How to Write a Quality resume?

Internet submissions leave their inboxes flooded with job applications and they do not have time to waste on badly written CVs and cover letters. It is this 30 second limit that dictates the content and how it is arranged: anything that is most likely to grab the employer’s attention must come first. It is important to not only think twice about what to include, but also about the style of the resume. Whether one opts for the chronological or functional type, the document has to be neat, well laid out and easy to read.

Things that are most important to recruiters and employers – skills, education, work experience, character – are more effective when they are presented in such a way that they reinforce and illustrate each other. For instance, instead of listing three separate facts – I worked as a software consultant for Firm X, my clients included X and Y, I have a keen interest in Application Z – it is both more effective and elegant to write “My work as a software consultant for Firm X has allowed me to explore my interest in Application Y and brought me several new clients and contacts.” In this way, the dry facts take the back seat to personal achievements and interests, allowing the recruiter to see the candidate in a more compelling light.

What to Include

Information that each resume must include is the name, address, contact number, work experience, education and skills. Anything else – references, personal information irrelevant to the job, photographs, unrelated hobbies and activities, salary outline, objectives – is better left out unless the advertisement specifically asks for it. The thing to keep in mind is that the three main characteristics employers look for in any prospective employee are a strong work ethic, personal integrity and good communication skills. Any personal information that does not serve to illustrate these is usually redundant.

Rules Before Writting

In terms of form, these are the basic guidelines to follow:

•use clean paper
•check for spelling and grammar mistakes
•use bullets instead of paragraphs wherever possible
•use font size 11 or 12 (except for the name and headings)
•write the name and subsection headings in bold
•do not write less than a page and a half or more than two pages
There are three basic formats used to write CVs: the chronological, the functional and a combination of the two.

The chronological format, with work experience listed in reverse order, is still the most popular format among employers since it makes it hard for applicants to conceal any periods of unemployment or tendencies to change jobs too quickly.

Only use the functional CV, with experience and achievements broken down into specific areas (e.g. sales and marketing, communications, web development) if you do not have any work experience in the field you are applying for. If, for instance, you are applying for the job of IT consultant for the first time, it is never a good idea to try to fill up the resume with a list of previous jobs that had little or nothing to do with IT consulting. The functional format gives you a better alternative, as it allows you to focus on experiences that may be related to the sector, on projects that entailed skills and knowledge relevant to the job, interests that led to your decision to apply for the position or personal attributes that may convince the recruiter that you are suitable for the job.

The specific characteristics recruiters look for in consultants are an analytical ability and interpersonal skills. When you provide the list of projects you have worked on, make sure you outline the aspects of the work that point to those attributes: key objectives and issues of the projects you worked on, the size of the teams, the technologies used (including how and why they were used), your responsibilities. It is advisable to also include a list of technologies you are familiar with or specialize in as well as the industrial sectors you have worked in.

The Cover Letter

When writing a resume and the cover letter, the most helpful tool one needs is provided by the prospective employer himself: the job advertisement. The best job applications let the recuiter know that the applicant is able to pinpoint the exact set of skills and experiences the employer is looking for. The most skillful applicant will be able to deliver all these on paper, fine tuned into his or her employment record.

Both the resume and the cover letter need to be clear, concise and to the point. This not only showcases the person’s writing skills, but also the level of understanding of what the position entails. The one thing to be kept in mind is that the interview comes before the job. The immediate goal of the two documents is to make the prospective employer want to invite the person for an interview.

Cover letters are typically divided in three parts. The first paragraph explains where the applicant saw the job advertisement, offers some basic information about the person and briefly outlines the reasons why he or she finds the job desirable. The second paragraph ideally provides several solid reasons why the person is suitable for the position and backs them up with concrete qualifications that are relevant to the position. The third paragraph reiterates the applicant’s reasons and motivation for wanting to join the company in question.

How And When To Write A Thank You Letter

There are several situations in which writing a formal thank you letter is at the very least a commendable effort and sometimes even an absolute must. The content of the letter generally depends on the nature of the situation and the rapport between the sender and the person being thanked.

If a person has had a job interview with a prospective employer or a business contact has been particularly helpful to them, a thank you letter is very much in order. If one has applied for a job and been rejected, writing a letter to the interviewer and thanking them them for their time and consideration is a polite gesture, but not a mandatory one. Generally, whenever a person feels a debt of gratitude, a letter or email saying thank you is the best way to go in business as much as it is in other areas of life.

Thank you letters are usually sent in hard copy, especially if they are formal in tone, but can be dispatched by email if that is how the people in question usually communicate. Beyond that, there are no strict formal rules regarding the content of the letter. It is advisable to express one’s gratitude in the opening paragraph and to reiterate the sentiment at the end. In the middle section, a person may wish to explain to the recipient in more detail how the latter was helpful and mention a positive result that came out of his or her efforts. In the job interview follow-up letter, one may also use the opportunity to say the things that were not brought up during the interview or briefly address any concerns one may have raised while talking with the employer.