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CAREER MANAGEMENT PACK 1

ARTICLE 1.1 Ten Tips for Eye-Catching Cover Letters Your cover letter presents your intentions, qualifications and availability to a prospective employer in a succinct and appealing format. As your first chance to make a great impression, a personalized letter indicates you are serious about your job search. Your resume can give the nitty-gritty of dates, places of employment and education, but your cover letter must entice the reader to consider you amidst hundreds, or even thousands, of candidates for any job opening. 1. Do You Really Need a Cover Letter? You bet! Just as you would never show up unannounced at a prospective employer's door, your resume should never just appear solo on a decision maker's desk. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to introduce yourself, present your qualifications and show the search committee you are a potential candidate for the position. 2. Personalize It to the Company. Anyone can reproduce a "canned" cover letter and hope for the best. Instead, take a few minutes to personalize your letter to show a company you are serious about working there. State the reason for your interest in the company. Show that you have done your homework by mentioning company specifics such as a department, a new project or a recent acquisition. Address the cover letter to a specific individual whenever possible. 3. Why are You Sending Your Resume and Cover Letter? Cover letters should be clear and to the point. Include the specific job title, two to three reasons why your experience makes a good fit and a brief outline of your career and / or educational highlights. 4. Highlight Your Strengths. You may be a great person and never call in sick, but prospective employers really want to know why they should consider you for this position. Give a few facts, list relevant skills and state accomplishments on recent jobs / projects that will be impressive. Examples: Increased sales by 93 percent. Negotiated new financial leases or loans. Implemented new training programs that reduced staff turnover by 15 percent. 5. State Your Intentions and Qualifications Right up Front. Don't expect a senior HR manager or recruiter to wade through a mishmash of information on your cover letter before understanding why you are sending your resume. Keep the information limited, specific and appealing to the HR Manager. 6. What Makes You Different? Emphasize your skills, talents and experiences to show how you would be a valuable addition to the team. If you have relevant professional experience, mention it briefly in your cover letter.
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7. No Negative Information. Never include personality conflicts with previous employers or colleges, or sarcastic remarks in your cover letter. If you are bad-mouthing your present or previous place of employment or institute, interviewers may fear a repeat performance if they hire you. Similarly, never list weaknesses in your MBA course or institute. Avoid being critical. Keep the general demeanor of your cover letter positive.

8. When Should You Include Salary and/or Relocation Information? The rule of thumb is to always include salary requirements and/or salary history in the cover letter if a prospective employer requests it. If not requested by the employer, it would be better not to include desired salary (or salary history if you have work experience) in your cover letter. Never include salary and relocation information on your resume. 9. Take Action Steps. Take a proactive approach in your cover letter. State the fact that you are available for a personal interview; give your home, work, email and/or cell phone numbers where you can be reached; note that you will follow up by phone (whenever possible) to provide any additional information required. 10. Be Direct! A professionally written cover letter and resume can open the door to a new career for you. A clean, error-free presentation, combined with strong phrasing and solid facts, will encourage the reader to review the attached resume and call you in for an interview.

ARTICLE 1.2 Common Resume Blunders Make sure your resume is top-notch by avoiding the top-10 resume blunders: 1. Too Focused on Job Duties Your resume should not be a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. If you have do not have work experience, then do the following for your summer project work experience. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

How did you perform the job / project better than others? What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance? Did you receive any awards, special recognition or commendations as a result?

