[salik]

Who am I really?
Part of your job hunting, or career change process should be a self-assessment. This may sound long-winded but without a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses, a realistic idea of what you can expect or step up to, and confidence about your own unique selling points, you may never find an ideal job. Remember, you can't be all things to all people and your CV needs to be tailored towards a targeted sector. Why not spend five minutes sketching down a few notes about your professional profile to date? Here are a few guidelines:
* What are my strengths?
* In which areas did I excel in my previous position?
* In which working environment would I thrive?
* How can I minimise my weaknesses?
* What are my mid to long term professional goals?
* Which areas of past experience are no longer of any relevance?
* Can I define exactly what it is I do, professionally?
* Do I have a proven track record?
* What personal attributes can I bring to the role?
* How motivated am I towards this change?
The basics
Your CV is a reflection of your professionalism. It needs to state quite clearly that you are the man or woman for the job. A good CV should contain:
* An attention grabbing summary page
* A clear, uncluttered layout
* Active and precise description
* Job specific information
* Articulate, concise language
* No mistakes
* No more than two/three pages
Throughout this process we'll be considering what the recruiter would like to see on your CV. Further on in the workshop we'll be discussing customising individual CVs for each application, but at all times you should consider the following points which recruiters look for in a CV:
* The right skills and quantifiable experience
* Suitable interpersonal and communication skills
* The ability to flourish in the company's environment
* The competence and confidence to adapt to the job
The modern CV
With the advent of word processors, the visual impact of CVs has improved dramatically. Attention to layout not only reflects your sense of professionalism but, more importantly, makes it easier for the recruiter to browse through. Bear in mind that they may be shifting through dozens of CVs and may not take the time to notice the important details. You should aim to effectively impart a limited amount of information which will ultimately secure you an interview.
The most significant change is the introduction of a summary page. Although there are several popular styles which we will be discussing, the summary page is the first and last selling point of your CV. It outlines your professional profile, key skills and experience, and strengths and achievements. We will look more closely at this in the very next section. If presented effectively, it could land you an interview, at the very least it will prompt the recruiter to look further at your CV.
And finally….
Here is a list of assets which every employer looks for when filling a professional post, your aim is to include as many as possible in your CV.
* Competence and experience
* Relevant skills and the ability to adapt them to the new role
* Strategic thinking
* Creativity and problem solving ability
* Leadership
* Interpersonal and communication skills
* Personal management skills
* Integrity

[salik]

2.

This step-by-step procedure consists of three parts. Firstly, we'll introduce you to the CV summary page and tips for improving it. Working from your old CV, you can fill in the relevant details and remove the unnecessary or outdated information. Secondly, we'll show you how to customise your CV.

There two main styles of presenting a CV:
* Chronological CVs: are more traditional, they list previous employers and job roles in detail, and are suited to professionals who have a formal history of experience
* Functional or skills CVs: are better suited to contractors, graduates, people who have moved around a lot, or taken time out to pursue charity work or similar activities. They are also useful when making a complete career change. These types of CVs are more descriptive and focus more on skills and direct experience.

How long should my CV be?
The overwhelming opinion from recruiters is that a single summary page and a secondary page with employment history and education details is more than adequate. For professionals, we recommend a combination of the two - a skills-based summary page, followed by a chronology of your experience.

The summary page
All modern CVs now include a summary page. This is a descriptive 'teaser' which outlines your main selling points and can give the recruiter an immediate overall impression of your suitability. Remember that they may have received many CVs for a position, and can find it tiresome scouring through pages and pages of detail, often glossing over the important bits and ruling out your chances for an interview.
The summary page is a chance to make an impact, and it gives you a chance to show off your personality and personal attributes. If it is well presented and articulate, it will speak for itself.
Begin by including your contact details, letter head style. Remember that space on this page is at a premium.

