Resume Writing Tips

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Know the purpose of your Resume

Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!).

Back up your qualities and strengths

Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up, else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.

Make sure to use the right keywords

Most companies (even smaller ones) are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what, if your resume doesn’t have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts.

These keywords will usually be nouns. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for.

Use effective titles

Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds. Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab the attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example:

Bad title: Accounting Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping.

Proofread it twice

It would be difficult to emphasize the importance of proofreading your resume. One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or as many as necessary.

Use bullet points

No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure, therefore, to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives.

Where are you going?

Including professional goals can help you by giving employers an idea of where you are going, and how you want to arrive there. You don’t need to have a special section devoted to your professional objectives, but overall the resume must communicate it. The question of whether or not to highlight your career objectives on the resume is a polemic one among HR managers, so go with your feeling. If you decide to list them, make sure they are not generic.

Put the most important information first

This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections. Most of the times your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first.

Attention to the typography

First of all make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place, remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices.

Do not include “no kidding” information

There are many people that like to include statements like “Available for interview” or “References available upon request.” If you are sending a resume to a company, it should be a given that you are available for an interview and that you will provide references if requested. Just avoid items that will make the employer think “no kidding!”

Explain the benefits of your skills

Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you manage to explain how it will benefit his company, and to connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances.

Avoid negativity

Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is valid both to your resume and to interviews. You don’t need to include, for instance, things that you hated about your last company.

Achievements instead of responsibilities

Resumes that include a long list of “responsibilities included…” are plain boring, and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your professional achievements.

No pictures

Sure, we know that you are good looking, but unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (Ex: modelling, acting and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume.

Use numbers

This tip is a complement to the 13th one. If you are going to describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to make them as solid as possible. Numbers are your friends here. Don’t merely mention that you increased the annual revenues of your division, say that you increased them by $100,000, by 78%, and so on.

One resume for each employer

One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. Sure it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters.

Identify the problems of the employer

A good starting point to tailor your resume for a specific employer is to identify what possible problems he might have at hand. Try to understand the market of the company you are applying for a job, and identify what kind of difficulties they might be going through. After that illustrate on your resume how you and your skills would help to solve those problems.

Avoid age discrimination

It is illegal to discriminate people because of their age, but some employers do these considerations nonetheless. Why risk the trouble? Unless specifically requested, do not include your age on your resume.

You don’t need to list all your work experiences

If you have job experiences that you are not proud of, or that are not relevant to the current opportunity, you should just omit them. Mentioning that you used to sell hamburgers when you were 17 is probably not going to help you land that executive position.

Go with what you got

If you never had any real working experience, just include your summer jobs or volunteer work. If you don’t have a degree yet, mention the title and the estimated date for completion. As long as those points are relevant to the job in question, it does not matter if they are official or not.

Sell your fish

Remember that you are trying to sell yourself. As long as you don’t go over the edge, all the marketing efforts that you can put in your resume (in its content, design, delivery method and so on) will give you an advantage over the other candidates.

Don’t include irrelevant information

Irrelevant information such as political affiliation, religion and sexual preference will not help you. In fact it might even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Just skip it.

Use Mr. and Ms. if appropriate

If you have a gender neutral name like Alex or Ryan make sure to include the Mr. or Ms. Prefix, so that employers will not get confused about your gender.

No lies, please

Seems like a no brainer, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie in their resumes. Even small lies should be avoided. Apart from being wrong, most HR departments do background checks these days, and if you are buster it might ruin your credibility for good.

Keep the salary in mind

The image you will create with your resume must match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for.

Analyze job ads

You will find plenty of useful information on job ads. Analyze no only the ad that you will be applying for, but also those from companies on the same segment or offering related positions. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented.

Get someone else to review your resume

Even if you think you resume is looking kinky, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so another people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions.

One or two pages

The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.

Use action verbs

A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievement were. Examples include managed, coached, enforced and planned.

Use a good printer

If you are going to use a paper version of your resume, make sure to use a decent printer. Laser printers usually get the job done. Plain white paper is the preferred one as well.

No hobbies

Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. I know you are proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers.

Update your resume regularly

It is a good idea to update your resume on a regular basis. Add all the new information that you think is relevant, as well as courses, training programs and other academic qualifications that you might receive along the way. This is the best way to keep track of everything and to make sure that you will not end up sending an obsolete document to the employer.

