Life Desk :
Does yours pass the test?
How much time do you think a recruiter spends analysing your resume? Ten minutes? Five?
Actually, it’s just six measly seconds found a study by online jobmatching service TheLadders. The findings of the study which were released last week used a scientific technique called “eye tracking” to analyse how long 30 professional recruiters reviewed candidate profiles and resumes.
Professionally written resume, which have a clear visual hierarchy and present relevant information where recruiters expect it, quickly guide recruiters to a yes/ no decision. The study found that the “gaze trace” of recruiters was erratic when they reviewed a poorly organised resume, and recruiters experienced high levels of cognitive load (total mental activity), which increased the level of effort to make a decision. Professional resumes had less data, were evenly formatted and were described as “clearer.” Mirror spoke to HR executives and recruiters in the city for pointers on to write the perfect resume.
Easy reading
Your first conversation with your organisation, employers believe, happens when they read your resume and not during the interview.
Would you want to sound incoherent during this conversation? Regardless of the position you seek to fill, HR executives look for communication skills through your CV. Ensure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors in them and that the language is simple.
For flow of information, you could choose between chronology or function. In the latter, events need not be in sync with the years but should give the recruiter what they are looking for at the beginning -for instance if you have worked on a project which is close to the profile you are applying for now, let that be on top. Freshers can also leave out their mission statement and awards won in college since your career slate will be starting from a blank.
Most recruiters even bother with resumes of veterans in their fields, says Sandra Sawant. A simple cover letter with two paragraphs; which position they are looking at and the number of years spent in the industry are enough.
Size matters
How many pages should your CV run into? A general rule of thumb says if you have worked for less than five years, one page should suffice. Any more, and it could run into two.
Freshers, especially, should stick to a page, says Neeta Suri, proprietor at Mira Road-based StreamHr. “There is no need to go on about extra curricular activities in college. Work experience, even if it is an internship or an event you helped out with, should be on top,” she says. Marks come second in the hierarchy unless you graduated from a top school. Over the years, educational columns should grow smaller and less detailed. A senior executive must focus on the most recent work experience and can limit educational details to post gradua tion and graduation.
Go monochrome
Stick to the black and white format unless you are applying for a creative post. “Writers are asked to attach work samples, visual arts pro fessionals like graphic designers are the only people who are allowed to use colourful fonts since it acts like a sam ple of their work,” ex plains Tanver Alam-Azmi, MD of FutureGenz, an HR consultancy in Jogeshwari.
No hobbies please
Scaled Mt Everest on your last summer trip, can play Bach’s cello concerto from memory? Leave out the hobbies says Alam-Azmi. While most career counsellors will tell you that companies are looking for a well-rounded personality who has diverse interests, it rarely works on the resume. “If you are applying for a sales job, it might even work against you. Employers are looking for focus,” he explains.
Keep your hobbies in mind for when you are called in for an interview. It makes for good conversation, says Suri.
Be honest
The importance of this can’t be stressed enough. Look at newly appointed HRD Minister Smriti Irani, currently in the soup over discrepancies in her poll affidavits.
In 2011, IT firm IBM fired nearly 700 employees in India after an internal review committee found their resumes to be fraudulent.
“There are no big and small lies when it comes to fudging on your resume,” says Sawant. “If I find that you have lied about one aspect, I’m given to think there is more you may be lying about,” she adds.
While it’s true that companies are looking for stability, don’t try to hide if you have had numerous jumps. “If you are called for an interview, be prepared to answer questions regarding why you left an organisation,” offers Suri. But whatever you say, it’s a bad idea to badmouth a previous employer.
Number crunch
Quantify your success. The last time power words like ‘highly-motivated’ and ‘result-oriented’ found their way on a CV, capri pants were still in fashion. Sawant’s advice is to use numbers to convey comparison while remaining truthful. A smart play with numbers can tell the recruiter that you stood 5th in a class of 100 instead of simply telling them you scored 80 per cent. Show off their work milestones by talking profit margins and cost saving. Be specific about the team strength, especially if you were heading it.