Profile
This is a descriptive overview of your professional profile. It occupies most of the summary page and consists of three key elements:
A descriptive introduction of your professional designation (e.g. a Chartered Accountant or web designer), backed up by key features of your professional self, and also including your immediate ambitions. Ideally this should be punchy, precise and no more than three (15-word) sentences.
Key skills, listed as bullet points. Eight points is sufficient, make sure they're relevant to the particular position and concisely written. This will include not only your formal training, but also workplace acumen (e.g. proven skilful negotiator). Make sure you quantify your results (e.g. increased turnover by 40 per cent), and be careful of meaningless phrases (e.g. good team player). Try to avoid single words spilling over on to a new line, this wastes space.
Achievements: these should be presented in the same manner as skills, although about three significant achievements are enough.

Experience
The next important part of your CV is your most recent or relevant work experience. The manner in which this is presented depends on which CV type you choose to use. Either way, you should leave enough space on the summary page to include at least the most important outline of your experience. The rest of your experience can follow on page two.
Note: Try not to clutter the summary page with too much detail. Clear use of bullet points and white space should effectively draw attention to a handful of key points that will prompt the recruiter to read on or even confirm an interview.

The Contents
The rest of the CV should ideally be no longer than two pages, although professionals with a long career history will need more.
The three sections are:
Secondary experience
Qualifications
Personal summary
In order to squeeze everything in you're going to have to be ruthless. Qualifications and previous work experience that is unlikely to make a significant impact should be left out.
Full details of early job roles won't be read if you've made a career change, or if subsequent positions you've held have included far more important responsibilities. Here are some details that you can leave out.
* Details of jobs held more than 10 years ago
* Minute details of more recent jobs
* Reasons for leaving a previous job
* Current and past salaries
* Failed examinations
* Nationality and age
* Details of referees
* Full details of hobbies and interests

Master Copy: Before you take a red pen to your current CV, we suggest you create a master copy, including any detail which may be relevant to any application. This copy can be as long as you like because no one else is going to see it. The reason behind this is customising.

Work experience
This follows on directly from the summary page. Ideally you should aim to squeeze the details of your current or most important recent position onto the summary page, the rest can follow on the second page.
Starting with the most recent jobs, or positions within the same company, list them according to:
Job title: using the official title may be misleading, therefore consider re-wording it to more accurately describe your role.
The responsibilities section is clearly the most important section and will require some clever use of words to keep it brief yet informative. Use bullet points and remember that the aim is simply to catch the recruiter's attention. Elaboration can take place in the interview.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
* Avoid jargon
* Clearly state what you were accountable for
* Quantify and back up your claims
* Use positive and powerful language, but don't waffle (e.g. managed 50 active accounts, increased profit by 40 per cent in first 12 months…)

Qualifications
This section should be quite brief, outlining only your most recent qualifications and any courses which are relevant to the new role.
Your highest professional qualification is the most important one (i.e. degree) and should be listed first. You may want to follow this with professional courses (e.g. Marketing management diploma), and reserve your secondary level qualifications for last. Details of older qualifications should be left out. Any other relevant courses can be listed below this.
PC skills: these have become an integral part of business management, and most office based jobs for that matter. It is worth listing software with which you are proficient.
Layout: The name of the qualification should always be mentioned first, thereafter the order is usually determined by the most efficient use of space. Juggling long words is often necessary to optimise the use of each line. Remember to remain consistent.

Interests and additional information
Mentioning personal interests may be an unnecessary waste of space unless they are likely to show relevant skills which are relevant to your professional profile. Recruiters often take a glancing look at CV summaries for any other useful information. This is a good opportunity to mention other pertinent details that do not fit in to any of the above categories, e.g. chairman of local cricket club shows your leadership or organisational ability. If you feel it will enhance your appeal you can include a one sentence descriptive personal summary at the end of your CV to show your character strengths, e.g. keen on health and fitness, read extensively on several subjects, local drama club These show you're a regular person, with some personality and responsibility. Be careful, if you have an array of outside activities, it may suggest that you could be easily distracted from your office work.

