Thursday, January 15, 2009

Acing an Interview and Writing Smashing Resumes


Talks about job losses probably take center stage in the media after Israeli incursion and KT by-election. It's not a half-bad idea to update your resume, at least quarterly. Writing good resumes and getting prepared for interviews seemed trivial to many, however, I'm amazed as to how much recruiters tell me about the current sorry state of our youngsters these days. Poor command of the English language is the most common trait among candidates. For experienced hires, resumes and interviews are taken less seriously given that they think they've seen the circus and can weather a good barrage of tough questions. If you do not possess a unique skill to offer to the market and would be competing with thousands others for a particular job, start preparing yourself. The common mistake people do when writing resumes is trying to cramp everything that they've done in their lifetime. The trick is to showcase highlights of your career. Keep it short and concise. Recruiters do not have time to peruse a 6-page resume. In an interview, try not to present yourself as flawless, rather show them your strengths and best of all, what you are doing to work on your weak spots.

Here's a good article from Forbes about interviews and writing resumes.
Being good at your job no longer suffices
Here's a good article about getting noticed doing a good job, rather than getting unnoticed doing a great job.

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