Consider the individual paragraphs of the resume.
Name and surname.
Highlight your first and last name in bold or large print. Remember that when there are a lot of documents, the employer does not have to search the name of the candidate for a long time in a continuous stream of text.
It is better to write first name and then last name. No patronymic is required unless you are a professor or academician, especially when writing resumes in foreign languages. Slavic and Asian names and surnames are often very difficult in English transcription, this should be taken into account.
A photo.
Many companies recently require the provision of photographs. But experienced HR consultants say with complete certainty that it’s difficult to judge the candidate’s abilities from the image; photographs most likely create a biased impression that hinders the proper assessment of his potential.
Reasonable candidates for the position either refuse to provide photos at all, or provide them when they are sure that the personnel officer will react to their consideration positively. It’s better not to give your photos, even if an ad or profile indicates their need. Do not expect that a beautiful portrait will add you points, the impression of a personal meeting is much more important. Photography most often only facilitates the identification of a large number of applicants. Therefore, a resume with a scanned photo is not necessary.
Although there are exceptions to everything. So, when recruiting in one advertising company, the applicant portrayed himself with disheveled hair and a T-shirt. His sense of humor and excellent command of Adobe Photoshop was appreciated - he got a place.
Another thing is that sometimes due to the specifics of the profession, employers put forward special requirements. For example, a self-respecting model or mannequin should provide not one photo, but a whole album - a portfolio. (more about this on the website "Models of Kazakhstan")
Coordinates.
Include here the phone number for contacting you, the pager number. It is not necessary to indicate your home address - you are not inviting a company representative at all.
Purpose.
For many, this is the most difficult task when writing a resume. Many university graduates apply immediately for many vacancies, not wanting to limit themselves, and do not indicate a goal at all or write something like "I want to get a promising position in a rapidly growing international company." The goal should not be too vague and general. Indication of a specific position (or two) for which you apply, significantly saves time and effort to the employer. Indeed, often a competition is announced immediately for several specialties and the personnel officer does not have time to guess for a long time what position you are applying for.
Here are some examples of career goals. Of course, these are only samples; in each case, individual goals must be indicated:
To develop a new section of the company manufacturing and selling furniture - office furniture and equipment.
Establish a distribution network for a company manufacturing and selling furniture.
Get a position as a financial analyst in a large industrial organization.
Get the position of technical consultant. He is especially interested in preparing journal articles, editing and analyzing technical information and technical training materials.
Get the position of Public Relations Assistant, including publishing, preparing press releases, photos and digests.
Get a position in a social program to help children and women.
It’s better to prepare a resume specifically for each individual case, rather than sending out multiple copies all over the place.
Examples of incorrect career goals:
Get an entry-level position in business. (too general)
I want to get a position that will help me realize my creative and intellectual abilities. (and other candidates do not want this?)
Get the position of manager in a bank or large corporation. (which manager?)
I want to get such a job to raise money and finish school.
You see, the company is not interested in what exactly you want for yourself, it would like to know how you can be useful to it. This is the key point - you need to build your tactics in such a way that the employer knows what he is gaining by hiring you, and not what you expect from him. Your plans and expectations will be discussed in the next stages of selection - during the interview.
Education.
For most of yesterday’s students and novice professionals, it is necessary to indicate not only the year of admission, the year of graduation, the name of the university, faculty and specialty, but also such achievements as a diploma with honors or an average mark in the grade book, and also that you were among the 10 %, 50%, etc. the best students.
Optional trainings and seminars are best indicated only if their topics are relevant to your resume. For example, it is not necessary for the secretary to inform that he (she) has taken a course in securities market instruments. But for the accountant it is simply necessary to mention successful courses in KSB. Do not indicate the completion of courses at religious institutions, if you are not 100% sure that the employer will react to this positively. So no matter how advanced the Maharishi Institute, flaunting this is not worth it. It is not necessary, as a rule, to report about high school.
Experience.
There are two types of resumes - chronological, so-called. European and functional (American), in which places of work and positions are listed in reverse chronological order - from the last to the first.