2. Flowery or General Objective Statement Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements like, "A challenging position enabling me to contribute to organisational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement," are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If
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you're on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise. The key is to write a career objective, and sit back and review it as though you yourself were the HR manager. 3. Too Short or Too Long Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn't be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. There are also candidates who ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. Try to keep the length of your resume to about 2 or 3 pages at the most, preferably two pages long. When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every word should sell you; so only include information that elicits a "yes." 4. Using Personal Pronouns and Articles A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles. For example: I developed a new product that added Rs. 2 lakhs in sales and increased the market segment's gross margin by 12 percent. It would be better to write this achievement as: Developed new product that added Rs. 2 lakhs in sales and increased market segment's gross margin by 12 percent. 5. Listing Irrelevant Information Many people include their interests, but it would be preferable to include those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby. Of course, you can list other hobbies as well, but try and keep it brief. If you have extra-curricular achievements in sports or other areas, you can list that, as it will portray an image of an all-rounder. But, dont get carried away. The focus of your resume should still be on your academics, skills, and any experience you may have. 6. Wrong Layout for your resume The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here's the basic layout: Header (name, address, email address, phone number). Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency. Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements Education (Those of you who do not have work experience, should put their education after the profile section, followed by your summer project details). 7. Not Including a Summary Section That Makes an Initial Hard Sell This is one of the job seeker's greatest tools. Candidates who have done their homework will know the skills and competencies important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the skill level and experiences directly related to the position being sought. To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings to determine what's important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.
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When a company has agreed to come down to your campus, you usually get advance notice. If you are interested in applying for this company, it is imperative for you to do your homework. Research the companys website or one or tow students could pay a visit to the office and pick up some material. You could also contact previous or current employees and find out relevant details from them. However, make sure that you are extremely polite and not too aggressive. Try and be subtle. 8. Where Are the Keywords? For those who are interested in posting your resumes online, this section is important. With so many companies using technology to store resumes, the only hope a job seeker has of being found is to include relevant keywords sprinkled throughout the resume. Determine keywords by reading job descriptions that interest you and include them in your resume. 9. References Available Employers know you have professional references. Only use this statement to signal the end of a long resume or to round out the design. The best thing to do is to write References available on request. 10. Proofreading Proofread your resume and show your resume to four or five friends to have them proofread it as well. The reason for this is that they may come up with some creative ideas or suggestions for your resume. This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect.

ARTICLE 1.3 How to Decide on Resume Length How long should my resume be?" is one of the most commonly asked questions about resumes. Not too long ago, job seekers were told that a resume should never exceed one page. Those who broke this golden rule were destined for the circular file. Times have changed, and so has the criteria for resume length. The new guideline is: A resume should be long enough to entice hiring managers to call you for job interviews. The best bet is to opt for 2 pages. Factors to consider include career objective, occupation, industry, years of experience, number of employers, scope of accomplishments and education / training. Keep these facts in mind when deciding on your resumes length:

Your resume is a career-marketing tool, not an autobiography. Strive to keep your resume concise and focused on your key selling points. Be willing to let go of past experiences that don't market you for your current goal. Every word in the resume should sell your credentials and value to a potential employer. You should also leave something to talk about in the interview. It's common for employers or recruiters to sort through hundreds, or even thousands, of resumes to fill one position. Hiring managers often-just give resumes a cursory glance before deciding if the applicant deserves to be added to the "maybe" pile. While your resume will probably get a more thorough read if you are called for a job
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interview, ensure that your strongest selling points are immediately visible to make the first cut. Consider a One - Two Page Resume If: You have 0 - 2 years of experience. You have some experience, but it isnt really related to the job or field you are currently interested in. Your summer project work was in a different field or unrelated area. Consider a Two-Page Resume If: You have 2 to 5 years of experience related to your goal. Your field requires technical or engineering skills, and you need space to list and prove your technical knowledge. You have gone through relevant training and workshops. You have done relevant and related summer projects. Put the most important information at the top of the first page. Lead your resume with a career summary so your key credentials appear at the forefront of the resume. On the second page, include a page number and include your name and contact information.

