Jobs and Careers 4u - 7

Job Interview Skills Enhancement Tactics

Facing an interview board sends ripples down the spine of many confident youngsters. In the nervousness and trauma of whether being able to meet the expectations of the selection board, many candidates fail to perform as per their ability. The result is a failed interview. There are many professionals who still suffer from the anxiety of job interviews and as a result are often hesitant to face any job interviews and avoid any kind of changes in the job. But this is not desired. If the able candidates receive a little bit of guidance and training on how to face job interviews they can really perform well and fair much better and give a boost to their career. Training and guidance to face the job interview board results in many successful interviews.

There can be many kinds of job interview communication tips that can be helpful for a candidate. It is best to have a practice session of the interview. Candidates can practice answering question which are probable and are usually asked my most employers. A candidate is usually asked to describe his skills, so it is best to practice describing your technical as well as non technical skills well in advance. A candidate can prepare some things in advance, so that he is not embarrassed later on. In a job interview, interviewers usually ask about the company and why he chooses the company. So it is advisable to know something about the company in which you are trying for an interview. It is good to relate what ever is known about the company, when answering specific questions.

Candidates should always be on time for any job interview. Its better to reach at least half an hour before the scheduled time of interview, so that slow and steady concentration can be developed. If a candidate is late it is a bad impression about the candidate. Its important to be calm and relaxed in any job interview. Any kind of nervousness or restless or even inappropriate behavior, such as too much talking can be against the candidate. Patience is a key factor. It is important to keep an eye contact with the interviewer no matter what the situation is. This can be a sign of confidence and will surely help the candidate. Even if the candidate is well versed with the subject of interview, it is important to listen to the entire question that is being asked. Concentrate on what is being asked-if the candidate forgets the question, it can be a real embarrassment.

Job interview communication tips usually lay a lot of stress on etiquette and mannerism during the interview. Frowning, disinterest, restlessness, stumbling and mumbling is certainly undesired. It shows lack of motivation and inability to concentrate and pay attention for the candidate. A smile and a courteous greeting to the board of interviewers while entering the meeting certainly creates a good impression. An occasional nod while listening to the interviewer shows concentration and understanding along with understanding skills. If these job interview communication tips are followed it certainly helps the candidates to succeed in the interview board

Jobs and Careers 4u - 6

How to Manage Salary Negotiations

Whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to make financial gains at the one you’re at, you may find that at some point you’ll need to make a salary negotiation. But how can you do it if you never have before?

It’s not as difficult as you may think. In fact, in many ways it can be similar to any other business transaction. So if you’ve been thinking that it’s time to get a raise, or ask for a specific salary with a new job, take a look at some ways to get it done.

Approaching the Employer

Probably one of the most challenging prospects of negotiating your salary is deciding how to approach an employer. It can feel very intimidating to tell a company how much you want them to pay you. But this task is easier if you keep in mind that you’re simply expressing your desire to be paid based on your skills and ability to perform.

So when is the right time to make the approach? If you’re in the process of accepting a new position, then the right time is when you reach that point in the conversation. However, if you’re looking to ask for a raise with your current employer, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve explored the reasons that you feel it’s time to increase your pay (years employed, responsibilities fulfilled, etc.). When you’re ready to approach your boss you can simply ask for a meeting to discuss your salary. Then openly and honestly discuss the reason you feel it’s time to increase your pay.

How Much to Ask For

The amount you should ask for will vary widely based on your field and the position you’re in/seeking. This means it will be important for you to conduct some research to determine how much individuals with your level of education/experience in the position you’re in/seeking are typically paid.

Also, the city you live in can make a difference. For instance, someone living in New York City might expect to make much more working as a Human Resources Recruiter than someone living in Nashville, Tennessee. There are a number of books and websites that can help you get an idea of what you might want to ask for within the parameters of your specific circumstances. So be sure to conduct your research to make sure you’re not asking for too much or too little.

What Else You Need to Know

If you find that the salary you hoped for is not agreed upon, you don’t have to give up hope. There are other factors like healthcare benefits, additional vacation days and bonuses that you may be able to adjust to create a financial equivalent. But if you are surprised with an offer that equals or surpasses what you planned to ask for, don’t be afraid to still negotiate. You may find that you may be able to sweeten the pot even more.

