Resume – The shortcut to a better first impression

Resume:

A Resume is a creative summary of your entire life, with your accomplishments put down as points. In short it's your sales pitch to convince the guy reading it that you're worth more than all the other people making him read their resumes.

It can be pronounced as one feels comfortable, because both the French pronunciation as well as the English is accepted everywhere these days.

Things to keep in mind:

· You want to get hired, so don't bore the guy reading your resume by using the same old format you see in every resume book.

· The employer will not be spending more than 2 minutes on your resume; in most cases, there will just be a 30 second glance. So manage all content to fit within 2 sheets, because a person who cannot stop talking about himself will probably not be that good at the things he claims to do.

Writing the resume:

· Resume is expected to be precise, concise and point-wise.

· If you are using Microsoft Word to write down your resume, then you can make use of the following format, because it has helped me a lot; but once again don't stick to a pattern, customize the resume for the interviewer's needs.

o Leave a one inch space for margin on all 4 sides

o Text of font Arial

o Main headings of font size – 12

o Content of font size 11

o Main headings boldened, and underlined

o All bullets to be represented as dots and not numbers

o 1.5 line spacing, all text justified

· Do not leave large gaps/empty spaces in your resume

· Don’t write the word resume at the top of your resume

Things to be included in a resume:

· Name, Address and contact details

· Objective statement

· Educational qualification

· Areas of interest

· Technical skills

o Professional Trainings and Projects

o Software Exposure

· Other Achievements (Relevant to the job)

· Interests and activities

· Skills and attributes

· Personal details

· Declaration

How to write each of the fields:

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to writing a resume. Each candidate will generally have his own style of writing.

It is a good practice to keep all things related to academics on the first sheet and include all other activities in the second sheet, because the employer may not even look at the second sheet while assessing a candidate. This also ensures that  you don’t leave blank spaces in-between your resume.

And Finally:

Begin the resume with your name in bold and set to font size 14

Immediately inset your Postal address after the name. In order to save space you can open a table and mention your landline, mobile number and email to the right side of the address. This also shows your skill at organization and makes the resume more presentable.

Objective Statement:

Write a brief objective statement that should state that you are looking for the betterment of the company as well as personal growth using your skills and resources offered by the company. One pitfall here is the use of overused words like "dynamic", "goal-oriented" etc. Let your interviewers come to that conclusion. Don't blow your own trumpet when they ask you for your objective.
Rule of thumb here is, look for what the employer wants from you in the job description and then use the same words they've used there. This way, if they're using filters to screen the number of likely candidates, your resume will get in!

Educational qualification:

This is written in the reverse chronological order for a fresher’s resume.

Technical skills:

In professional training and projects:

· Mention your project title, followed by a very short overview which must convey what was achieved by the project.

· Mention relevant academic achievements.

· Mention workshops attended if any, relevant to your course of study, which might have shown to enhance your academic enhancements.

· Mention if you have had any special training during an internship at a company, in-plant training.

· Mention summer camps only if they were of any major academic interests.

Software exposure:

All areas of study today include some or the other software, so mention the software with which you have been comfortable in the past. This field can include:

· Programming languages such as C, C++, JAVA, VB, Matlab...

· CAD and related drafting tools in mechanical and electronics.

· Web designing tools, Dreamviewer, Tally, Nudi, PHP, Photoshop, Corel draw, Google Earth etc.

Other achievements:

This field shows that you have the ability to handle something apart from curriculum.

· Mention all topics such as Typing lessons, Martial Arts, Music lessons/Instruments, Literary expertise, awards in Sports, science talent exams, Olympiads etc.

· This may also include doing honorary services, conducting club activities, organizing events etc.

Interest and activities:

Mention the sport you play in your leisure hours.

Mention your hobbies such as cooking, gardening.

If you are a very famous blogger then mention your core area of activity.

Skills and Attributes:

In this field you must mention what you are good at, or mention your strengths.

Mention if you are a good learner, an optimist, a good team player and if you are honest. (by default they expect these qualities from a candidate, so be prepared to justify each of these words if you mention them for instance they might as for a situation where you have been a good team player)

Personal details:

·        Mention your date of birth.

·        Age.

·        Spoken languages known.

·        Marital status.

·        Parents names.

Declaration:

The declaration part must include a statement that says that you have not lied in any of the details mentioned in the above parts.

The declaration is not mandatory, but the presence of one, makes the resume more authentic.

