Tag Archive 'Interview'

Oct 13 2008

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divya

5 tips to make a good CV!

Filed under Careers, Interview

An impactful CV is the first step towards success because it is the deciding factor as to whether you would get to face the interviewer or not. It is not merely a piece of paper wherein you scribble your name, education and job experience. It is a professional document which gives the prospective employer a way to gauge your potentials remotely. So you should be extra cautious while preparing your CV so that it is error free and impressive. Here are few tips which can help you do so.

CV should be concise: Recruiters get tones of CV’s daily and don’t have the time or patience to dig through an incoherent document. Only a punchy CV can get you noticed in the first place. So keep it short and effective. Make it no more than two sides of A4 paper and save the real detail for your interview. The layout should be simple, uncluttered and in an easy-to-read font.

Avoid gaps in between jobs: Even if you were out of employment, you can develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork or project management. You should update your CV regularly, so that you don’t have to recall distant points in your career and there is no ambiguity in your CV.

Make sure it’s error free: One of the easiest ways for a recruiter to throw out a week resume is by scanning it for errors. If you fail to check your CV for basic spelling and grammatical mistakes, you are hammering your own chances of getting a call in the first place. Most errors can be detected by using PC’s spell-checker, but you should also ask someone else to read your CV and give you their opinion.

Be brief with your personal information: Putting in a lot of personal information is unnecessary and it only makes the CV lengthier than required without doing any value addition. Just include your name, contact details and nationality. The recruiter is more interested in knowing your skills and expertise in the field rather than knowing you personally through your CV.

Highlight on your career history and key skills: Your skill set and your career history are the two major things which the recruiter would be interested in. So pay special attention to these two areas. Be as specific and detailed as possible to avoid any ambiguity or confusion to your potential new employers. Give the dates that you started and finished the role, the job title, the company for which you worked and give a short one-line description of the company’s activities and its website. List your key achievements in the roles you mention.

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Sep 25 2008

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divya

5 essential things to know before giving an Interview!

Filed under Interview

An interview is a magic wand which can get you a new job, change your present boring career into an exciting one, and get you a job that pays many times your current salary. It is something that can improve your career and make your life into a much better one. Successfully handling an interview has indeed become a necessity rather than a luxury! It is a place where one’s abilities are challenged to the greatest extent and his/her entire personality/attitude evaluated. It tests all your skills and can bring out certain facts about you, which you yourself wouldn’t have been aware of! However, with proper practice and effort, you can successfully face an interview.

Always be confident: your interviewer is certainly looking for a confident, calm and positive person for his company who can make mature and sensible decisions when need be. So walk in with a confident gait, greet the panel of interviewers pleasantly, and don’t let your tension or excitement show in your attitude.

Be well aware of the type of job: Most of the questions posed will be testing whether you understand the nature of the job and have the ability to handle it. If you are well versed with the requirements of the job, the interview is half done. Never attend an interview without having just an idea of the responsibilities required.

Know the company well: Nowadays almost all companies have their profile on the internet. Don’t neglect a thorough research of the firm before going for the interview. Know the key people associated with the firm. Think of a few suggestions that you feel can improve their product. This is a very likely question and you surely won’t have time and patience to sit and think over it at the interview table.

Know your subjects well for a technical interview: Tech interviews need a somewhat different type of preparation. You must have a very deep understanding of the subjects related to the job you are applying for. Know beforehand the technologies used by the company. Gather such information from books, online and people working in the same or similar firms. Know about the latest developments in the area you are applying for. Show qualities of teamwork since almost all tech jobs involve hundreds of people working on a single project. Team spirit is as important as the technical knowledge you possess.

Conduct a mock interview: Either ask yourself some questions in front of the mirror or take help of a friend or family in preparing you for your real interview. This makes you more comfortable with the interview environment and hence more confident.

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