ARTICLE 1.4 How to Write a Good Job Objective 1. Avoid Job Titles. Job titles such as management trainee or marketing analyst can involve very different activities in different organisations. The same job can often have different titles in different organisations, and using such a title may very well limit your being considered for such jobs as office manager or marketing assistant. It is best to use broad categories of jobs rather than specific titles, so that you can be considered for a wide variety of jobs related to the skills you have. For example, instead of management trainee you could say junior management or executive if that is what you would really consider -- and qualify for. 2. Define a "Bracket of Responsibility" to Include the Possibility of Upward Mobility. While you may be willing to accept a variety of jobs related to your skills, you should include those that require higher levels of responsibility. In the example above, it keeps open the option to be considered for a junior management position as well as executive positions. In effect, you should define a "bracket of responsibility" in your objective that includes the range of jobs you are willing to accept. This bracket should include the lower range of jobs that you would consider, as well as those requiring higher levels of responsibility, up to and including those that you think you could handle. Even if you have not handled those higher levels of responsibility in the past, many employers may consider you for them if you have the skills to support the objective. 3. Include Your Most Important Skills.

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What are the most important skills needed for the job you want? Consider including one or more of these as being required in the job that you seek. The implication here is that if you are looking for a job that requires "organisational skills," then you have those skills. Of course, your interview (and resume) should support those skills with specific examples. 4. Include Specifics if These Are Important to You. If you have experience in a particular industry, such as "computer networking", or have a narrow and specific objective that you really want, such as "production manager in the advertising industry", then it is OK to state this. But, in so doing, realize that by narrowing your alternatives down you will often not be considered for other jobs for which you might qualify. Still, if that is what you want, it just may be worth pursuing -though it would be preferable for you to have a second, more general objective just in case. 5. Finalize Your Job Objective Statement Use your best judgement for what is right for you. The most important part here is that you can clearly state what sort of a job you want and know what kinds of skills and experiences are needed to do well in that job. Even if you decide to change your job objective later, it is very important that you decide on a temporary one now. If you do not have industry experience, remember, your career objective and your educational qualifications are your key selling points. The only window an employer gets to look into your possible corporate future will be your career objective. Keep this is mind when you write it. And dont be afraid to ask for advice and feedback from friends, batch mates, professors, or your director. 6. Use Numbers to Highlight Your Accomplishments

If you were an employer, looking at a resume, which of the following entries would impress you more? 1. Created a Performance Measurement System. 2. Created a metrics based Performance Measurement System within 3 weeks with minimum guidance. OR 1. Exceeded Sales Targets. 2. Exceeded Sales Targets by 25% and overall revenue by 17%. Clearly the second statement carries more weight. Why? Because it uses numbers to quantify the your accomplishment, giving it a context that helps the interviewer understand the degree of difficulty involved in the task. Numbers are powerful resume tools that will help you draw to your accomplishments the attention they deserve from prospective employers. With just a little thought, you can find effective ways to quantify your successes on your resume. Here are a few suggestions:

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7. Think Money Organisations are and always will be concerned about money. This is because companies are always looking of ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. So as you contemplate your accomplishments and prepare to present them on your resume, think about ways you've saved money, earned money, or managed money in your internships, part-time jobs and extracurricular activities so far. A few possibilities that might appear on a typical college student's resume:

Identified, researched and recommended a new Internet Service Provider, cutting the company's online costs by 15 percent. Wrote prospect letter that has brought in more than Rs. 25,000 in donations so far. Managed a student organisation budget of more than Rs. 70,000.

8. Think Time You've heard the old saying, "Time is money," and it's true. Companies and organisations are constantly looking for ways to save time and do things more efficiently. They're also necessarily concerned about meeting deadlines, both internal and external. So whatever you can do on your resume to show that you can save time, make time or manage time will grab your reader's immediate attention. Here are some time-oriented entries that might appear on a typical MBA students resume:

Assisted with twice-monthly payroll activities, ensuring employees were paid as expected and on time. Attended high school cricket games, and designed an advertising campaign to attract sponsors in a time-span of 2 weeks. Suggested procedures that decreased average order-processing time from 10 minutes to five minutes.

9. Think Amounts It's very easy to neglect mentioning how much or how many of something you've produced or overseen. There's a tendency instead to simply pluralize your accomplishments -- e.g., "wrote news releases" or "developed lesson plans" - without including the important specifics -- e.g., "wrote 25 news releases" or "developed lesson plans for two classes of 20 students each." Don't fall into the "no figures included" trap. Instead, include amounts, like these entries that might appear on a typical MBA student's resume:

Recruited 25 members for a new student environmental organisation. Trained five new employees on placement procedures and company management. Introduced 17 student-service-improvement proposals as class representative.

