Resume Writing Advice
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/681/01/
(Click the links in the second and third sections for detailed information)
Resume Templates
Resume Samples
First Job Examples
Others
Example#1
Example#2
Example#3
Resume Guide Presentations:
Resume Writing Resume Writing for Students
Vocabulary for Resumes & CV's
English Club
Be Concise
Interviewees rambling on is one of the most common blunders Fogarty sees. "You really have to listen to the question, and answer the question, and answer it concisely," he says. "So many people can't get this basic thing down. You ask them a question, and they go off on a tangent. They might think you want to hear what they're saying, but they didn't answer your question."
Provide ExamplesIt's one thing to say you can do something; it's another to give examples of things you have done. "Come with a toolbox of examples of the work you've done," advises Fogarty. "You should come and anticipate the questions a recruiter's going to ask based on the requirement of the role. Think of recent strong strategic examples of work you've done, then when the question is asked, answer with specifics, not in generalities. You should say, ‘Yes, I've done that before. Here's an example of a time I did that…,' and then come back and ask the recruiter, ‘Did that answer your question?'"
Ask Great Questions
Another of Fogarty's interview tips is to come ready with good questions. He says nothing impresses him more than a really good question that not only shows you've researched the company in general, but also the specific job you're hoping to land in particular. "That makes me go, ‘Wow, this person has really done their homework. They not only know the company, but they know the role.'"
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: Ask a hundred recruiters what disappoints them most about the people they interview and I can safely predict the top answer - lack of knowledge of their organisation. And for lack of knowledge, they read lack of interest. Interview over.
Any degree develops research skills, so apply them to your job hunting and don't forget the social networks that provide so much inside information. Find out how the organisation you are applying for has developed in recent years, how its products or services and markets have changed, who its competitors are, what its ethos is and what the future holds. Then use that information intelligently. Interviews are not like Mastermind – regurgitating facts won't win any prizes. Instead, you need to demonstrate an understanding of what it all means for you as a prospective employee, what the challenges would be and the skills and attributes you'll need to make a positive contribution.
Be prepared to convince the employer you're perfect for them:Preparation for the big day is essential and key to this is knowing yourself and knowing the company. Before the interview, take the time to re-read your application and CV and identify what it is about you that makes you a great potential employee. Convince the employer that you are not just another job seeker by pinpointing the gems in your experience and creating a clear match between your goals and the employers goals.
First impressions are very important: Three-quarters of interviews are failed within three minutes of entering the room. Interviewers are put off by weak handshakes, a lack of eye contact, poor body language, poor posture (slumped shoulders suggest a lack of confidence) and a grim demeanour. You should shake hands firmly and warmly, but wait to be invited to sit down. Handshakes originated as a way for knights to show that they didn't have concealed weapons. They communicate sociability and friendliness: normally desirable qualities in candidates whereas weak handshakes may communicate introversion and shyness. At the start of the interview you should smile at and maintain good eye contact with the interviewer. Try to relax without perching on the edge of your chair, but don't slouch either. Speak clearly and not too fast. Give yourself a moment to think about your replies. Avoid fidgeting and using phrases like "you know" and "I mean".
Go one step further in your company research and you'll really impress: Inevitably, you will be asked at some stage during the interview why you want to work for the organisation you are applying to. This is a great chance to demonstrate your commercial awareness - an area lots of students struggle with at interview - but it will take a bit of preparation. Prior to the interview, contact one of the organisation's customers - you can most likely identify some through a simple internet search - and ask them questions such as: "What it's like to do business with company X?", "What makes them stand out?", "What do you think it would be like to work for them?", "What makes them successful (or not)?". And then at interview, by explaining the research that you've done and including their customer's responses in your answer, you're almost guaranteed to stand out from the crowd; not only will you be able to give evidence of your personal enterprise, your research skills and your genuine interest in the organisation, but also a strong sense of business acumen.
Be prepared to tackle competency-based interview questions:Most employers are looking for applicants to demonstrate a specific set of skills and competencies which they believe are essential to the job role, for example team work, communication, problem solving and time management. At interview, you are likely to be asked to give specific examples of times when you have demonstrated those competencies. Employers recognise that you might not have lots of directly relevant work experience, so when they ask these questions they will usually be happy for you to provide examples from any aspect of your life, such as your studies, part-time work, volunteering, interests or extra-curricular activities. So, before you go to an interview, check the job description for the skills and competencies required, then reflect on your experiences and think about examples that you could use as evidence.
A good answer will give a specific example, rather than vague generalisations, and will emphasise your role and actions. A tip to help you structure your answer is to use STAR, which stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result: briefly outline the situation and your task or objective, then provide details of what you actually did - your role and input. Finally, tell them what the result was - did you achieve your goal or deadline ? Be prepared for follow-up questions, which might ask for more details of what you did, or require you to reflect on the way that you approached the task.
Never leave an employer feeling the company is just one of many you are applying to: With competition for jobs at a premium, interviewees should ensure their answers to interview questions stand out. Avoid poorly-targeted and bland replies. Each organisation sees itself as unique and wishes to project its own identity, so never leave an employer feeling it is just one of many companies to which you are applying. Having made it clear what you admire about the company, explain how you meet its requirements and could contribute wholeheartedly to meeting its goals. Tailoring your replies in this way injects a personal touch that is convincing and brings results.