Engaging in salary negotiations can seem like a fierce battle, but they typically are not. If you go in with an idea of what you want to make and the reasons why, you will most likely come out making more than you thought you would.

Jobs and Careers 4u - 5

What information do you include in your resume?

A resume is an important document which should include as much of your personal information as possible. In fact it is your life history. You should gather all the required information as shown below.

a) Personal Information.
This document should include as much of your personal details as you could possibly be able to gather. You should include your full names, address, you’re your telephone contacts (home number and cell phone number). In USA and Canada the date of birth and your marital status is not included in the resume, this is not so in other countries ,they are included as your part of personal information.
b) Objective statement.
This is a brief statement stating your strong point in a summarized form.
c) Education and Other qualifications.
You should list your qualifications and education backgrounds on your resume. If your education history is up to the university level, you don’t need to list the high school you attended unless it is relevant to the job you are seeking. If you are a recent graduate from the university or equivalent, it is advisable to list the courses you studied if they are relevant to the job you are applying for.
d) Courses you are trained in.
You should always list all work related training courses you took part in, together with all certificates or qualifications you obtained. Only list the important training courses and leave out the less important ones.
e) Working experience
Start with the most recent or the last jobs and move backwards and for each position list your job title and the job title of the person you were reporting to. Include the date you started and when you finished in each job. Also remember to include your responsibilities in each job you held. Quantify all your achievements if you could. Don’t fail to include all other information which is relevant to your next job.
f) Other Experience.
If you studied a computer course and you are skilled in it, don’t fail to include it. If you have a foreign language skill which will be relevant to the job you are applying for ,include it and indicate whether your skills are spoken, written or are business related. The skills to be listed should only be the ones which are relevant to the job you are applying for.
g) Interest and Hobbies
A list of all your interests, hobbies and sports you have taken part in should be listed. You should list the position, achievements and responsibilities endowed on to you while you were an active member of a club or an organization.
h) References
It is not a must that you have to list a number of referees but it is important to list them, at least two of them.
i) Summary
On this list your major strengths, skills, personal qualities and achievements.

Well, that is all you have to include on your resume to make it successive. Lastly, be as much truthful on your resume as you can, because lying will get you nowhere. You may get invited for an interview, but you will never get the job.

Jobs and Careers 4u - 4

Things you should not include on your resume

When constructing a resume, there are various things you should never include in it. These items are such as:
I. Your photo
Any type of your photo should never appear in your resume. The only people who are allowed to attach their photographs include actresses, air cabin crew, actors and models.
II. Poor quality photocopies of your resume.
These make it look like you are sending off your resume to a lot of companies or organizations and that you are not too bothered who you really want to work for. They portray you badly to your prospective employer. Bad photocopies will make you look like you are not a decisive person and no employer will employ you if you can’t make a concrete decision as to who you want to work for or offer your services to.
III. If you are seeking a scientist work, don’t include a list of publications you have published unless you are asked to or asked for.
IV. If you failed in you exams, marriages, businesses, past interviews and other failures, don’t include them in your Curriculum Vitae. These will in fact impact negative on your bid to get employed.
V. Information about your salary history.
If an advertised vacancy requires you to state your salary expectations, include this in your cover letter and not in your resume. If you include this in your resume, it will only be used to reject your application.
VI. Leave out all irrelevant details such as your age, date of your birth, weight, height, health and others. They will only make your resume appear unprofessional which will in turn make you fail in your application bid.
VII. When it comes to borders and other patterns, refrain from using any fancy ones. They will only detract your presentation.
VIII. Do not bind, or make you resume as a folder because they are usually not necessary-a resume should be a one or two paged document hence binding it is quite unnecessary. If you are doing a special representation, enclosing your resume in a folder or in a binder will be necessary though.
IX. Never ever state the reasons for leaving your past jobs.

For any resume writer, paying attention to the above don’ts will always pay good dividends. You will not only be invited for interviews, but you will get employed in your preferred area of specialization.

Jobs and Careers 4u - 3

Winning resume-How do you write one?

