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Making one’s CV stand out
By Aysheh Alghabin, Jordan News
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Did you send your CV to the same company every time it posted a vacancy, and although you were sure
that you ticked all the boxes, you still would not receive any calls? اضافة اعلان
Well, in big companies, the human resources department receives hundreds of CVs every day, and some, for sure, must fall between the cracks, so how do you make your CV stand out?
Muna Essa has been working as a human resources manager in a marketing company for the past 15 years.
“It is definitely different nowadays; no one ever goes to the company in person to fill a job offer, as it used to be. Now you send the email and hope it gets seen,” she said.
Having one’s CV “seen” depends on many factors, such as “the resume, the visual appearance, the email you sent, the subject in that email and many other details you need to think about before hitting send”, according to Essa.
In her opinion, reading the job details and requirements is key to making sure you one matches the job and does not miss another that may fit perfectly.
First, studies shows that a one-page resume is now preferred by HR recruiters. But while making it concise, do not cut out important details; only make sure that the information looks better visually by avoiding writing long paragraphs.
You can use charts that many free websites offer to list your responsibilities and how you usually divide your working hours, for example.
Second, always list your experience in chronological order, and do your best not to mention any irrelevant experience. For example, if you are applying for a senior level in finance, do not mention that cashier part time job you took right after graduating.
Third, do not oversell your work ethics. Mentioning that you are a hard worker and that you manage stress really well is not going to convince the recruiter; your experience, achievements, and the extra courses you took will do that for you.
Essa advises college students to never wait until they graduate to participate in extracurricular activities and volunteering, if they want their resume to look better.
“I always advise kids to work in part time and freelance jobs during their college years, this way they will get to understand at least the work ethics and how to manage their time,” Essa added.
Diala Khaled is a telecommunication engineer working in one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Jordan. She started working there as a call center agent in a part time job in her third year of university.
She emphasized Essa’s point by saying: “Many of my friends who graduated with me are still searching for a job. As for me, once I got my bachelor certificate I immediately announced it at the company and made sure that the heads of departments, especially engineering, knew that I was searching for a full-time job now.”
“It was a lot easier for me to apply internally and just do a position shift at the same company, rather than applying as an outsider who has zero experience,” she added.
Back to applying for a job. Once the resume is done and ready to go, the second most important thing to do is to double check the email you are sending your application to.
Essa mentioned three things one needs to make sure of:
1. The subject of the email. “Always write the position you are applying for and then your first and last name. This way you make it easier for the recruiter to find you and search our email amongst others,” she said.
2. In the body of the email, “start by saying that you are glad to work in this company and that your qualifications for sure meet the job requirements”.
But what if you do not fit the requirement and wish to apply to in order to improve your career path?
If this is the case, “you have to mention this in the body of the email”.
3. “Do not forget the signature and to attach your resume, and never send the same email to more than one company at once,” Essa advised.
If you did all of that and still did not receive any call, Essa encourages job seekers to “always follow up with the company” they are applying to.
“I once received a message on LinkedIn from a girl saying that she applied for a job we had posted earlier that week and that she found my account while searching the company on the app.
“I truly admired the extra mile this girl took to make sure I saw her CV. I did not think of this action as any kind of stalking, as some of my colleagues thought, on the contrary I called her and set an interview date.”
Following up is the key to getting any recruiter to check your resume, Essa added.
“Call the company and kindly ask the receptionist to transfer your call to HR, and ask them nicely if they received your CV and what they think of it. There is no shame in showing yourself and taking the extra mile,” she said.
Read more Lifestyle
Jordan News
Well, in big companies, the human resources department receives hundreds of CVs every day, and some, for sure, must fall between the cracks, so how do you make your CV stand out?
Muna Essa has been working as a human resources manager in a marketing company for the past 15 years.
“It is definitely different nowadays; no one ever goes to the company in person to fill a job offer, as it used to be. Now you send the email and hope it gets seen,” she said.
Having one’s CV “seen” depends on many factors, such as “the resume, the visual appearance, the email you sent, the subject in that email and many other details you need to think about before hitting send”, according to Essa.
In her opinion, reading the job details and requirements is key to making sure you one matches the job and does not miss another that may fit perfectly.
Essa advises college students to never wait until they graduate to participate in extracurricular activities and volunteering, if they want their resume to look better.As for the resume, Essa lists several points to check and consider when creating a resume.
First, studies shows that a one-page resume is now preferred by HR recruiters. But while making it concise, do not cut out important details; only make sure that the information looks better visually by avoiding writing long paragraphs.
You can use charts that many free websites offer to list your responsibilities and how you usually divide your working hours, for example.
Second, always list your experience in chronological order, and do your best not to mention any irrelevant experience. For example, if you are applying for a senior level in finance, do not mention that cashier part time job you took right after graduating.
Third, do not oversell your work ethics. Mentioning that you are a hard worker and that you manage stress really well is not going to convince the recruiter; your experience, achievements, and the extra courses you took will do that for you.
Essa advises college students to never wait until they graduate to participate in extracurricular activities and volunteering, if they want their resume to look better.
“I always advise kids to work in part time and freelance jobs during their college years, this way they will get to understand at least the work ethics and how to manage their time.”“Especially in Jordan, there are many NGOs now that invest in youths, developing their skills to meet labor requirements, and most of their programs are aimed at the university students,” she said.
“I always advise kids to work in part time and freelance jobs during their college years, this way they will get to understand at least the work ethics and how to manage their time,” Essa added.
Diala Khaled is a telecommunication engineer working in one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Jordan. She started working there as a call center agent in a part time job in her third year of university.
She emphasized Essa’s point by saying: “Many of my friends who graduated with me are still searching for a job. As for me, once I got my bachelor certificate I immediately announced it at the company and made sure that the heads of departments, especially engineering, knew that I was searching for a full-time job now.”
“It was a lot easier for me to apply internally and just do a position shift at the same company, rather than applying as an outsider who has zero experience,” she added.
Back to applying for a job. Once the resume is done and ready to go, the second most important thing to do is to double check the email you are sending your application to.
Essa mentioned three things one needs to make sure of:
1. The subject of the email. “Always write the position you are applying for and then your first and last name. This way you make it easier for the recruiter to find you and search our email amongst others,” she said.
2. In the body of the email, “start by saying that you are glad to work in this company and that your qualifications for sure meet the job requirements”.
But what if you do not fit the requirement and wish to apply to in order to improve your career path?
If this is the case, “you have to mention this in the body of the email”.
3. “Do not forget the signature and to attach your resume, and never send the same email to more than one company at once,” Essa advised.
If you did all of that and still did not receive any call, Essa encourages job seekers to “always follow up with the company” they are applying to.
“I once received a message on LinkedIn from a girl saying that she applied for a job we had posted earlier that week and that she found my account while searching the company on the app.
“I truly admired the extra mile this girl took to make sure I saw her CV. I did not think of this action as any kind of stalking, as some of my colleagues thought, on the contrary I called her and set an interview date.”
Following up is the key to getting any recruiter to check your resume, Essa added.
“Call the company and kindly ask the receptionist to transfer your call to HR, and ask them nicely if they received your CV and what they think of it. There is no shame in showing yourself and taking the extra mile,” she said.
Read more Lifestyle
Jordan News