Mention who you worked with

If you have reported or worked with someone that is well known in your industry, it could be a good idea to mention it on the resume. The same thing applies to presidents and CEOs. If you reported to or worked directly with highly ranked executives, add it to the resume.

No scattered information

Your resume must have a clear focus. If would cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying drama, and the next you were working as an accountant. Make sure that all the information you will include will work towards a unified image. Employers like decided people.

Make the design flow with white space

Do not jam your resume with text. Sure we said that you should make your resume as short and concise as possible, but that refers to the overall amount of information and not to how much text you can pack in a single sheet of paper. White space between the words, lines and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume.

Lists all your positions

If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it.

No jargon or slang

It should be common sense, but believe me, it is not. Slang should never be present in a resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise.

Careful with sample resume templates

There are many websites that offer free resume templates. While they can help you to get an idea of what you are looking for, do not just copy and paste one of the most used ones. You certainly don’t want to look just like any other candidate, do you?

Create an email proof formatting

It is very likely that you will end up sending your resume via email to most companies. Apart from having a Word document ready to go as an attachment, you should also have a text version of your resume that does not look disfigured in the body of the email or in online forms. Attachments might get blocked by spam filters, and many people just prefer having the resume on the body of the email itself.

Remove your older work experiences

If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough.

No fancy design details

Do not use a coloured background, fancy fonts or images on your resume. Sure, you might think that the little flowers will cheer up the document, but other people might just throw it away at the sight.

No pronouns

You resume should not contain the pronouns “I” or “me.” That is how we normally structure sentences, but since your resume is a document about your person, using these pronouns is actually redundant.

Don’t forget the basics

The first thing on your resume should be your name. It should be bold and with a larger font than the rest of the text. Make sure that your contact details are clearly listed. Secondly, both the name and contact details should be included on all the pages of the resume (if you have more than one).

Consider getting professional help

If you are having a hard time to create your resume, or if you are receiving no response whatsoever from companies, you could consider hiring a professional resume writing service. There are both local and online options are available, and usually the investment will be worth the money.

What 4 Common Interview Questions Really Mean

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Acing the interview isn’t just about having the perfect canned speeches. Yes, you need to show off your experience, talents, and personality—but before answering each question, you also have to figure out what the interviewer is actually asking you.

Those seemingly innocuous questions, like “tell me about yourself” and “where do you see yourself in a few years?” aren’t just get-to-know-you conversation starters. They’re one of the key ways an interviewer will seek to uncover whether you’re the right fit for the job.

So, before you start to share your life story—or recite the same answer you gave at the last interview—it’s important to figure out what the interviewer really wants to know. Check out our guide to translating interviewer-speak, and learn how to plot your answers accordingly.

Question 1: Tell me about yourself.

Translation: Tell me why you’re the right fit for this job.

The interviewer already has your resume and cover letter, so she’s not looking for a rundown of your employment history. Nor does she care that you grew up in Boston and love to jog on the weekends. She’s looking for a pitch—one that’s concise, compelling, and keeps her attention, and one that tells her exactly why you’re the right fit for the job.

So, while this is a good time to paint a broad picture of who you are, it’s most important that you include a couple of key facts that will sell you as the right candidate.

Think about the 2-3 specific accomplishments or experiences that you most want the interviewer to know about, and share them here. You can frame your stories or tie them together using a theme or a quote, if appropriate, such as “My first boss told me that fundraising is really building relationships, and that’s the approach I’ve taken throughout my career. For example…”

It’s also a good idea to practice your answer aloud, record it, then listen to your pitch. Are you engaging? Are you rambling? Are you getting your most important points across loud and clear? (This is good advice for any interview question.)

Question 2: How would you explain our organization’s mission?

Translation: Can you be an ambassador for our organization?

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company’s “About” page. So, when an interviewer asks you this, she isn’t necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission—she wants to know whether you care about it, and she’s looking for who in the applicant pool can most effectively discuss the organization’s work and its impact.

So, in addition to doing your research on the company’s work, think about concrete ways it relates to your passions and experiences, and weave them into your answer.

Start with one line that shows you understand the mission, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “I’m personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two. For example, if you’re interviewing at a school that stresses character, share some specific character-building education activities you’ve led for students in your last job, or reference the recently released Bully. If you’re interviewing for a position at a hospital, talk about the 5K you recently ran toraise money for leukemia or your passion for volunteering your time to help children with cancer.

Question 3: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Translation: Do you care about our work?

