Common resume mistakes you should avoid

Here is a list of such common mistakes that people tend to commit.

Spelling and grammar

Spelling mistakes speak about lack of care and no employer will appreciate that. You must be extremely careful about spelling and grammatical mistakes. Do not depend on computer’s spell checker but do manual checking. If possible, ask a friend to scan your resume so that he can spot errors that you might have overlooked.

Writing about roles instead of accomplishments

This is the most common mistake that applicants commit. The employer is not interested to know the roles and responsibilities you handled. Rather he is keen to know what you achieved and tries to gauge what benefits you can bring him. So, try to highlight your accomplishments in concrete terms. The new procedures you adopted, the percentage of sales you increased – these should be appropriately emphasized.

Lack of focus

Generally an employer glances through a resume for about 20 seconds. Your resume must be captivating enough to arouse interest in the employer within this short span of time. So from the very beginning your intent must be clear. The purpose of your resume is to show the employer that you are right choice for him. So every word, phrase you use must have this essence.

Never write a life history

Remember, your resume is a marketing tool not a personal history. Leave out irrelevant information that may distract or bore the reader. The resume should be short, to the point and highlight your skills and accomplishments.

Outdated information

Your resume should have that information which is relevant for the job you are applying for. Including outdated information will only add to its size and deviate from the actual purpose. Being captain of the school cricket team is relevant information for a fresh graduate but not for a marketing executive with over 15 years of experience. So leave out all such redundant and irrelevant information and make your resume short and focus on the necessary facts only.

Boasting or lying

When it comes to resume writing this is a strict no-no. In your attempt to sound confident or accomplished never boast or lie in your resume. Remember everything that you write in your resume will be cross checked or discussed in the interview. Providing misleading information can actually work against you. It will destroy your credibility. Moreover, it is ok to blow your own trumpet but you need to do that emphatically and professionally. Arrogance may switch off the employer which definitely is not your purpose.

Such common mistakes in your resume do not speak well about your professionalism. Try to avoid them by constant checking. You may ask a friend to read your resume and give suggestions. You should check and recheck before hitting that sen

Whether it is your social life or career, first impressions play a crucial role in setting the tone for all relationships. In this article we will discuss some useful tips which will help you to groom your personality and create positive first impressions.

Tips on creating a strong first impression – Grooming yourself & personality development skills.

• You can create a good impression by arriving in time for any meeting, business or social. You will not like to provide excuses for arriving late to someone whom you are meeting for the first time. Always arrive a few minutes earlier so that you can be at ease.
• Whenever you meet someone for the first time, give him your undivided attention. Make that person the center of attention.
• Practice good listening skills to make a great initial impression. Address the person by his name, give positive verbal cues and maintain a steady eye contact.
• Try to focus on the people with whom you are interacting.
• Good manners, polite and courteous behavior will definitely win hearts of the people you meet for the first time and create a good impression.
• Maintain an open body language. Smile often while conversing, turn your body towards the person you are talking to and do not cross your arms or legs. Make sure that your body language is open and friendly.
• Maintain a good body posture. Do not slouch. Sit or stand straight.
• If you are nervous about meeting someone then mentally rehearse a bit. Imagine how great the event would be and see yourself smiling, open, positive and having a good time. Also visualize the positive outcomes of the meeting. This will help you to relax mentally and carry on with the meeting.
• Dress appropriately for the occasion. Your appearance is the most important factor in creating a great first impression.
• Pay attention to your grooming. A clean and tidy look will always make a good impression. Go for an appropriate hair cut or makeup that makes you feel comfortable and is also right for the occasion.
• Be positive. Study the mood of the person you are meeting and then match it up.
• Humor can add color to any conversation but too much of it can harm your image in the end. Stay away from sarcastic remarks as you do not know the other person’s sensitivities.
• Take cues from studying other person’s body language to know the impression you are creating. If the person recoils or is making defensive gestures then maybe you are imposing too much of yourself. But if he is relaxed and open then you are going in the right direction.
• Smile can go a long way in creating a great impression. It shows your confidence and puts the other person at ease too. Be careful about going overboard as people may label you as “lightweight”.
• Prepare some questions you may want to ask the person or learn some facts about him to have an interesting conversation.