Customising your CV
As we have mentioned before, each time you apply for a job your CV should be customised to suit that position. This requires assessing the position you are applying for and identifying the key strengths which you can apply to the role. Be aware of the ideal person they are seeking and try matching your CV as closely as possible to a basic imaginary profile of that individual.
Starting with the personal profile, eliminate those strengths which are unlikely to appeal to the specific employer, and then elaborate one or two key areas, particularly experience which is most relevant to the new role. Showing that you've done your homework about a company will certainly impress, and this is where you reveal that.
The work experience section of your CV is going to need the most work. Minimize previous roles that are not similar to the new job, and elaborate on the responsibilities which are likely to show your suitability for the new position. Mention specific examples to prove your point.
Recruiters are usually impressed when you've made the effort to customise a CV. They will notice the forward-thinking in rearranging priorities on a CV to suit them personally.

And finally…
Take your time to create a complete CV. Starting with your existing CV. Return to re-check, amend and edit details when your concentration is fresh. The manner in which it is presented is a direct reflection on your own standards of professionalism.

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3. Proofing and Checking a CV

This is possibly the most important part of the entire process. A small error, or misleading information, can seriously undermine all your effort. At a professional level, grammar, spelling and punctuation should all be impeccable. Ensure that details, contact numbers and references are accurate (e.g. claiming to be proficient in Quark Express sounds dubious when the software package is actually called Quark Xpress!). Our checklist will help you with some of the common errors. Attention to detail is a skill that transcends all jobs and it begins with your CV. If you have had to produce a CV at short notice, then checking the details is especially important.

Proof reading your own work is difficult. Preferably get someone else to check it for you. Don't just look for textual errors, but use common sense and question the logic in descriptive pieces. Do not rely solely on a spell-checker (they do not distinguish between 'where' and 'were' for instance).
Facts and fiction
Lying on your CV is done so at your own peril. We're all guilty of occasionally stretching the imagination, but sooner or later you will be expected to deliver according to your claims. Psychometric testing and interviewing skills are often quite effective in weeding out inaccurate detail. HR departments routinely hire the services of private companies to verify qualifications. Rather than being vague with details that are inadequate (a dead give-away), leave them out and focus on other allied skills which you are confident with. Honesty is a good virtue, valued by employers.
Minimizing negatives
All of us have so-called 'holes' in our CVs, areas which may show ourselves in a negative light. Instead of trying to hide it or cover up, you can reduce the point, or turn it your advantage by focusing on another skill which compensates for this lack. Here are some potential pitfalls, and suggestions for dealing with them.
In most of the topics below, we suggest you use a skills-based CV format. This gives you more scope for reducing or leaving out details that expose negatives.
Lack of track record: refer to vocational work, or unrelated work which shows your diligence. Emphasize your skills which apply to the new role. Present your willingness to learn as an advantage. Career change: give positive reasons for changing career direction, place emphasis on your determination and courage to make the move. Make your past sound relevant. Be open and honest.
Insufficient qualifications: focus on experience and workplace skills. If you're studying, or are halfway through a course, then mention it. If you have succeeded without qualifications, then turn it into a positive and mention to what extent you've 'beaten the odds'.
Foreign qualifications: try to establish the local equivalent of your qualifications and state this. Alternatively specify the length of your study, the number of subjects and the institution you attended as a means of showing the standard of the course. If the qualification is recognised locally be sure to mention this, the recruiter may not already know.
Gaps in your CV: if you've taken time out to travel or pursue a different activity this is now perfectly acceptable, try to accentuate how the experience has benefited you. Don't lie, it's important not to give the impression that you've been sitting around doing nothing for six months. Informal study, family care or recovering from illness are feasible excuses, provided you can back them up.
Quitting your previous job: if you are currently unemployed, the recruiter will want to know why you left. You can get away with short periods, otherwise simply state; left for personal reasons. The employer might be suspicious that you may do the same to them, make sure you have a good explanation saved for the interview. We all have standards, and it's acceptable to leave a position at short notice if justified, but be sure to back up your reasoning.
Being fired: never mention this on your CV. Even very successful CEOs occasionally get the sack and football managers have a particularly poor track record! Never let it cripple your confidence. The details can be discussed in the interview if necessary. If the reason was due to a serious misdemeanour on your part (such as accountability), focus on the situation rather than your own shortcomings, and how the experience has enriched your business acumen.
Too much experience: this can be a frustrating situation, but it is easier to swing to your advantage. If you're considerably older than the employer is looking for, focus on how your experience can benefit them, and emphasize your youthful outlook (if this is realistic). Objections are often centred on an unwillingness of older people to adapt, so you need to reassure the recruiter (on your profile). You can state your intention to step down the career ladder in order to solidify certain experience, or move into a bigger corporation. Perhaps you have some personal reasons to give, such as stepping into a lower profile position to focus on raising a family.
Too many short jobs: the employer will no doubt wonder about how long you'll stay. By honestly confronting them, and stating your seriousness to remain in the position, you can avoid suspicion. Contract work is one excuse for a patchwork CV. You can also bundle several short jobs into one title (e.g. Freelancing sub-editor: XYZ, ABC, DEF companies). Personal development is perfectly understandable, stating that you were not happy with your initial career path and have 'been looking around' is feasible provided you can reassure them that you are now serious about your new direction.