The more you focus on money, time and amounts in relation to your accomplishments, the better you'll present your successes and highlight your potential -- and the more you'll realize just how much you really have to offer prospective employers. Add it all up, and you'll see that playing the numbers game is yet another way to convince employers that you should be a part of their equation for success.

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ARTICLE 1.5 Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume You probably have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education, and your work experience, and should reflect your strengths. What follows is an outline of a typical chronological resume -- best suited for entry-level job seekers or those who have stayed in the same field. Here are the key components of a standard chronological resume: Identification It is essential that a potential employer can reach you. This section should include your name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. As a student, this section might also include your institute address and a permanent home address. You may even be given a template by the institute. Job Objective If you use an objective, make sure your objective explains the kind of work you want to do, and keep it between two to four typed lines. Key Accomplishments Some resume experts are suggesting adding a section that highlights your key accomplishments and achievements. Think of this section as an executive summary of your resume; identify key accomplishments that will grab the attention of an employer. This section should summarize (using nouns as keywords and descriptors) your major accomplishments and qualifications. This section can also be labeled "Professional Profile," "Summary of Accomplishments," "Key Skills," "Summary of Qualifications," or "Qualifications." Education For fresh MBA students, this entry should be your next. For others with full-time work experience, this section should follow your experience section. This section should include school(s) attended (including years of attendance), majors/minors, degrees, and honors and awards received. Professional Experience This section can also be labeled "Experience, "Work History," or "Employment." We like using experience -- especially for fresh MBA students, because experience is broader than work history, allowing you to include major graduation and MBA projects that showcase your skills and abilities. This section should include company name, your job title, dates of employment, and major accomplishments. List experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most current experience. List your accomplishments in bullet format (rather than paragraph format). Avoid discussing job duties or responsibilities. If you don't have a lot of career-related job experience, consider using transferable skills to better highlight your work experience. Finally, make sure to make use of action verbs when describing your accomplishments. For a list of action verbs, refer Appendix 1 at the end of this Pack

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Affiliations/Interests This section is optional; include only if you have room on your resume for it. Items from this section are often used as an icebreaker by interviewers looking to start an interview on an informal basis. This section should preferably include professional memberships followed by a few extra-curricular interests. References This section should only include a statement saying references are available upon request. Do not include the names of your references on your resume, unless expressly requested by the company. You win or lose in the first few seconds Opinions vary as to how much time your CV has to convince an HR Manager that youre worth short-listing for the interview. The time may vary between 30 seconds and two or three minutes. But how long does it take for an HR Manager to reject a CV at the sorting stage? Seven seconds. The reason for this could be any one of the following: Poor presentation Bad layout Coloured paper Confusing format Too many spelling mistakes Grammatical errors

Seven seconds should be more than adequate for that. This is hardly surprising given that they could have up to 200 CVs to get through. However, it does mean that all the advice youve heard over and over again, about using nice, white paper, getting the grammar right are important. Your really do have to treat your CV as your own personal marketing brochure. The same goes for application forms, which are used by four in five employers, and your covering letter. Its a bore, but every single communication you have with an organisation is an opportunity for them to accept or dismiss you as a serious candidate. Getting the formula right is the first step To be effective, your CV must provide a concise, accurate summary of your qualifications, skills and experience. Its layout, design and wording will play key roles in getting you selected for an interview. There are several possible formats from which to choose. Most people use the chronological format and thats the one we recommend. HR Managers will be more used to this type than any other. And its also the best format for recent MBA graduates with limited or no work experience. How to market your skills and experience: Do

Keep it brief. Your CV should be on one page, unless you have two or more years experience. Only then should you add a second page. If your institute has provided you with a template for your CV, then it may extend to two pages, as the first page will carry a certain amount of information viz. name of the institute, address and contact details. List your work experience before your education, in reverse chronological order. Put your most recent experience first thats what sells you to an employer

