Resume / Interview Preparations Do's & Don'ts

**mina** · February 12th, 2008, 12:17 AM

I will post here TIPS for RESUME....most of them from Professionals.

13 Most Overused Résumé Phrases
How to turn them into solid examples of talent

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer
Throughout your career, you’ve accomplished many feats, exceeded several goals and mastered countless skills. Now you’re on yet another job hunt and you can’t remember a lick of any of it. Such is the importance of keeping your résumé up-to-date, whether you’re looking for a job or not. When you don’t, not only will you forget the important details that’ll help your résumé stand out to employers, but in your rush to submit your application on time you’ll end up using the same words and phrases as everyone else – ruining your chances altogether. Career experts always advise job seekers to avoid common résumé mistakes, but one grave error often left out of the mix is the overuse of clichés and vague phrases – and perhaps it’s the worst gaffe to commit. “If a job seeker places overused phrases on his or her résumé, the chances of standing out from other candidates are greatly diminished,” says Kathy Sweeney, a certified professional résumé writer for her company, The Write Resume. “A résumé is a marketing tool and should be utilized to distinguish the candidate from other people vying for the same position.”

Details, details

From first glance at a candidate’s résumé, employers want to see career progression: concrete accomplishments, any gaps in employment and potential growth within the employer’s company, says Sally Stetson, co-founder and principal with Salveson Stetson Group, an executive search firm. Because employers want to see significant accomplishments, rather than lists of job duties, job seekers must provide solid illustrations of their talent. “Providing specific examples may allow a potential employer to relate the applicant’s work experience to potential business needs within their company,” Stetson says. “These examples will also demonstrate a business and results orientation.”

Keywords

When employers search for candidates in their databases, it’s based on “exclusion” rather than “inclusion,” Sweeney says. In other words, employers look for keywords as a way to narrow the applicants down the 10 or 20 most-qualified candidates. These chosen few are left standing only after others are weeded out. But what some candidates think constitute keywords and phrases are actually vague generalities that show up on the majority of résumés. “Keywords are not ‘team player’ or ‘good communication skills,’” Sweeney says. “If an employer searched for those phrases, they would receive about 1,000 résumés that would be considered ‘relevant’ to their search parameters.” Instead, keywords are solid functions like “sales,” “marketing” or “business development,” she says. Here are 13 clichés Sweeney and Stetson see job seekers overuse on their résumés and how to rephrase each one into a strong example of your talent.

Cliché No. 1 : “Strong communication, customer service and organizational skills.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Possess strong communication, customer service and organizational skills, which increased customer satisfaction from 85% to 98% and realized 100% on-time delivery of assigned projects.*

Cliché No. 2: “Introduced new products.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Developed, introduced and launched successful new products, which increased market share 3% and contributed $3 million to bottom-line profitability.*

Cliché No. 3 : “Track record of success.”
• Let Stetson rephrase that: Consistently surpassed sales goal by 10% or more each year.*

Cliché No. 4: “Possess leadership, communication, motivational and inspirational skills.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Highly effective leadership, communication, motivational and inspirational skills, which led to 98% employee retention ratio and four out of six employees promoted into management positions.*

Cliché No. 5: “Exceeded all productivity goals for the department.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Exceeded established department productivity goals 16% through development / implementation of best practices to increase employee output, communication of corporate objectives and introduction of compensation plans to reward high-performing individuals.

Cliché No. 6: “Go-to person.”
• Let Stetson rephrase that: Selected by CEO for special customer service assignment that improved customer retention by 14%.*

Cliché No. 7: “Team player.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Possess strong commitment to team environment dynamics with the ability to contribute expertise and follow leadership directives at appropriate times.

Cliché No. 8: “Served as company spokesperson.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Served as highly successful company spokesperson, which generated positive media relations, resulted in identification as an industry expert, and garnered coverage in business / industry publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily and PC World.**

Cliché No. 9: “Partner with others.”
• Let Stetson rephrase that: Collaborated with key members of the finance and information technology departments to develop and implement a new sales tracking tool.