You will get only a few seconds to create the first impression and cannot change it. So it is worth giving your best shot. Just a little forethought and common sense can make every first impression a great one.

What are the different resume formats?

There are three common types of resume formats that are used while writing a resume. These are chronological, functional and combination resume format.

Chronological resume format

This is the most common resume format and is well accepted across all industries. It is a very simple format in which the experience and qualifications are written in reverse chronological order. There are certain cases where this format is the best choice. These cases are

• When a person has not changed career track and there is no gap in between employments
• When a person has a steady and consistent career
• The person has an employment history which has showed steady growth and he has held remarkable positions
• When a person has made notable accomplishments in the most recent job

It is very easy to scan and locate information in a chronological resume and hence it is preferred by most employers.

Functional resume format

In a functional format the key skills and accomplishments are highlighted and the positions held or employment history is given less emphasis. The skills are elaborately described at the beginning of the resume and the employment history is placed towards the end of the resume. This format is not liked by many employers as it is mainly used to hide deficits in one’s career.

But there situations where a functional format is more effective like

• When a person has gaps in his career
• When he has held several jobs which are unconnected
• When changing career tracks and entering into a new career
• When one wants to underplay his age
• When most of the achievements have occurred in some past position

Freshers or college students can get advantage by using a functional format. Since they have very little or no experience they can highlight their skills and be at par with more experienced candidates.

Combination resume format

A combination resume format blends features of both functional and chronological resume format. This format is well accepted by employers. Use can use this format effectively when

• A chronological format is expected from you but you also want to underscore your skills and expertise
• When you want to match your skills with the requirements of a particular position

Your choice of format for resume will depend on a number of factors like your job experience, the position you are applying for and also the expectations of the employer. But, whichever format you select, be specific about the content you put into it and also the presentation of data. Remember that you need a neat and clean professional looking resume to impress the potential employers.

What is the purpose of a cover letter?

A cover letter serves multiple purposes. A cover letter intends to create interest in the mind of the reader about you. It also explains why you are applying for the job. It signifies your interest in the job and also requests for an interview.

A cover letter is very important as it helps to create a positive impression about you and thus should be composed with lot of forethoughts.

Different parts of a cover letter

The essential elements of a cover letter are the salutation, opening, body of the letter and closing of the letter.

We will discuss each of these elements in details now.

The salutation

Your cover letter must address the right person. It is very important that you know whom to address the letter to and get the spelling correct. If you have any doubt then it is better that you call up the company and clarify it. But never address a wrong person and always check the spelling.

Opening of the cover letter

A cover letter can be compared to a sales pitch and hence the opening must be impressive enough to elicit the required response. You must impress the reader by the way you start your letter. One interesting way to do this is to write about the company. Often employers are impressed by candidates who know so much about his company. It also shows the genuine interest of the candidate in the job. You may mention the awards the company has won, or the positive comments you read in some business magazine or else about the ongoing projects.

If you came to know about the job opening through an ad or any personal reference then it would be pertinent to mention that in the opening itself.

Body of the cover letter

Your sales campaign must consolidate in the body of the letter. Provide a brief summary of your qualifications and refer to your resume. Be careful to not repeat your resume here. Try to be creative and enumerate those points which you have not covered in your resume.

Closing of the cover letter

Maintain the focus of the entire cover letter in your closing also. The basic purpose of writing a cover letter is to secure an interview. End your letter by requesting for an interview.

Use a complimentary term like, “sincerely yours” and write your name just a few lines below it.

You should provide your name and email address below your name unless you are using your own letter head in which case your personal details will be printed at the top of the page.

After sending your application, do not forget to follow it up with a phone call or a thank you letter. All these steps from your end will ensure that you will be called for an interview which is just a first step towards creating a fabulous career.

We will share some tips about resume writing here and provide you the basic guidelines about composing good resumes.

Objective of a resume

To start with, you must be very clear about the objective of a resume. The sole purpose of a resume is to arouse interest in the mind of the reader and answer a basic question, “what benefit will I get by employing this person?”

Your resume will be the best one if it can provide a positive answer to this question and you can rest assured that you will be called for an interview.