Indicate the position, name and location of the organization, the start and end dates of the work, as well as a brief description of your job responsibilities and achievements.
You can include data on temporary work, production practices, if they correspond to the resume. If there were many such places of work, divide this part into two subparagraphs - “Professional experience” and “Other work experience”.
Professional skills.
An indication of each skill must be supported by an appropriate fact. It’s not enough to write: “I can print, drive a car.” Note the typing speed and driver license category. If it’s about computer skills, indicate specific software packages, about English proficiency - the number of TOEFL, GMAT, IELTS, TSЕ points or other official tests.
I come across statements like: "I don’t know the language, but I have a great desire to learn it," "The computer is in the process of learning." So, do not write this. A resume is a description of your accomplishments, not your plans and dreams.
Awards and social activities. This item is especially important for those who are going to work in a foreign company. For local citizens, the word social activity managed to fill its edge in the years of socialism. This is just for us the chairmanship in the Red Cross cell meant just boring raising money for membership dues. And "with them" is a testament to honesty and high moral qualities.
But in general, some types of social activities should be cautious. For example, if you were the chairman of a trade union committee. For us, these are free trips and gifts for children for the New Year. For "them" - strikes, lobbying for the interests of workers, in general, it was still awesome!
Awards.
It is not worth mentioning the second place at the school Olympiad or the victory in the team ski championship. Indicate one or two really significant awards that are directly related to your professional activity.
Important! When describing your scientific, professional and social activities, avoid using abbreviations such as KazNTU, KIMEP and the like. Remember: you are writing a resume for the employer, facilitate the process of perception. Always indicate the full name of the organization and profile of activity. For example, many potential employers may not know what SIFE means.
Personal Information.
You can indicate the date of birth and marital status. The legislation of many countries allows not to indicate such information when applying for a vacant position that may lead to discrimination (age, gender, religion, social origin, nationality, marital status, presence of children).
Therefore, decide for yourself which of the personal information can play in your favor, which is not. For example, it is no secret that not all women are willing to take married women, especially with young children. For the same reason, you should not indicate your kids in the column "Interests" or "Hobbies" - they might think that you give them much more attention to the detriment of work.
Remember also that the employer is not entitled to require too much personal information from you, that is, information not directly related to your professional skills.
At the selection stage, the employer should not require any documents other than a resume and a cover letter. A work book, passport and so on will be required later when you pass the selection, that is, when concluding a contract. Documents required to conclude an employment contract or contract. This is an identity card, diploma and work book.
If the employer still insists on providing information about your relatives, illnesses or criminal records, you need to decide for yourself whether to give such information or not. In normal cases, you will not be held responsible for not answering these questions.
Hobbies and interests.
Do not indicate too exotic or numerous hobbies. Usually, team sports and intellectual activities (literature, art) make a good impression.
Recommendations
Do not attach a bunch of letters of recommendation to the resume, especially carelessly photocopies. It’s better to add a list of names, positions and coordinates of people who can recommend you. Make sure that they will be positive reviews before placing this or that recommender in your list.
Cover letter.
What can be said about the letter with the following contents:
"Dear Sirs!
I’m interested in your job offer. I ask you to study my documents and decide if I can be useful to you. I am distinguished by dynamic and independent thinking and responsible attitude to work, I can lead people. The English language was taught in a comprehensive school. While recommending myself for a vacant position in your company, I expect with great interest a positive response and your appointment of a meeting date. I will call you on Monday to find out when this meeting will take place.
Thank you in advance,
Signature."
This letter is unlikely to make a great impression on an experienced personnel officer, as it contains only general polite phrases.
Try to address the letter personally, avoiding appeals such as "Dear Sirs," "To Whom It Affects."
Justify why you are interested in getting this particular place.
Indicate the experience and knowledge required for this position. Private motives of the personnel officer are not interested. Focus on the benefits that the company will gain by acquiring an employee like you.
Avoid using common words, for example, "I can work with people" or "thanks to my unique combination of experience and education:".
These maxims sound beautiful, but, being repeated by dozens of job seekers, mean very little to employers. Give specific examples, rely on specific facts.
