Read this and am sure you will do the right thing with your job search thro’ CV

The internet has drastically changed how people approach job searching and how to write an effective CV. Years ago, the classifieds section of a news paper could only reach a limited number of job seekers in a limited area. Today the internet allows job seekers to apply for jobs, thousands of miles away.

The competition that this has created requires that CVs be more precise and outstanding than ever. A great percentage of job seekers find their jobs through the internet and by sending out a good digital CV.

Keywords.

The recruitment firm I work for - Corporate Staffing Services usually scans CVs for keywords related to what the client is looking for. It is believed that more than 80% of all CVs processed by employers are now searched for specific keywords before being forwarded to the relevant person. In terms of recruitment, keywords are typically nouns and phrases that represent specific areas of skill or experience that the employer identifies as important for the job.

Human Resources Personnel go through CVs and distinguish which ones contain more of these keywords than the rest. We are talking about words like leadership, organizational, administrative and many others as would be relevant to the job being applied for. With more employers relying on computers to screen CVs using keywords, job seekers must know how to make their CVs stand out from the thousands of others it competes with. My suggestion is to always make sure that when applying for a position you should carefully study the job description.

You must be honest.

Usually, there will be an outline of the basic skills needed for the job. This should give you a hint of the keywords that should be of interest to the employer. However, do not just throw words in there for the sake of getting the attention of the recruiting personnel. You must be honest.

Also, do not just fix those keywords anywhere lest you come across as someone who is groping in the dark. Place them where they matter most and where they catch the immediate attention of the hiring manager. If you are sending the CV through email, please send it as an attachment and in an standard format for ease of compatibility. Many job seekers embed the CV on the body of the email – this is unacceptable.

Also unforgivable is to send a document that requires a password to open.I need not tell you that doing so not only makes you seem insecure but also begs the question about how you expect me to know the password. Although, it would seem easier to send a p.d.f document, most employers seem to be wary of this because they may not like opening such documents. So a word document is best.

But if you want to protect your CV from tamper, a p.d.f copy is the best choice. Do not scan the CV and then save it as jpeg – often it will look distorted. The subject of your email should also catch the reader’s attention by featuring words that are more enticing than ‘CV’ or ‘Profile’

Common mistakes.

But beware: just because you have loaded your CV with keywords, converted it to the most compatible format and emailed it to an employer under an enticing subject doesn’t mean it won’t be discarded later due to other problems.

So, avoid the following mistakes that are often committed in CVs:

•  Typos or grammatical errors.
•  Including too much information.
•  Not listing achievements in former roles.
• Poor layout and / or design.
• Including tool little information.

Considering the extent of today’s competition and the huge numbers involved, CV writing is not a process you can afford to leave to chance.

Designing the right CV can make all the difference in the world. It will determine whether your candidacy rises to the top or sinks to the bottom of the heap.

Safaricom

Learning from experience: The forgone interview

When you go to a job interview, the odds are against you. A typical job opening will attract dozens of well-qualified applicants; only one can be hired. So most people do not receive the desired phone call extending an offer. What DO they receive? Usually, nothing.

Some companies will send a letter or e-mail notifying candidates that a selection has been made and “thank you for interviewing with us.” Most companies won’t even do that, and the candidates will have to contact them to find out the status of the position.

Finding out you didn’t get the job can be frustrating, demoralizing and heartbreaking. Not knowing why you didn’t get the job can make you feel even worse-especially if you thought you did well at the interview.

So ask for job interview feedback. If you find out what went well and what went wrong, you can make adjustments that will help you do better-and increase your chances of getting a job offer-at your next interview.

But there’s a right way-and a wrong way-to do this.

How to ask for job interview feedback:

If you receive a phone call notifying you that you were not selected, ask for feedback during that call. If you receive an e-mail or letter, ask for feedback within 24 hours (reply via e-mail or call).

But do NOT ask the interviewer why you were not selected. I know this is what you’ll want to ask, but don’t. Instead, word your request in such a way that the interviewer knows you are not questioning his or her decision, but would appreciate some constructive feedback.

Ask how you can improve, what your weak areas were, or if he/she has any specific interviewing advice for you. For example: “I have another interview coming up and I’d like to make sure I don’t make the same mistakes I made when I interviewed with you. Could you give me some advice on how I might improve my interview performance?”

People do NOT like to have their decisions questioned. People DO like to give advice.

Why most interviewers will not give helpful feedback:

Most people do like to give advice. And unless you were arrogant, disrespectful or unprofessional during the interview, most interviewers will genuinely want to help you do better next time. But that doesn’t mean they will actually give you helpful feedback. Many interviewers will not. Here are reasons why…

1.   Some don’t offer feedback because they don’t want to get into unpleasant conversations with people who cannot accept the fact that they were not the best person for the job. Those people are more interested in debating the decision than in learning how to do better at a future interview. You will not succeed in changing the interviewer’s decision. That decision is based on your CV and what they learned about you during the interview. If you didn’t show the skills, personality, or other characteristics they want during the interview, that’s why you were not hired. It is natural to want to correct a wrong impression about you, but doing so, and trying to convince them that they made a mistake, is pointless.

2.   Some interviewers don’t want to give feedback because they honestly don’t know what to tell you. Have you ever met someone and immediately decided you didn’t like him or her, but weren’t sure why? It’s often the same in a job interview. It could be something about your personality, the way you shook hands, maybe even the perfume you wore that created an unflattering impression, almost subliminally, in the interviewer’s mind. Or maybe the interviewer does know what she didn’t like about you, but doesn’t want to hurt your feelings by mentioning it

Benefit from what you learn

There are many other reasons interviewers may not give you helpful feedback. But it never hurts to ask (in the right way). If you receive helpful feedback, be thankful because it truly is quite rare. Don’t take offense or become argumentative if you don’t agree with the interviewer’s assessment of you. After all, it’s just that person’s opinion.

Besides, it makes more sense to respect the opinion of a person who works for that company, who knows the needs of the job, and who knows better than you whether or not you’re likely to be a good fit for the organization and the job. The key is to listen carefully to the feedback the interviewer gives you. If something doesn’t make sense, ask for clarification or a specific example, but don’t get defensive.

Remember to thank the interviewer for his/her time and comments.

Once you have the feedback, be sure to work on whatever it was that held you back. If you were told you seemed disinterested, for example, you know that next time you’ll need to show more enthusiasm. Whatever the reasons given, whether true weaknesses or inaccurate perceptions based on your failure to successfully communicate your strengths, use that vital information to become better prepared for your next job interview, and get the job!

Safaricom