Cliché No. 10: “Spoke with existing customers on a daily basis.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Successfully interacted with clients to generate repeat and referral business, which resulted in $1.5 million in new product orders.*

Cliché No. 11: “Expert presenter, negotiator and businessperson.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Expert presenter, negotiator and businessperson able to forge solid relationships with customers, which improved sales 33% and increased customer base from 10 to 50 new clients.*

Cliché No. 12: “Managed cross-functional teams.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Led diverse, cross-functional teams in the fulfillment of corporate productivity, quality and bottom-line objectives.

Cliché No. 13: “Resolved customer difficulties quickly and tactfully.”
• Let Sweeney rephrase that: Honored with the “Customers Come First” award for consistently resolving customer difficulties in an expedient and tactful manner. **
*The numbers provided in examples are not real. Please use your own data if using example on your résumé.
**Awards and publications are for example only. Please use your own publications and awards if using example on your résumé. Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

**Prova** · February 12th, 2008, 12:19 AM

Thank u...i need these infos!! Ronoh knows

**mina** · February 12th, 2008, 12:22 AM

Your welcome Provashki....let me know if you need any help with your resume

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Laid Off - Describing the Reasons You're Looking

Bart was an average employee at his company before being released suddenly without cause. His company was merged with a competitor and Bart found himself with a new manager. Even though he had a good record and positive performance reviews, he quickly found himself laid-off from the company.
The following article provides key strategies for responding to one of the most frequently asked interviewer questions "Why did you leave (or seeking to leave) your company?"

Be Succinct
Describe the reason for your departure directly and succinctly. Do not go into great details unless they ask you for the details. The longer you speak on the subject the more suspicious the interviewer will become. For example: When first asked why he left his former company Bart could succinctly state, "My company merged with another firm and the new management wanted to bring in their own team. Prior to the merger I was a strong performer with positive performance reviews."

Provide References and Proof
Bart could then say he is happy to provide references from a former colleague and boss to verify his performance. Demonstrating a confidence and willingness to provide references to support your reasons for leaving is a powerful way to ensure you are believed.

Tell the Truth in Balance
If you are questioned further about the details, stay with the facts of what happened, what you did, how you felt and what you learned. Interviewers want to know that you were not the problem and to understand how you handled yourself. Don't just state the circumstances of your departure; also add any facts that positively reflect on your performance.

What Did You Learn
This is also an opportunity to describe what you learned and how you will handle things differently in the future. Describing what you learned demonstrates that you are a life-long learner and you look on the positive side of most scenarios.

Speak Positively
State the facts in a positive manner. Any negativity you express will only reflect negatively on you. If you're angry about the situation, you'll need to process that anger in another manner before you interview. Throwing light bulbs at the basement wall or hitting a punching bag might work. The interview is the last place to express anger about anything.

Tell the Truth
Do not speculate on the motives or feeling of the other people involved in the events of your departure. Focus only on the facts of what happened and what you did.

Look Them in the Eye
Most of us instinctively sense deception. Look the interviewer in the eyes when responding. This will convey your confidence, communicate that this is the truth and that you have nothing to hide.

Practice and Conquer Your Fear
Write out your response and practice saying it. First, practice responding out loud to yourself and then practice saying it to another person. Ask a friend to practice interviewing with you. Ask them to ask you this question ("Why did you leave your last company?”) and a couple other questions you fear most. Practice until you are comfortable with the words you say and how you deliver them.
-Michael Neece

CEO, Interview Mastery
www.interviewmastery.com

ronohungkar · February 12th, 2008, 12:36 AM

Nice mintushhh! Keep it on!

**mina** · February 12th, 2008, 12:40 AM

Be Ready to Answer the Top 10 Interview Questions

Your best weapon to mastering the job interview is to practice, practice, practice your answers to the most commonly asked questions by employers. The most certain way to sabotage your chances to win over a potential employer is to try and wing the interview. Your answers can appear aimless and without direction, making you look unprepared or worse, unqualified.
Don’t risk the future of your career by flying by the seat of your pants. Prepare yourself by developing answers to the most commonly asked questions:

Tell Me a Little Something About Yourself.