Hiring someone is an investment, and interviewers believe (as you would expect) that someone genuinely interested in the organization’s work will be the better hire. So, what she really wants to know is whether this particular job and company is part of your career path, or whether you’ll be jumping ship in a year once you land your “real” dream job.

So how should you answer? If the position you’re interviewing for is on the track to your goals, share that, plus give some specifics. For example, if you’re interviewing for an account executive position an advertising firm, and you know your goal is to become an account supervisor, say that. And then add specifics about the sort of clients you hope to work with, which will help your answer sound genuine, not canned—and again show why this particular company will be a good fit.

If the position isn’t necessarily a one-way ticket to your aspirations, the best approach is to be genuine, but to follow your answer up by connecting the dots between the specific duties in this role and your future goals. It’s OK to say that you’re not quite sure what the future holds, but that you see this experience playing an important role in helping you make that decision, or that you’re excited about the management or communications skills you’ll gain.

Question 4: Do you have any questions for us?

Translation: Have you really been listening?

It’s easy to go into an interview with a list of questions about the position. But the tougher part—and what the interviewer really wants to see—is whether you can roll with the punches, engage in the conversation, and ask questions that weren’t already answered over the course of the interview.

This will require some thinking on your feet. As you’re going along in the interview, be thinking which key areas—job duties, company culture, the team you’ll be working with—haven’t been covered yet, so you can target your questions there. You can also prepare ahead of time by thinking of more non-traditional questions, or ask questions targeted to the interviewer herself, which probably won’t be covered in the interview.

Try things like: What you like most about working here? What drew you to work for this organization? What do you think are the current strategic challenges facing the organization? What advice would you give to someone in this role?

Remember, there’s no “right” answer to an interview question—or at least not one that’s right for every job. But by thinking about what an interviewer is really after, you can go a long way in showing her why you’re right for the job.

Most Common Interview Questions

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When it comes to the Interview Process, research and preparation for the interview can often times determine your chances of making it to the next step. One of the best ways to get ready for a job interview is to practice your responses to any and all interview questions – even the downright weird.

To help you get started, Future in Hands sifted through lots of interview reviews to find out some of the most common interview questions candidates get asked during recent interviews. So, if you have a job interview lined up, practice in front of a mirror or ask a friend or family member to listen to your answers to the following questions so you’ll be ready to put your best foot forward.

Questions about your resume.

  • Brief me your Resume
  • Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment.
  • What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met?
  • What were your responsibilities?
  • What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
  • What have you learned from your mistakes?
  • What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
  • Which was most / least rewarding?
  • What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?

Questions about your supervisors and co-workers.

  • What was it like working for your supervisor?
  • What do you expect from a supervisor?
  • What problems have you encountered at work?
  • Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager?
  • Have you worked with someone who didn’t like your work?
  • How did you fit in with the company culture?
  • Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
  • Describe your ideal boss.
  • Why are you leaving your job?
  • Why do you want to change jobs?
  • Why were you fired?
  • Why were you laid-off? Best Answers
  • Why did you quit your job?
  • Why did you resign?
  • What have you been doing since your last job?
  • Why have you been out of work so long?
  • Why weren’t you promoted at your last job?

Questions About You.

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Say something about yourself.
  • What is your greatest weakness?
  • What is your greatest strength?
  • How will your greatest strength help you perform?
  • Are you lucky?
  • Are you nice?
  • How would you describe yourself?
  • Describe a typical work week.
  • Describe your work style.
  • Do you consider yourself successful? Why?
  • Do you work well with other people?
  • Do you take work home with you?
  • How do you view yourself?
  • Who do you compare yourself to?
  • How many hours do you normally work?
  • How would you adjust to working for a new company?
  • How would you describe the pace at which you work?
  • How do you handle stress and pressure?
  • What motivates you?
  • Are you a self-motivator?
  • What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
  • What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
  • What are you passionate about?
  • What are your hobbies?
  • What are your pet peeves?
  • What do people most often criticize about you?
  • What is the biggest criticism you received from your boss?
  • What is the worst thing that you have ever gotten away with?
  • What is your dream job?
  • What makes you angry?
  • When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
  • Why did you choose your major?
  • Why did you go back to school?
  • Why should I take a risk on you?
  • If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently?
  • If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
  • Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
  • Give some examples of teamwork.

More Teamwork Questions.

  • What type of work environment do you prefer?
  • How do you evaluate success?
  • If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?
  • Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
  • Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
  • Questions which don’t have a right answer. – How to Respond

Questions About Money.