Source: Medindia
Does yours pass the test?
How much time do you think a recruiter spends analysing your resume? Ten minutes? Five?
Actually, it’s just six measly seconds found a study by online jobmatching service TheLadders. The findings of the study which were released last week used a scientific technique called “eye tracking” to analyse how long 30 professional recruiters reviewed candidate profiles and resumes.
Professionally written resume, which have a clear visual hierarchy and present relevant information where recruiters expect it, quickly guide recruiters to a yes/ no decision. The study found that the “gaze trace” of recruiters was erratic when they reviewed a poorly organised resume, and recruiters experienced high levels of cognitive load (total mental activity), which increased the level of effort to make a decision. Professional resumes had less data, were evenly formatted and were described as “clearer.” Mirror spoke to HR executives and recruiters in the city for pointers on to write the perfect resume.
Easy reading
Your first conversation with your organisation, employers believe, happens when they read your resume and not during the interview.
Would you want to sound incoherent during this conversation? Regardless of the position you seek to fill, HR executives look for communication skills through your CV. Ensure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors in them and that the language is simple.
For flow of information, you could choose between chronology or function. In the latter, events need not be in sync with the years but should give the recruiter what they are looking for at the beginning -for instance if you have worked on a project which is close to the profile you are applying for now, let that be on top. Freshers can also leave out their mission statement and awards won in college since your career slate will be starting from a blank.
Most recruiters even bother with resumes of veterans in their fields, says Sandra Sawant. A simple cover letter with two paragraphs; which position they are looking at and the number of years spent in the industry are enough.
Size matters
How many pages should your CV run into? A general rule of thumb says if you have worked for less than five years, one page should suffice. Any more, and it could run into two.
Freshers, especially, should stick to a page, says Neeta Suri, proprietor at Mira Road-based StreamHr. “There is no need to go on about extra curricular activities in college. Work experience, even if it is an internship or an event you helped out with, should be on top,” she says. Marks come second in the hierarchy unless you graduated from a top school. Over the years, educational columns should grow smaller and less detailed. A senior executive must focus on the most recent work experience and can limit educational details to post gradua tion and graduation.
Go monochrome
Stick to the black and white format unless you are applying for a creative post. “Writers are asked to attach work samples, visual arts pro fessionals like graphic designers are the only people who are allowed to use colourful fonts since it acts like a sam ple of their work,” ex plains Tanver Alam-Azmi, MD of FutureGenz, an HR consultancy in Jogeshwari.
No hobbies please
Scaled Mt Everest on your last summer trip, can play Bach’s cello concerto from memory? Leave out the hobbies says Alam-Azmi. While most career counsellors will tell you that companies are looking for a well-rounded personality who has diverse interests, it rarely works on the resume. “If you are applying for a sales job, it might even work against you. Employers are looking for focus,” he explains.
Keep your hobbies in mind for when you are called in for an interview. It makes for good conversation, says Suri.
Be honest
The importance of this can’t be stressed enough. Look at newly appointed HRD Minister Smriti Irani, currently in the soup over discrepancies in her poll affidavits.
In 2011, IT firm IBM fired nearly 700 employees in India after an internal review committee found their resumes to be fraudulent.
“There are no big and small lies when it comes to fudging on your resume,” says Sawant. “If I find that you have lied about one aspect, I’m given to think there is more you may be lying about,” she adds.
While it’s true that companies are looking for stability, don’t try to hide if you have had numerous jumps. “If you are called for an interview, be prepared to answer questions regarding why you left an organisation,” offers Suri. But whatever you say, it’s a bad idea to badmouth a previous employer.
Number crunch
Quantify your success. The last time power words like ‘highly-motivated’ and ‘result-oriented’ found their way on a CV, capri pants were still in fashion. Sawant’s advice is to use numbers to convey comparison while remaining truthful. A smart play with numbers can tell the recruiter that you stood 5th in a class of 100 instead of simply telling them you scored 80 per cent. Show off their work milestones by talking profit margins and cost saving. Be specific about the team strength, especially if you were heading it.
Source: Medindia