This is probably one of the most dreaded questions of all time. We quiver and sweat in our seats wondering what the employer really wants to know. Hey, relax! For starters, this is a great opportunity for you to sell yourself to the employer. Talk about your key accomplishments and strengths and how these factors will benefit the employer in the desired position. Write down ahead of time what you plan to say; perfect it; then practice it every chance you get.

Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?

This question is basically a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It appears harmless enough, but it can damage your potential in a heartbeat if you’re not careful. By all means, keep your answers to this question as positive as possible. Above all, do not dwell on how much you hate your current boss! The interviewer wants to hire a team player to the position, not a negative and vindictive hater.

Are You Still Employed and If Not, Why Not?

If you are, great, but if you aren’t, you can still use your answer to this question to shine a light on your positive features. For example, if you were laid off or terminated, focus less on the actual termination and more on what you learned from the whole process. You’ll look mature and wise in the employer’s eyes!

Do You Have Any Budgeting Experience?

If you haven’t, be honest; but you can answer in a way that shows that you have had some exposure to adhering to a budget—on a project, for example. If you do have budgeting experience, discuss your fiscal responsibility.

Have You Ever Managed Anyone?

This question is most important to those who are seeking a supervisory type of position. If you have managerial experience, elaborate on how many people you have supervised and what their positions were in the spectrum of the organizational chart. However, if you haven’t had direct managerial practice, talk up how much you were a part of the decision process of a team project, or how you organized volunteers for a fundraiser.

What Are Your Strengths as an Employee?

To adequately answer this question, you need to be aware of the strengths you possess in the following areas: personality, experience, and skills. Once that information is known, match your strengths to the requirements of the position for which you are interviewing.

What Are Your Weaknesses?

Obviously, no one likes to admit that they have any weaknesses, especially in front of a potential employer. So what do you do? You can provide ONE trait about yourself that is the least important to the position. Refrain from canned responses such as you are a perfectionist or a workaholic.

Discuss How You Make Important Decisions.

If you are interviewing for a supervisory role, you definitely want to come across as someone who is able to ask for input from others, yet is comfortable making the final decisions. Also, consider the type of position and company. For example, is it a budgetary role at a financial institution? In that case, you probably will want to emphasize that you exercise great care and caution when making big decisions.

Where Do You Want to Be Five Years From Now?

Suffice it to say, do not answer this question with, “Retired.” Keep your answers positive and simple, with just a tinge of ambition. Think along the lines of a “motivated” versus “rat race” mentality.

What Have Been the Biggest Accomplishments of Your Career so Far?

Focus on accomplishments that directly relate to the open position. Discuss the challenge you were presented with, your actions, and the end result. Did you streamline processes? Devise a way to increase customer satisfaction? Were you recognized by management for your efforts? The way you answer this question will distinguish you from other applicants since your answer will require you to go beyond the basic job responsibilities.

A FINAL NOTE
As you can see, the interview is more than just showing up on time in the right clothes. It is your best and only opportunity to convince an employer that he or she should hire you. If you were selected for an interview, consider yourself lucky because you are halfway to the finish line. Make sure you are prepared with relevant and well-thought-out answers to bring in a home run interview.

- Linda Matias

Certified in all three areas of the job search—Certified Interview Coach ™ (CIC), Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC), and Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)—Linda Matias is qualified to assist you in your career transition, whether it be a complete career makeover, interview preparation, or resume assistance. You can contact Linda directly at linda

careerstrides.com or visit her website www.careerstride.com for additional career advice and to view resume samples.

Asmani · February 12th, 2008, 12:46 AM

I was trying wrtite a resume the other day. I ha a hard time even getting started. i mean, eto talent thakar pore o ki likhbo bujte parchilamna.. but i didn''t give up, likhte likthe dui haat lomba kore felechi. then i showed it to a friend who just gave me a blunt look

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