What you're really doing in an interview is living up to your promise: When it comes to interview advice, "just be yourself" is a popular cliché that sometimes makes students roll their eyes. For once, though, the cliché is true. It's natural to be nervous about interviews and waste energy worrying about what you don't know. However, the fact of being invited to an interview is definitive proof that the employer already believes you can do the job. If they thought you weren't good enough, they simply wouldn't waste their energy (or time and money) and on getting to know you. What an interviewer aims to do is find out whether what's written in your CV or application is genuine and how well you'll fit in. Are you as charming, intelligent and helpful in person as you seem on paper? Of course, they'll also be testing your understanding, motivation and ability, most often by asking you to talk them through examples of your experiences that showcase the attributes the job requires. You'll probably need to expand on what you've written and it's a good idea to have some new examples ready, too. But as long as you've been truthful, what you're really doing in an interview is living up to your promise.
More Job Interview Advice
http://esl.about.com/od/jobinterviewing/a/Job-Interviewing-Listening-Comprehension.htm
Job Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- What five adjectives describe you best?
- How would friends and professors who know you well describe you?
- What makes you stand out among your peers?
- What are your strengths? Best skills? What is your major weakness?
- Who is your personal and/or professional role model? Why?
- What are your career goals? Future plans?
- How did you find out about this job opening?
- What do you know about this company? Why are you seeking a position with our company?
- Why should we hire you for this job? What can you offer us that others cannot?
- What things are most important to you in a work situation?
- I see from your resume that you (studied, worked, went to...). Can you tell me more about your experience there?
- Give me an example from past experiences or a previous job where you have shown initiative.
- If you had a choice, would you prefer to work alone or as part of a team? Why?
- What salary are you expecting? What do you expect to earn in this position?
- Give me an example of an important goal that you set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
- What motivates you to do a good job?
- Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and employees?
- What are your most satisfying accomplishments?
- How have your educational experiences prepared you for for this position?
- Which university classes did you enjoy the most? The least?
- What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
- Tell me about the last time you made a mistake and how you corrected it.
- What would you say are the major technical skills needed for this position?
- Which pieces of software do you have experience with? How would you describe your skill level?
- How would you grade your ability to communicate with upper management, customers, and peers?
- I'm interested in hearing about the last time you took a risk. What was it and in retrospect, was it the right decision?
- What has been the most challenging experience of your life? How did you confront that challenge?
- What kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?
- Your supervisor tells you to do something that is ethically wrong. What do you do?
- In general, how do you handle conflict?
- How would you define a good working atmosphere?
- Would you be willing to work late hours and/or on the weekend?
- Would you prefer to work of a Korean company or an international company? Why?
- Do you have any questions for us?
Useful words for Resumes and Job Interviews
More words at:
http://www.wisconsinjobcenter.org/publications/9463/9463.pdf
Job skill collocations (words that go together)
Verbs that can be used to express responsibilities and tasks performed:
acted
accomplished
adapted
administered
advanced
advised
allocated
analyzed
applied
approved
arbitrated
arranged
assisted
attained
blended
brought
built
carried out
catalogued
changed
classified
collaborated
compared
completed
computed
conceived
conducted
constructed
consulted
contracted
controlled
cooperated
coordinated
corrected
counseled
created
dealt
decided
decreased
defined
delegated
derived
designated
detected
developed
devised
directed
discovered
distributed
documented
doubled
edited
encouraged
engineered
enlarged
escalated
established
estimated
evaluated
examined
expanded
experienced
explored
facilitated
finalized
formulated
founded
functioned
governed
grouped
guided
handled
harmonized
harnessed
headed
identified
implemented
improved
increased
indexed
initiated
inspected
installed
instituted
interpreted
introduced
invented
investigated
justified
led
localized
located
made
managed
maintained
mechanized
merged
moderated
motivated
negotiated
opened
operated
organized
originated
overcame
perceived
performed
pioneered
planned
prepared
presented
presided
processed
programmed
promoted
provided
purchased
raised
recommended
recorded
recruited
rectified
redesigned
repaired
replaced
restored
reversed
reviewed
revised
saved
screened
selected
serviced
set up
solved
sorted
sparked
specified
started
stimulated
strengthened
summarized
supervised
supported
systematized
tested
trained
transacted
transcribed
transformed
tripled
upgraded
validated
varied
verified
vitalized
won
wrote | Words to describe your qualities and skills
accurate
active
adaptable
adept
analytical
broad-minded
competent
conscientious
creative
curious
dependable
detail-oriented
determined
diplomatic
disciplined
discreet
efficient
energetic
enterprising
enthusiastic
experienced
fair
fast learner
firm
genuine
hard-working
honest
innovative
logical
loyal
mature
methodical
motivated
objective
outgoing
passionate
personable
pleasant
positive
practical
problem solver
productive
proficient
punctual
reliable
resourceful
self disciplined
self-starter
sense of humor
sensitive
sincere
studious
successful
tactful
team-player
trustworthy
versatile |