Sign below the declaration on the day of the interview.

Note:

• To be on the safer side, always get your resume corrected after you feel its complete. Show it to atleast 5 people before going to the interview.

• Make it a point to get all your spellings right.

• Expand all abbreviations.

• Make sure all the dates are right.

• Add references only if you have experience. How ever if asked be prepared to give references, it is best to keep 4 references ready 2 belonging to teachers and 2 from relatives.

• Yes your resume makes the first impression, but remember the rest is still up to you and you have to prepare well for the rest of the interview as well.

• Yes employers note the amount of effort you put into your resume.
• Don't copy resume from another person. In most cases it just doesnt serve the purpose.

Group discussion – Interview round

Group discussion

A group discussion or GD round is conducted to check the team effort of a candidate. This round is held generally after a personal interview, where the candidate’s communication skills have already been approved.

Group discussion is also an excellent opportunity to talk to a variety of people, each having their own views and opinions about a given topic, each having his/her own way of thinking and looking at a problem. So always keep in mind that at the end of the day you will be learning something or the other by the end of a discussion.

Remember that every person in the group discussion is just another human being, and that you will not be criticised for rising you voice against a certain issue.

You are not expected to be a leader in a group discussion. How-ever you can be a moderator, trying to balance the way a discussion goes.

Preparation:

·Put on formal dress, neatly polished shoes, comb your hair and put on a wrist watch make sure you have an awesome first impression for everyone.

·Try taking a mock group discussion in a forum, or you can have one with some really close friends.

·Sometimes, hosts might ask you to pick a topic, use this opportunity to give out a topic that you are really good at. Have topics in your arsenal.

·Make sure you have gone to the bathroom prior to the discussion. This can sometimes be a life saver. It also ensures that you can be at ease during the discussion.

Before the Group Discussion:

·Jot down points on a piece of paper. It is usually sufficient to write down words, that can be later related to the discussion.

·Make sure that you have looked at the topic at as many different perspectives as possible.

During a group discussion:

·Have good eye-contact with all candidates.

·Ignore people outside the group.

·Make sure the topic stays relevant.

·If you are good at notes, then note down significant points made by others in the group, to add to the points or contradict it later on.

·Make sure that you are open to all kinds of points during the discussion.

·Come up with effective solutions to the topic under discussion; also mention some effective solutions that prevail.

·You must always keep in mind that you will be able to relate the topic to a lot of other topics such as:

o   An instance from history

o   An instance from a movie, game, comic or cartoon.

Try to inspire others by quoting from these.

·Make sure you do justice to all the points that you come up with, during a group discussion.

·Never get angry or take things personally.

Suppose another person points to one of your statements:

·If you realize that his claims are wrong. Then you will have to add a stronger support to your point and prove him wrong.

·If you realize that his claims were right. Then you will have to apologize and think of a point that addresses the topic better.

·If you are not sure as to accept the point, then it is safe to just drop the issue and start a new point.

When to open a topic:

·You know the topic too well.

·You have already had a GD on the current topic,

·Your English is dam good and you are the kind of person who can sell anything to your buyers and have a convincing charm.

Suggestions:

·Enquire about the time limit.

·Give the group something to talk about.

·When a discussion has lost its track, bring it back to the right track.

·If you are really good at summarizing, then summarize the whole event in 1 or 2 minutes.

·Create an opportunity to a member who hasn’t spoken to the group yet.

·Display you knowledge of current affairs and cutting edge technology.

·Smile at everyone in the group.

·Adjust to the discussion depending on whether its an abstract or content specific topic.

·If you are interrupted, request the person with a polite “Excuse me” for your chance.

·Suppose you have not yet had a shot at an opening, use your facial expressions to indicate it and when you do get the opportunity, make sure you say something that is unique, huge and relevant.

·Share a personal experience about the topic only if you are absolutely sure that it fits into the discussion.

·Think of the group discussion as an opportunity where your ideas and opinions really count.

Don’ts

·Don’t look around the room.

·Don’t look at your watch.

·Don’t stare at a female/male in the group.

·Don’t interrupt another person.

·Don’t take a stand completely one sided approach... you might get into some pretty deep shit.

·Don’t hesitate to give out a point if your English is not as good as the next guy.

·Don’t remain silent through the group discussion. You will be eliminated.

·Don’t think of this as a competition, its supposed to be like a casual talk.

·Don’t click your pen unconsciously remember to keep it away from your hand during the discussion, clicking creates an irritation.