Checklist
Is it easy on the eye?
Is the appearance consistent and suitable for the specific role?
Have you checked the grammar, punctuation and spelling?
Are the names of all proper nouns correct and capped up?
Are all the details you've given on this particular CV relevant to this application?


Profile details
Is it concise, punchy and informative, using power words?
Are your examples specific and quantifyable?
Is there too much detail? Is the personal summary meaningful? If not, leave it out.
Now, read through it one last time, you're bound to find one final mistake!

[salik]

4. Writing a Cover Letter

Whether you are applying for a job or writing a speculative letter to a company your covering letter could make the difference between getting a foot in the door to a new job or having the door slammed in your face.

Covering letters are not just sent as a courtesy, but are an introduction to your potential employer. They are designed to complement your CV and provide extra information about you. The covering letter is the first impression a potential employer will have of you and without a good impact, they may not progress far with your CV.

Introducing yourself - making an impact
A covering letter should be concise and ideally no more than three paragraphs long. It needs to introduce you to the potential employer, say what you want to do for the employer, and show how and why you are suited for that particular work. Its main aim is to get your CV read.
The style of the covering letter should be reasonably formal and business-like and match the CV or application form you are sending. It should be typed using a clear font and on good quality, plain white or cream paper, preferably the same as the CV. If you are emailing it, make it look business-like.
Always write to a named individual, whether you are applying for a job or writing a speculative letter. If you don't know who to address the letter to, use your initiative and contact the company to find out the name of the relevant person. Make sure you check the spelling of their name, no one likes to have their name spelled incorrectly.
The opening paragraph should let the reader know why you are writing to them. If you are writing to apply for a position with their company, make clear which job you are applying for and where you saw the advertisement, give the title and date of the publication that the vacancy was advertised in. For speculative letters outline what kind of work you are looking for.
You need to show an interest in the position you are applying for and that you have some knowledge of the employer. Find out about the company by looking for other advertisements it may have, look through the company's literature and scan business journals and newspapers for other general information. Refer to any recent news about the company, this will show you understand what the company is about.
Explain why you want to work there and emphasise what you can do for the company. Avoid using phrases like 'I think I could gain valuable experience with your company' or 'this is an area of my skill I have always wanted to develop'. The employer will hire you because of what you can do for the company, not because of what you think you can get from working there. Be keen, but genuine and avoid using cliché phrases.
Don't state the obvious, e.g. I am writing to apply for the position, as you will see from my CV etc. Rather reword the opening of each paragraph to get straight to the point, e.g. I am confident that my legal experience would make me a suitable candidate for this position and have attached my CV for further reference.

