Power-up Your Resume with JobStreet Select

Many of you will soon graduate or perhaps some are contemplating to shift careers. You might be asking: How do I get the job I want? This is the question asked by fresh graduates and career shifters.

Hiring Officers are usually busy people. Hence, a powerful resume is one that provides both an overview of qualifications and the corresponding details to support it. Your resume is a tool to advertise yourself and be noticed from the rest of the qualified applicants. Remember, your resume is your ticket to get you a job interview--which would hopefully lead to a job offer.

The leading recruitment partner of JobStreet.com – JobStreet Select – shares some tips to construct a professional and impressive resume that will help you land the job you want.

• Prepare a job objective. State briefly the kind of job you seek so that the employer will know if you are a match. Be specific and direct to the point. Never write obscure statements.
• Include the years of work experience. This gives a hint on your level of expertise (finance, sales and marketing etc.) and proficiency (supervisory, managerial) in terms of business operations and people management if there's any.
• Type of industries or organizations joined (eg. MNC/Local, manufacturing, semicon, IT or school organizations etc.). This gives the would-be employer a hint if you can easily adapt to their business.
• Areas of competency. Hiring is about finding the right match between the person's competency qualifications and the company's needs. Providing a short list of your competencies will lighten the Hiring Officer's job in finding the 'right match' for you.

Please take note that an overview should take only one half to a page at the most. Most employers usually browse resumes for 30 seconds only, so be direct to the point.

Supporting details provide substantial data about the individual's career history, educational and training background and achievements. If possible, keep it only up to three or four pages. It should include the following:

• Work Experience – job title, company name and duration of employment. If there is more than one job assumed in the same company, summarize the duration and job title. Include only important job functions. Too many details are boring. Cite important achievements.
• Education - start from the most recent degree obtained, school, duration, achievements, significant activities.
• Relevant Trainings and Seminars attended.
• Personal Details - address, marital status, no. of children, age, gender and contact details. If physical attributes are necessary to the position being applied for, include weight and height.

Under the Philippine recruitment practices, it is better to include details such as age, gender and address. Inclusion of those details shortens screening time. Not to include them may give the impression that the individual is not keen on details. On the other hand, you may exclude these factors when applying to foreign companies that exercise equal employment opportunity.

It is suggested that a photo be excluded when submitting your resume except if required by the hiring company. If you decide to include a copy of your photo, make sure that you look professional in it.

Different companies would have different competency requirements. It is best to customize the highlights of your resume in accordance to their needs and what you can offer best.

Be brief, concise and proofread your work. Check out for typos and grammatical boo-boos. Double-check dates and facts. Ensure punctuation marks are correct and in their proper places.

Be inviting. Your resume must look attractive to be read. Use conservative fonts like Times New Roman or Arial, at least 10 in size. Include ample white space. Organize items under section headings to give the eyes a break. Print on crisp, white paper. A crowded, cluttered, error-laden resume is a big turnoff.

JobStreet Select is the leading recruitment partner of JobStreet.com. It provides premium Executive Search and Staffing Services. It combines speed and efficiency of online recruitment, with the expertise of our highly qualified recruitment consultants. JobStreet Select accepts walk-in applicants for staffing positions for major BPO companies from Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm. So, whether you are starting to build a career or looking into making a shift – JobStreet SELECT will be more than happy to be your Preferred Career Partner! For more information, please call 6891109 and 8138797 or email melai@jobstreet.com and earl@jobstreet.com