In Your resume is your marketing tool, which acts like an ice breaker and builds your brand. A resume gives facts and benefits that highlight how your abilities and skills that can be of use to the employers. The resume is not meant to impress your future employer, as impressing the interviewer is YOUR job. Having a beautiful resume alone cannot fetch you a job. It will help you get acquainted to the employer. Crafting a winning resume is a myth; there is actually no perfect resume for any job type. A useful resume is a document in which the employer can clearly see how your experience and ability can help them.
There is another conviction that youre not supposed to rewrite your resume, but the fact is that resume is not irreversible. There are always new elements added to your resume which provides new perspective to the employer. Having new perspectives would always help the employer in understanding your goals and aspirations and set his own expections.
While the mention of personal information and objectives are important, it is critical to comprehend what the employer would expect from you. Also, the belief that a lengthy resume will not yield effects is a myth. The one-page rule is probably the most common myth about a resume. Candidates resort to a myriad of unhealthy practices to restrict their resume to just one page. Many well-meaning college counselors also advise their students to be concise and limit their resume to one page. If you have held only one job, then dont try to create a five-page resume, but if your background merits are lengthier, then dont try to fit everything on to one page.
Another misconception that people have is about cover letters. People have a concept that nobody reads cover letters, but the fact is many managers and recruiters DO read them. Cover letters can tell potential employers a lot about your individual communication and organisational skills, as well as how committed you are towards finding the right job. Prospective employers read cover letters with one critical question in mind: Whats in it for me? So, answering that question in a way that is clear and concise will increase the likelihood that youll pass through to the next stage of the screening process.
Another critical area is personal interests. Job seekers feel that employers want to know about their hobbies. Your resume is a tool to express your interest in the position and to get the opportunity for a face-to-face interview. Before you list your personal interests, ask yourself if adding them makes effective value addition to your resume space. During the face-to-face interview, there will likely be very natural opportunities to discuss your personal interests. Your resume, however, should showcase your professional value to the employer. The answer is finding a balance.
Why a resume fails is because the applicant forgets the basic rule of getting a job; the process isnt about showing how good you are, but showing how you can help the employer achieve their goals and how you can be an asset to the organisation.
The author is Founder & CEO, ApnaCircle.com
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