The first contact between you and a prospective employer is your curriculum vitae or what we call a resume. When they pick your resume from a bunch of many others, there is usually a 5-30 second window of opportunity that you will be invited for an interview. Thus, it is of paramount importance to write a professional resume which should easily sell you to your future employers. The problem with this is that, the majority of job- seekers don’t have a clue as to how to write one. They end up loosing on any window of opportunity that may arise.

When it comes to writing resumes, there is only one way to do so. Studies and experience have proved that there is only one way to write a winning resume. This correct and the only right way is easier, time saving and more likely to land you your dream job. Below are a few tips on the correct way to write a resume.

o Honesty.
It does not pay to lie on your resume, yes, it may get you to the interview stage but you won’t get the job. The benefits of lying are short-term, you will get caught once your prospective employer runs a thorough check on your background and on your references. Never exaggerate your abilities on a resume, it will simply work against you once you get the job. You won’t be able to perform, so be frank on your abilities and only put down on what you satisfactorily perform.

o It should be professionally done.
Don’t write your nick name as your real name or if you have a fancy email don’t put it down, it will simply turn off any potential employer hence losing a prospective job. Your fancy email or your comical nickname maybe funny to your friends but they will never give you a job.

o Include everything on your resume.
Write out everything you have ever accomplished career-wise on your resume. If your work experience is twenty years, include it but summarize the whole resume to one or two pages. A two paged resume is the most acceptable.

o Your resume should follow the correct order.
The resume should always start with its name, your Name and address, Object, Summary, Work experience, Education, Skills, Affiliation and certifications. This sequence should never be charged for whatever reason.
 Write down your address and real name. It should never appear or be placed in the header or footer of your resume.
 The object on your resume should be four or fewer words. The object of your interest is the job you are trying to get and should not be anything else. If it is a marketing manager’s job, the object should be “Marketing manager’s job.”
 Your professional work experience should be listed in reverse chronological order and you should account for any significant period of unemployment. Any career accomplishments should be supported.
 When it comes to education, all that is needed is the highest levels reached.
o Simplify the resume and don’t use tables when formatting it.
Always use clear and easy to read fonts when writing your resume. This makes your curriculum vitae more appealing and professional. The more complicated the font is, the higher the chances of your potential employer losing interest on your resume. The use of tables will simply put off a potential employer, so don’t use them at all.
Note:
The resume should never exceed two pages, rather it should always be one or two paged document. If you have more materials to write down, simply summarize them to two pages.

And they say it is hard and complicated to write a resume, oh no, it is not! Simply use the above tips when designing and writing your resume, and, I can assure you success on your job-hunting endeavors.

Jobs and Careers 4u - 2

Resumes Types

When writing a resume, it is always good to take your time, think about your work experience and the kind of a job you are looking for. There are numerous types of resumes available. If you are re-entering the job market, the type and the format of your resume is quite different from the one you would construct for a freshly college graduate. It would also be different from one a person who had been working continuously would format. An individual who is charging careers would opt for a different type and format. Below is a summary of the different types of resumes a person may opt to construct.

Skills-based resume
This is the type of a resume allows the writer to group their work history by skills and not by places or dates of employment. The writer is able to highlight the most important skill they possess, starting with the most pertinent experience instead of the most recent working experience. These types of resumes are best suited for people who are re-entering the job workforce, the first timers in the workforce and do not have the relevant working experience. It is also useful for people who are changing their careers. This is because they can list the most relevant skills to the job they are applying for when they are writing the resume.

When writing the resume, ensure you write a clear objective statement that will explain how your skills relate to the job you are seeking. Ensure you include a career summary. This will explain why you are changing your career or seeking re-employment. The general format is as follows;
 Header which should include the name, address, phone numbers, email.
 Objective statement
 Career summary
 Skills grouping
 Places of employment list which should include employer names, locations and dates of employment.
 Your educational background which should include the schools name, location and your grades or score.