·Don’t pick your nose or scratch any part of your body.

·Don’t play with you pen.

·Don’t touch a group member by feet or hands.

·Don’t make up stuff.

·Don’t fold your arms.

·Don’t get emotional, or get carried away.


Finally, in my opinion:
1) Group discussion is the easiest way to ensure that you get the job. In this round the interviewer/mentor gets to know the kind of knowledge you possess in addition to your team effort.
2) Group discussion even if informal is the easiest to practice among the different stages of an interview, because all you need to do is discuss your opinion and come up with a solution that you think is practical.
3) Group discussion is the easiest best way to overcome stage fear and reach out to the world with just what you got inside of your head...




All the best for your group discussions... (TY)

Interview - Preparation, Presentation and Attitude.

An interview is a conversation between you and the employer that decides whether you get the job or not.

Among all other things that decide the outcome of an interview, the 3 most important things that i have come to believe is that no matter what you are experiencing at an interview, speak with empathy, clarity and good intentions.

Basic preparation for any interview:

• Keep your General knowledge up to date.
• If you are applying for a company by mail, make sure that you are adding a brief description about what the mail is about and how you have come to know about the company. remember to add the "thanking you" part in the letter.
• You can try your shot at job sites like naukri.com, monster.com...
• Decide to take a job only if you have no plans of higher-studies immediately. Its better to get education completed at one shot than giving a break to continue it later. In some cases it will be extremely difficult to get back to you branch of study and then write a qualifying exam to get into higher education.
• Try you hand at reasoning, qualitative, quanitative, technical and general questions in the order mentioned. Reasoning is the most important, because all companies need a guy who can reason or relate to a given situation at the time of need.

Preparation before the interview:

• Make a thorough study of the company.
• Go through the companys Website, Facebook page, YouTube videos, Blogs because it gives an idea about the overview of the company, peoples responses, turnover, products and all relevent details.
• Check for reviews, competitors and subscribers of the company.
• Check for any recent ventures that have made a huge news in the market.
• Keep 5 copies of your UPDATED resume. Make sure that there are no spelling mistakes. Make sure that all the dates are accurate. Make sure that all entities like abbreviations are explained within the resume.
• Find the companies location way ahead of the interview. Make sure you can reach the interview on time.
• Take a blank sheet and a pen with you to the interview.
• Keep your certificates in the most relevant order.
• Put on a tie only if its a multi-national company and you get news that your friends also are putting on a tie. for most people a tie can be really irritating. For some it can be a distracting during an interview, so i suggest that you carry one and decide later on right before the interview.
• Pray to the God and take blessings/wishes of your elders/dear ones.

Things to keep in mind while preparing for an interview:

• Put on a full shirt, comb your hair, relax.
• First Impression matters
• Presentation matters!
• Be preparted to tell him about yourself.
• Its okay to delay an answer as long as you give the interviewer a correct answer.
• Have a good night rest on the day previous to the interview. Your mind needs to be fresh and ready to take on any kind of a challenge.
• An interview is not a competion, its an opportunity to flirt ;)
• If possible, try sitting next to the employer instead of sitting behind a table separating the both of you. A table creates a barrier and makes the two of you un-easy while using gestures.

During an interview:

• Enter the interview room with a feeling of already having cleared the interview.
• Greet the employer with a "Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening" with a smile when you first meet the employer. Make sure the greeting meets the time of the day.
• Try to match the tone of the interviewer.
• Smile back if an employer smiles at you. 
• Its okay to ask the interviewer to repeat a certain question.
• Avoid repeating details during answering a question.
• Avoid words like "obviously" during the interview.
• Sit in the right posture, sit straight, keep your feet straight (do not cross your feet), keep your hands where he can see them (keeping them on your foot is not good when you are using gestures). Do not keep your hand on a desk in front of you. If you are carrying a large bag keep it under the table next to you, and not on the table.
• Maintain good eye contact but do not stare at the interviewer.
• When asked for a very descriptive question, make sure you impress while you express.
• Imagine yourself at the interview on the day before the interview, and picture yourself answering questions confidently.
• Try to relate what you know about the company, when answering questions.  When discussing your career accomplishments, match them to what the company is looking for.

After the interviewer looks pleased with your answers:

• Enquire about the different posts offered, pay scale and opportunities in each post.
• Make sure you thank the interviewer for the opportunity.
• Leave a copy of your resume at the company for future references.