  • What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • What are your salary requirements – both short-term and long-term?
  • Why would you take a job for less money?
  • Job Questions About Your Qualifications
  • Are you overqualified for this job?
  • Describe how you managed a problem employee.
  • How did you impact the bottom line?
  • Interview questions about your abilities.
  • What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
  • What part of the job will be the least challenging for you?
  • Which parts of this job are the most challenging for you?
  • What philosophy guides your work?- Best Answers
  • What strength will help you the most to succeed?
  • Why are you interested in taking a lower level job?
  • Why are you interested in a non-management job?

Questions About the New Job and the Company.

  • Should employees use social media at work?
  • What interests you about this job?
  • Why do you want this job?
  • What can you do for this company?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • Why shouldn’t we hire you?
  • Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants for the job?
  • Why are you the best person for the job?
  • What do you know about this company?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What challenges are you looking for in a position?
  • What can you contribute to this company?
  • What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days on the job?
  • What would you do if you found out the company was doing something illegal?
  • Are you willing to travel?
  • What is good customer service?
  • How long do you expect to remain employed with this company?
  • When could you start work?
  • Please rate me as an interviewer.
  • Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company that you would like to know?

Questions About the Future.

  • What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
  • Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
  • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (for older applicants)
  • What are your goals for the next five years / ten years?
  • How do you plan to achieve those goals?
  • How would you feel about working for a younger manager?
  • More questions about your career goals.
  • What will you do if you don’t get this position?
  • Where else are you interviewing?

 

Why Base SAS Training can get your Career into Orbit

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Those contemplating Base SAS training, should not thinking and start acting! Business intelligence has provided businesses an opportunity to leverage streams of data. From this data organizations conclude on a variety of statistics. It could be the average inventory fulfilment ratio to customer purchasing patterns to geographical acceptance of a service. In the next several decades, information will be leverage for invention, product redesign, re-engineering, and business process innovation.

The re-engineering phase

The onset of Internet of Things (IoT) has augured another exciting phase in the digital world. Now that connected devices are the norm, new types of real-time information is generated. From activity logs to sensor information, real-time data is harnessed for better product innovation. It means that organizations will re-visit their product lines. Re-engineering will create better products and services. There will be more development activity in the form of re-engineering alone.

New product development

Data has immense potential to create new innovation. Data scientists use tools such as SAS to achieve business intelligence and insights. All of this is utilized to create new products and services. It could mean that there will be new machines manufactured, new software developed, faster planes, efficient cars, low-energy consuming devices and so on.

The Nexus of Forces

The combination of social media, cloud computing and data creates a nexus of forces. There are customers everywhere demanding for innovative products, explicitly and implicitly. It is the duty of data harnessers to sieve into this information and derive intelligence. It will create paradigm shifts in the way products and services are used and delivered.

The future is definitely going the BIG DATA way. For those interested in a career in this high potential discipline should take up base SAS training. Business intelligence, data analytics will redefine history in the coming decades. This is the best time to be part of this rising storm.

Top Reasons to take SAS Training

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The rise of Business Analytics has created a demand for candidates haven undergone SAS Training. SAS is a renowned data analytics tool used worldwide. There is a demand for SAS programmers, analysts, consultants, and modellers. The domain of data science is becoming huge as digital information increases. The following information discusses some of the challenges and opportunities for data scientists.

How can a data scientist keep pace with the growth of data?

There is data generated everywhere, in every nook and corner of the world, and every second. The opportunities for data mining and data intelligence are immense. But the ratio of the volume of data to handle and the resource assigned to analyse this data is extremely low. It  means that data scientists and statistical analysis modellers are faced with challenges of dealing with volumes. Although Big Data provides the capability to chunk data, streamline it, regardless of the size; the current data scientist is still facing a mountain of work.

This is probably the reason why organizations are looking for candidates with Business Analysis Training. There is a huge market waiting for people who are equipped with knowledge and skills in a popular tool such as SAS.

The need for more automation

Currently, there is a confluence of interests. Machine learning architects are collaborating with data modellers. The objective is to create a Data Analytics automated framework. It is also to make data accessible, verifiable, manageable, and transmittable. There is also research undertaken to identify and classify newer types of data.

For candidates with SAS training under their belt, the future looks bright. The emergence and eventual evolution of BIG DATA, business intelligence and allied areas is imminent. Given this horizon, those who start now have a bountiful of opportunities in the coming years.