Good luck!
Name and surname.
Highlight your first and last name in bold or large print. Remember that when there are a lot of documents, the employer does not have to search the name of the candidate for a long time in a continuous stream of text.
It is better to write first name and then last name. No patronymic is required unless you are a professor or academician, especially when writing resumes in foreign languages. Slavic and Asian names and surnames are often very difficult in English transcription, this should be taken into account.
A photo.
Many companies recently require the provision of photographs. But experienced HR consultants say with complete certainty that it’s difficult to judge the candidate’s abilities from the image; photographs most likely create a biased impression that hinders the proper assessment of his potential.
Reasonable candidates for the position either refuse to provide photos at all, or provide them when they are sure that the personnel officer will react to their consideration positively. It’s better not to give your photos, even if an ad or profile indicates their need. Do not expect that a beautiful portrait will add you points, the impression of a personal meeting is much more important. Photography most often only facilitates the identification of a large number of applicants. Therefore, a resume with a scanned photo is not necessary.
Although there are exceptions to everything. So, when recruiting in one advertising company, the applicant portrayed himself with disheveled hair and a T-shirt. His sense of humor and excellent command of Adobe Photoshop was appreciated - he got a place.
Another thing is that sometimes due to the specifics of the profession, employers put forward special requirements. For example, a self-respecting model or mannequin should provide not one photo, but a whole album - a portfolio. (more about this on the website "Models of Kazakhstan")
Coordinates.
Include here the phone number for contacting you, the pager number. It is not necessary to indicate your home address - you are not inviting a company representative at all.
Purpose.
For many, this is the most difficult task when writing a resume. Many university graduates apply immediately for many vacancies, not wanting to limit themselves, and do not indicate a goal at all or write something like "I want to get a promising position in a rapidly growing international company." The goal should not be too vague and general. Indication of a specific position (or two) for which you apply, significantly saves time and effort to the employer. Indeed, often a competition is announced immediately for several specialties and the personnel officer does not have time to guess for a long time what position you are applying for.
Here are some examples of career goals. Of course, these are only samples; in each case, individual goals must be indicated:
To develop a new section of the company manufacturing and selling furniture - office furniture and equipment.
Establish a distribution network for a company manufacturing and selling furniture.
Get a position as a financial analyst in a large industrial organization.
Get the position of technical consultant. He is especially interested in preparing journal articles, editing and analyzing technical information and technical training materials.
Get the position of Public Relations Assistant, including publishing, preparing press releases, photos and digests.
Get a position in a social program to help children and women.
It’s better to prepare a resume specifically for each individual case, rather than sending out multiple copies all over the place.
Examples of incorrect career goals:
Get an entry-level position in business. (too general)
I want to get a position that will help me realize my creative and intellectual abilities. (and other candidates do not want this?)
Get the position of manager in a bank or large corporation. (which manager?)
I want to get such a job to raise money and finish school.
You see, the company is not interested in what exactly you want for yourself, it would like to know how you can be useful to it. This is the key point - you need to build your tactics in such a way that the employer knows what he is gaining by hiring you, and not what you expect from him. Your plans and expectations will be discussed in the next stages of selection - during the interview.
Education.
For most of yesterday’s students and novice professionals, it is necessary to indicate not only the year of admission, the year of graduation, the name of the university, faculty and specialty, but also such achievements as a diploma with honors or an average mark in the grade book, and also that you were among the 10 %, 50%, etc. the best students.
Optional trainings and seminars are best indicated only if their topics are relevant to your resume. For example, it is not necessary for the secretary to inform that he (she) has taken a course in securities market instruments. But for the accountant it is simply necessary to mention successful courses in KSB. Do not indicate the completion of courses at religious institutions, if you are not 100% sure that the employer will react to this positively. So no matter how advanced the Maharishi Institute, flaunting this is not worth it. It is not necessary, as a rule, to report about high school.
Experience.
There are two types of resumes - chronological, so-called. European and functional (American), in which places of work and positions are listed in reverse chronological order - from the last to the first.