Why should you get the job?
Paragraph two needs to tell the employer, in more detail, why you are suited to the job and what skills you have got to offer. Why would the employer benefit from taking you on? This is the most important section of the covering letter and will probably make an employer decide whether to look at your CV or not. You need to flag up two or three of your key selling points and give some concrete information on the skills and experience you have. Make sure you choose points that relate to the job you are applying for so you can match your skills to their needs. The covering letter also gives you a chance to show off skills that you might not be able to get across in the CV, such as maturity, teamwork or interpersonal skills. Make sure everything you say about your skills and experience in your covering letter is backed up by evidence in your CV.

Positive endings
Don't let your letter fizzle out at the end with just a bland 'yours sincerely'. Finish the letter with a strong, proactive phrase which sets the scene for the next stage - being called in for an interview, e.g. I am available for interview at your convenience and look forward to meeting you. If you have addressed the letter to a named person (and you should have done), you should end the letter with Yours sincerely, if you wrote Dear Sir or Madam, it should end with Yours faithfully.

Checklist
Here's a final checklist to make sure your letter includes everything it should do.
* Do you know which individual to send the CV to and is it addressed correctly?
* Does the letter show an enthusiasm for the position you are applying for?
* Does it show an understanding of the employer?
* Does it show clearly what you can offer the employer?
* Has it got a positive ending?
* Have you double-checked to make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors?

Dispatching a CV
There are three main methods of dispatching a CV:
Post
Email
Fax
With all these methods, make sure you make a follow up phone call to check that your CV has been received.

[salik]

5. Expert Opinion

Many of the cv's simply aren't compiled with fore-thought and logic. We asked e-cruiters and recruitment specialists to share some of their thoughts on what makes a CV really stand out amongst the many, and how to leave a professional impression. Here are some of their comments:

E-cruiters
"Layout is very important, it's easier to read and digest skills and experience that have been bullet pointed. Some people reel out lengthy text which is unlikely to be read."
"An overview of your background is all that is necessary, save the details for the interview."
"People tend to puff up their CV with nonsense and meaningless words. Phrases such as 'team player' make no impression if they're not backed up with examples."
"Seventy per cent of the CVs we receive are too long. Two pages is sufficient to make the right impression and secure an interview."
"People often omit critical details, such as their current employer - recruiters all have respect for confidentiality. Don't forget to mention your gender, if it isn't obvious according to your name."
"Make use of a personal summary to briefly describe yourself out of the workplace. Recruiters like to look for this at the end of a summary for any interesting additional information about character."
"Work experience is the first thing people look at...you must spell out what skills you have, transferable or otherwise."

Recruitment specialists
"The CV is used as a process of elimination. It should cover one or two pages, any more can be quite off-putting to have to look through. Even people with a lot of experience should try to put all the relevant information on one page.
"Generally there are three purposes to a CV. It highlights your values to a potential employer, it gives a structure to what you have done and is used as substance for the interview.
"A CV should be concise. Precision and relevance are very important. It needs to be geared towards the area of work you are going into. Use bullet points because then you can start each sentence with an action word, such as developed, or managed. "

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Uff Allah itnaa Ziadaa..mujhayy tou Saaal lag jayaingay perhtay perhtay..well may iccay perhoungii Zaroor..menay abihh seeraf Part 5 perhaa haii.. i wass expectin dats all..But when i srolled downn.. theres a lot MOre.............Itnaa Ziadaaa.. Welll ThankOoO SoOo Muchh for da Infoo..itss Elegant!!

