure an individual’s mental capabilities and behavioral style.
Psychometric tests are designed to measure candidates’ suitability for a role based on the required personality characteristics and aptitude (or cognitive abilities).
They identify the extent to which candidates’ personalities and cognitive abilities match those required to perform the role.

Employers use the information collected from the psychometric test to identify the hidden aspects of candidates that are difficult to extract from a face-to-face interview.

Once the Human Resources manager, or person/s in charge of hiring, ascertains that you have fulfilled the initial requirements for the position by reviewing your resume, they will then send out a letter with specific instructions for sitting the psychometric test.
The prime objective of this is to identify at an early stage those job applicants who are unlikely to fill the requirements of the position on offer and
consequently narrow the applications further.

Some job applicants believe that the psychometric test is not a good measure to assess their real abilities, personality traits, and suitability for the job.

However, the psychometric tests are statistically examined and are constructed to be objective and unbiased.
This is done by using standard methods of assessment so that everyone is presented with the same questions and instructions for completing them.
Psychometric tests are very reliable in predicting candidates’ performance, and in most cases, the test report provides an accurate evaluation of the applicant. However, this doesn’t say that with good preparation you can’t improve your suitability for a job.

MOCK INTERVIEW:

Definition:
A Mock Interview is an imitation interviewing session of an actual interview, which can be conducted by anyone who has little knowledge about the respective industry of the candidate’s interest.
The interview tries to emulate an actual interview as closely as possible and aims to provide the candidate with relevant experience.
With such a session, the candidate can learn and react to situations that are expected to happen during the real interview.
Generally, these sessions are videotaped, as the candidate is shown with the tape once the interview is completed.
Such interviews can be organized by career services for freshers, or alumni, or even by friends and relatives.

Importance of Mock Interview:

The main focus of the mock interview is to figure out self-knowledge, industry knowledge, behavioral competencies, skills proficiency, and more such aspects of the candidate.
It is an excellent tool to practice for an interview for freshers, due to its worth even a few experienced professionals prefer a mock interview before they finally go for the genuine interview round.
Mock interviews present the candidates with a fair idea of things and elements that they are going to experience during an actual interview round.
Being a fresher, attending such an interview program can provide you with more other benefits as follow:

Advantages of Mock Interview:

1. Helps in reducing anxiety and stress related to the interview:

The interview is almost similar to an exam.
And, the fear of answering unknown questions and meeting unfamiliar faces, normally generates lots of stress.
The mock interview offers you a great opportunity to test your responses to such questions.
You can even opt to hire a skilled interviewer if you wish to secure feedback that is precise yet friendly.
If you have someone experienced in the same industry in which you hold interest, then hiring him as an interviewer can be fruitful for you.

2. Greatly supportive in boosting candidate’s confidence:

The main aim of mock interviewers is to focus on and highlight the candidate’s strengths.
They also focus on correcting the candidate’s weaknesses or weak points.
As a result of this, candidates get familiar with their strengths and skills and can secure a high confidence level.
They, therefore, perform well in their actual interview, keeping into consideration the failures during the mock interview session.

3. Offers you constructive feedback in a friendly manner:

No candidate is perfect, but a mock interview can help you to comprehend suitable responses to vital questions and also work on your weak areas.
In a real interview, there is no feedback given for your interview, but the mock interview can be your best opportunity to get prepared for your first-ever job interview. If you have given a couple of interviews previously, then such a session can help you understand the flaws that are coming in
between of your path to your dream job.

4. Excellent way to get prepared for behavioral-based interview sessions:

Even if you are a fresher, the company might outline a behavioral-based interview session for you.
Most of the time, companies judge the behavioral skills of a fresher through their body language.
So, as a fresher, it becomes extremely vital that you learn the right way to behave and react in an interview.
Conducting a mock interview will also help you to learn basic practices and ways that are expected by the interviewer during
the actual round.

Some Mock Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers:

1. How do you manage stress while you are working? Or, have you ever handled a stressful situation?

Answer. Stress is a vital element on which most freshers are tested. It is because, most of the time, freshers are not able to cope up with stress and, therefore, deliver unproductive results. So when you are asked such a question, it is very much essential that you are prepared in advance for your own, unique stress management techniques. A good answer can be, you speaking about any experience during which you effectively managed stress and deliver the same or high productive results.

2. Have you ever worked with a team or do you always prefer to work alone?

Answer. Being a fresher, you might not have got enough chances to work with a team but make sure you have at least one experience to share when you worked and performed well with a team. It would be great if you were the team leader, but even if you were a resourceful team member, then it will impress the interviewer. Make sure that you portray to the interviewer that you are a good team player. You should also convey that you are equally comfortable working with a team or working alone.

3. If the job requires traveling to distant locations, then will you be able to manage it?

Answer. Since you are a fresher, so the possibility is that you will have fewer responsibilities to look after. For this reason, the interviewer is always expecting a ‘YES’ to the answer to this question. In case you are not willing to travel due to any personal reason, so it is better that you clear this out during your interview session only.

4. Do you think you are a successful person? If yes, then why, and if no, then also give us a reason?

Answer. The answer to this question must always be a positive one. You should always consider yourself successful, and this is what that the interviewer is interested to listen. A good explanation for this can be the goals that you have achieved. You can even talk about upcoming goals which you will achieve soon as you are moving on the right track. It is because a person who can achieve his goal within his assigned time frame is considered successful by others.

5. What major accomplishments did you achieve during your course study program?

Answer. Since you are a fresher, so definitely you won’t possess any prior work experience. But surely you must have some accomplishments from your course program to discuss with others. You can speak about any completed project or when you were being awarded for excellent performance in a specific field and more such events. It is because the interviewer just wants to have an idea that whether you were a bright performer during your course study program or were you just another student in the class.