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Keep it to the point and concentrate on the quality of your achievements, duties, and responsibilities. Tailor your CV to the particular functional area (marketing, finance, HR etc.) List other skills that could raise you above the competition such as languages, driving licence (for sales jobs), IT skills, trainings and workshops undergone. Include your interests they are one way in which HR managers remember who you are. But, try to be specific. For example, listing reading as an interest begs the question reading what? There is a wealth of difference between reading management books and fiction novels. Also, dont list too many time-consuming activities or your potential employer will wonder how you intend fitting in a job. Keep it clear. This means no shading, columns, or graphics, as they will be lost once your CV has been scanned or photocopied for passing around the organisation. Check thoroughly for correct spelling and grammar spotting errors is a quick and easy way of weeding out weaker candidates when faced with 50 CVs to read. Get your CV proofread by a few people.

Dont Tell fibs youll be found out and that employer will probably never deal with you again. List unnecessary and irrelevant training courses you have been on. However dont forget to mention the relevant training sessions you have attended. Include lots of attachments unless requested.

Finally Check through your CV and make sure you can answer yes to the following questions: Is it me? Am I proud to send this? Have I eliminated irrelevant information? Have I included everything that could help me get this job? Is it easy to read? The most important thing about your CV is that it should leave the employer keen to find out more about you. If you think yours will do that then go ahead and send it. ANNEXURE 1 POWER VERBS AND ACTION PHRASES We've compiled a list of action phrases and power verbs. The purpose of using them is to show employers that you know how to get results. You can begin your job descriptions with a power verb or phrase like: enlisted the support of, formed a committee, sold, budgeted, improved, increased, maintained the client relationship. Action Phrases Design, develop and deliver Conduct needs analysis Manage development Consult with clients Facilitate problem-solving meetings Implement solutions Developed and delivered
Designed and implemented Followed special task force Assisted special task force Managed an eleven-person team Negotiated over Rs. 2,00,000 Coordinated strategic five-year plan Created and implemented innovative approach Developed new product
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Revamped product training Assessed employee and client training needs Analyzed evaluation data Power Verbs A-B accelerated acclimated accompanied accomplished achieved acquired acted activated actuated adapted added addressed adhered adjusted administered admitted adopted advanced advertised advised advocated aided aired affected allocated altered amended amplified analyzed answered anticipated appointed appraised approached approved arbitrated arranged ascertained asked assembled assigned assumed assessed assisted attained attracted audited augmented authored authorized automated awarded avail balanced bargained borrowed bought broadened budgeted built C calculated canvassed capitalized captured carried out cast cataloged centralized challenged chaired changed channeled charted checked chose circulated clarified classified cleared closed co-authored cold called collaborated collected combined commissioned committed communicated compared compiled complied completed composed computed conceived conceptualized concluded condensed conducted conferred consolidated constructed consulted contracted contrasted contributed contrived controlled converted convinced coordinated corrected corresponded counseled counted created critiqued cultivated cut D debugged decided decentralized decreased deferred defined delegated delivered demonstrated depreciated described designated designed determined developed devised devoted diagrammed directed disclosed discounted discovered dispatched displayed dissembled distinguished distributed diversified divested documented doubled drafted E earned eased edited effected elected eliminated employed enabled encouraged endorsed enforced engaged engineered enhanced enlarged enriched entered entertained established estimated evaluated examined exceeded exchanged executed exempted exercised expanded expedited explained exposed extended extracted extrapolated F-H facilitated familiarized fashioned fielded figured financed fit focused forecasted formalized formed formulated fortified found founded framed fulfilled functioned furnished gained gathered gauged gave generated governed graded granted greeted grouped guided handled headed hired hosted I identified illustrated illuminated implemented improved improvised inaugurated indoctrinated increased incurred induced influenced informed initiated innovated inquired inspected inspired installed instigated instilled instituted instructed insured

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