[salik]

Originally posted by OnENOnLy_Aisha
Uff Allah itnaa Ziadaa..mujhayy tou Saaal lag jayaingay perhtay perhtay..well may iccay perhoungii Zaroor..menay abihh seeraf Part 5 perhaa haii.. i wass expectin dats all..But when i srolled downn.. theres a lot MOre.............Itnaa Ziadaaa.. Welll ThankOoO SoOo Muchh for da Infoo..itss Elegant!!

na parhoo aik to itney mehnat say stuff ready kar kay doo .. oupar say nakhray bhe daikhoo aur agar pahna ho ga to first part 1 then 2 then ......alright..
:S direct part 5 parhnay ko kis nay kaha tha tweety ji

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Originally posted by salik



na parhoo aik to itney mehnat say stuff ready kar kay doo .. oupar say nakhray bhe daikhoo aur agar pahna ho ga to first part 1 then 2 then ......alright..
:S direct part 5 parhnay ko kis nay kaha tha tweety ji

Awww.. Inna Ghussaa.. SOllY..menayy nakhray tou koii nahii dekhayay.. bass yeh kaha haii kehh buhat ziada haii..ahaunn..woh tou aik dam say Part 5 samnay aa gayay i didnt look @ headinn.. may samjhii seeraf yehii haii.. Jii..

[salik]

Originally posted by OnENOnLy_Aisha


Awww.. Inna Ghussaa.. SOllY..menayy nakhray tou koii nahii dekhayay.. bass yeh kaha haii kehh buhat ziada haii..ahaunn..woh tou aik dam say Part 5 samnay aa gayay i didnt look @ headinn.. may samjhii seeraf yehii haii.. Jii..

Ufff... kya aik ghaltey ko ghaltey sudhaar saktey hai aisha??? mayray ghussay par tum ghussa ho rahey ho... this is not good :)) especially 4 u... so learn dis lesson from me


AllahHafiz

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Originally posted by salik





Ufff... kya aik ghaltey ko ghaltey sudhaar saktey hai aisha??? mayray ghussay par tum ghussa ho rahey ho... this is not good yaar :)) especially 4 u... so learn dis lesson from me


AllahHafiz

kiaa kahaa ?? ghalteyy ko kiaa ker saktayy hainn ?? didnt get yaa..ohh achaa lolss..yaanii apnay ghaltee ki n then me bihh ghaltii ker rahii hounn..i mean Ghussaa ker kehh ?? rite ??
hehehe..yaar ?? achaa jee.. aapsay lesson learn kerna haii tou rehnay he dainn

[salik]

Originally posted by OnENOnLy_Aisha


kiaa kahaa ?? ghalteyy ko kiaa ker saktayy hainn ?? didnt get yaa..ohh achaa lolss..yaanii apnay ghaltee ki n then me bihh ghaltii ker rahii hounn..i mean Ghussaa ker kehh ?? rite ??
hehehe..yaar ?? achaa jee.. aapsay lesson learn kerna haii tou rehnay he dainn

yeh yaar kyun keh rahey hoo .... hehehe..yaar ?? achaa jee..:....... i donot like dis word ..so please avoid it..

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Originally posted by salik




yeh yaar kyun keh rahey hoo .... hehehe..yaar ?? achaa jee..:....... i donot like dis word ..so please avoid it..

batounn mayy.. U Smart....

[salik]

Originally posted by OnENOnLy_Aisha


batounn mayy.. U Smart....

ok baba... donot cry ...be happy theek.. ( n pray 4 me )

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Originally posted by salik



ok baba... donot cry ...be happy theek.. ( n pray 4 me )

Okk Shounna Kakka.. maa PrayerzZ are alwaysss wid Yaa.. dun neeed to say..

[sheikhsalik]

Originally posted by OnENOnLy_Aisha


Okk Shounna Kakka.. maa PrayerzZ are alwaysss wid Yaa.. dun neeed to say..

[OnENOnLy_Aisha]

Originally posted by sheikhsalik

wll emotionss say kionn batain ker rahay hainn.. talk lively..