Indicate the position, name and location of the organization, the start and end dates of the work, as well as a brief description of your job responsibilities and achievements.
You can include data on temporary work, production practices, if they correspond to the resume. If there were many such places of work, divide this part into two subparagraphs - “Professional experience” and “Other work experience”.
Professional skills.
An indication of each skill must be supported by an appropriate fact. It’s not enough to write: “I can print, drive a car.” Note the typing speed and driver license category. If it’s about computer skills, indicate specific software packages, about English proficiency - the number of TOEFL, GMAT, IELTS, TSЕ points or other official tests.
I come across statements like: "I don’t know the language, but I have a great desire to learn it," "The computer is in the process of learning." So, do not write this. A resume is a description of your accomplishments, not your plans and dreams.
Awards and social activities. This item is especially important for those who are going to work in a foreign company. For local citizens, the word social activity managed to fill its edge in the years of socialism. This is just for us the chairmanship in the Red Cross cell meant just boring raising money for membership dues. And "with them" is a testament to honesty and high moral qualities.
But in general, some types of social activities should be cautious. For example, if you were the chairman of a trade union committee. For us, these are free trips and gifts for children for the New Year. For "them" - strikes, lobbying for the interests of workers, in general, it was still awesome!
Awards.
It is not worth mentioning the second place at the school Olympiad or the victory in the team ski championship. Indicate one or two really significant awards that are directly related to your professional activity.
Important! When describing your scientific, professional and social activities, avoid using abbreviations such as KazNTU, KIMEP and the like. Remember: you are writing a resume for the employer, facilitate the process of perception. Always indicate the full name of the organization and profile of activity. For example, many potential employers may not know what SIFE means.
Personal Information.
You can indicate the date of birth and marital status. The legislation of many countries allows not to indicate such information when applying for a vacant position that may lead to discrimination (age, gender, religion, social origin, nationality, marital status, presence of children).
Therefore, decide for yourself which of the personal information can play in your favor, which is not. For example, it is no secret that not all women are willing to take married women, especially with young children. For the same reason, you should not indicate your kids in the column "Interests" or "Hobbies" - they might think that you give them much more attention to the detriment of work.
Remember also that the employer is not entitled to require too much personal information from you, that is, information not directly related to your professional skills.
At the selection stage, the employer should not require any documents other than a resume and a cover letter. A work book, passport and so on will be required later when you pass the selection, that is, when concluding a contract. Documents required to conclude an employment contract or contract. This is an identity card, diploma and work book.
If the employer still insists on providing information about your relatives, illnesses or criminal records, you need to decide for yourself whether to give such information or not. In normal cases, you will not be held responsible for not answering these questions.
Hobbies and interests.
Do not indicate too exotic or numerous hobbies. Usually, team sports and intellectual activities (literature, art) make a good impression.
Recommendations
Do not attach a bunch of letters of recommendation to the resume, especially carelessly photocopies. It’s better to add a list of names, positions and coordinates of people who can recommend you. Make sure that they will be positive reviews before placing this or that recommender in your list.
Cover letter.
What can be said about the letter with the following contents:
"Dear Sirs!
I’m interested in your job offer. I ask you to study my documents and decide if I can be useful to you. I am distinguished by dynamic and independent thinking and responsible attitude to work, I can lead people. The English language was taught in a comprehensive school. While recommending myself for a vacant position in your company, I expect with great interest a positive response and your appointment of a meeting date. I will call you on Monday to find out when this meeting will take place.
Thank you in advance,
Signature."
This letter is unlikely to make a great impression on an experienced personnel officer, as it contains only general polite phrases.
Try to address the letter personally, avoiding appeals such as "Dear Sirs," "To Whom It Affects."
Justify why you are interested in getting this particular place.
Indicate the experience and knowledge required for this position. Private motives of the personnel officer are not interested. Focus on the benefits that the company will gain by acquiring an employee like you.
Avoid using common words, for example, "I can work with people" or "thanks to my unique combination of experience and education:".
These maxims sound beautiful, but, being repeated by dozens of job seekers, mean very little to employers. Give specific examples, rely on specific facts.
Good luck!
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