Chronological resumes.
This is the type of resume which you list your work and educational history chronologically. It is the most common type of a resume. You list your achievements in different positions and not what your job responsibilities entailed. When constructing these resumes, you quantify your career accomplishments and summarize any information which you think is of a less value to your job-hunting efforts. When writing this type of a resume, the format to follow is as listed below;
 Header with your name, physical address, phone numbers and email
 Statement of objectivity
 Career and skills summary
 Reverse chronological career listings which should include your employer location and name.
 Your educational background

Functional resumes
This is a type of a resume bears very close resemblance to the skills-based resume. It can be very helpful to newly qualified graduates and people seeking re-employment. For those who worked in different work places in a short period of time, a functional resume can assist in avoiding you being labeled a job-hopper. Even for those who held temporary and contract positions, a functional resume will help in highlighting the skills they gained while in these jobs. The style lets you explains how your previous work and educational background has provided you with the appropriate background for the job opportunity you are applying for. Here you list the jobs according to what you think is the most relevant one leaving the irreverent ones out. You will also list a summary of all your past employers accordingly. You should also include an objective statement in your resume.

You should format it as follows:
 Header with all your personal information
 Objective statement
 Careers and skills summary
 Career listings according to relevance to the position applied for.
 The history of all your past employment, listing your employers and the dates of employment.
 Educational history

Combination resumes
As the name suggests, this is a combination of chronological, functional, and skills formats. It marries all kinds of resumes types in one document. It is useful to new job-seekers as well as to the old workers who are in need of a new job. The format highlights your strongest credentials. It is quite helpful to people who have employment gaps because it lets them focus on what they achieved while employed. The objective statement should be included. The layout to follow is as highlighted below;
 Header with all your personal information.
 Objective statement
 All your career summary
 Skills summary
 Reverse chronological career listings
 Educational history

Video resumes
These are not very popular but as time goes by they will become the in-thing. Job listing sites such as Jobster and vault.com let job applicants to post video resumes online. Word of caution though, make sure you can use your video before you post it online. Resume videos should be well tailored and should relate to the job you are applying for. This will help in getting the attention of your prospective employers. To make the video resume, make sure you dress up appropriately, speak clearly and do not make distracting motions. Just like for the paper resumes, begin with your name, address, and email address. Next, list your educational background, qualifications which should be relevant to the job you are applying for. Don’t forget to mention any special skills you may possess. End the video resume by re-stating your name, and remember to thank the watchers of your video.


There you are, these are but a few resumes types you may choose while constructing your resume. Good luck!

Jobs and Careers 4u - 1

What is A Resume

A resume is the term used to describe the history of your life. It is also called a Curriculum Vitae which is generally abbreviated as a CV. Sometimes, some people mistakenly write it in the lower case as a cv or c.v. This is a mistake which should never happen, it should always be written in the upper case as a CV or C.V and not the other way round. The resume is a very important document on which all your hopes and career dreams rest upon. Your promotion to the next career ladder, a better position which is more challenging but with a better pays all lies on the way you design your resume. In fact your resume represents the best you have to offer. It should therefore ensure that you do not miss out on that job you saw and thought is the best bet for you.


Employers nowadays receive a lot of resumes once they advertise for a vacant position in their organizations. They receive resumes from hundreds of applicants. So, in order for them to even consider you, your CV or resume should be unique. It should stand out from among the many received resumes so that at least, you will receive an interview invitation. Unfortunately, most people do not have the know-how as pertains to writing a winning resume. They will often spend little time possible while preparing their resumes. This ensures that no interview invitation will ever come their way. Writing professional resumes is a skill which people must acquire or learn in order to get themselves being invited for interviews, which in turn, will lead to the jobs of their dreams.

And of course, even after your resume has landed you a job of your dream, it should continue to be useful piece of a document. It should continue to work in your favor for future job applications even after obtaining you a job interview. The document will always help you at an interview by carefully focusing the interviewer’s attention on your strong points and achievements leaving out your weak points. Even after the interview is over, it will continue to work on your favor because the interviewer will most likely re-read it before making a decision as to who to offer the job to.

After you have been offered the job, the resume will help in pay negotiations because a well written document will always give out your full worthiness. You are more likely to get a fatter check with a well written resume, than you will get with a poorly written one. So take your time when writing your document and the result will always pay higher dividends.