Resume Writing Tips

Resume writing should follow an appropriate format

The format of a resume is equally important to the content of the resume. Always remember that on an average a resume gets around 20 seconds to impress the reader. So, it is very important that you organize the information in such a way that the reader finds it easy to find the information he is actually looking for. In general there are three resume formats that are used by applicants- chronological, functional and combination resume format. You must gather adequate knowledge on these resume formats and select the one that best suits your requirement.

Your resume should address issues related to company you are applying for

Before applying for jobs conduct some research on the companies to know their requirements. Once you know this your resume can address these issues and become an excellent resume.

The essential sections of a resume

• Your resume must begin with your personal information like name, email address, contact numbers and residential and permanent address. Be very particular about mentioning an email address that sounds professional. Keep the fancy ones for your friends. Put this information in a bigger font and if possible align it centrally.
• You may mention a career objective that best describes your career aspirations and is aligned to the requirements of the company.
• Since you are a fresher you will have not much of job experience. So, next section in your resume must be on your educational qualifications.
• Mention this information in reverse chronological order. Mention the degrees you have acquired along with percentage of marks, the name of college or institute and also the year of graduation.
• If you have received any recognition or honor, or have won any competition then mention that also.
• Highlight your positive personal attributes by mentioning the projects you did in school or college or if you have rendered any voluntary service.
• Being the captain of your college cricket team for three years and wining several trophies shows your leadership skills. Try to be creative and find such real life experiences that will show you in positive light.
• You must provide references for the employer to cross check data also to know more about you personally.

Remember, to be positive and show your professionalism in your resume by making it neat and clean and organized.

Benefits of goal setting

Goal setting has several benefits. It helps you to understand what you want to achieve in life and this understanding leads to concentrating the efforts. It also becomes easier to recognize the distractions that lure you away from your goals. Goal setting itself is a motivating exercise and achievement of goals helps to build self confidence.

Goal Setting

A proper goal gives you the much needed vision to aim higher with abundant energy and unleashes power in you to achieve those goals.

The process of goal setting

The process of goal setting starts with imagining the “big picture”. You have to think about what you want to do with your life and decide the big goals you want to achieve in your life.

These lifetime goals will be the vision for your life which you will follow throughout your life.

These lifetime goals have to be divided into specific goals encompassing all aspects of your life like career, personal growth, relationships, education, finance, physical attributes and so on.

You can resort to brainstorming to finalize two or three goals from each category which best reflect your vision.

SMART goal setting – What are SMART goals?

While deciding on the final list of goals make sure that these are SMART goals.

Let me introduce you to the extraordinary concept of SMART goals.

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Realistic

T = Time bound

Your goals should be significant, meaningful, acceptable, and reasonable and time based.

Example of a SMART goal is to lose 20 kg in next three months.

How to create an Action plan

1. Once you have settled with the list of goals now it is time to draw an action plan.
2. The best tip to stay on track and to achieve your goals is to break down the big goals into smaller goals of 5-10 years of duration. You can further break them into still small goals which are to be achieved in 1 year.
3. Now make a list of the things you must do to achieve your goals. Think of all possible steps that you may have to take and then zero in on the most effective steps.
4. Make daily to-do-lists that will push you a little bit closer to your goals.
5. The most important element of action plan is to review and update. Review your progress continuously and update the action plans based on the feedback.

Tips to achieve goals

• Write down your goals and review them from time to time.
• Keep on motivating yourself by positive affirmations and also reading motivational materials.
• Tell your friends about your goals so that they keep a tab on your performance.
• Do not forget to reward yourself after achieving your goals, no matter how small they are. This will boost you and push you further.
• Always take time out to relax and entertain yourself. This will keep you motivated.

Goal setting if done properly can see you achieving all your dreams and embark on a path of success and glory.

We normally engage ourselves in listening to obtain information, to learn and for enjoyment also. A study has revealed that we only remember only 25-50% of what we listen. This data is quite dismal considering the importance of listening.

By improving our listening skills, we can increase our productivity, ability to influence and also persuade negotiations better. We can also avoid conflicts and reduce misunderstandings which are essential for workplace success.

How to become a better listener?

You can become a better listener by practicing active listening. You have to be self aware about your own communications styles and make a conscious effort to not only listen to what other person is saying but also try to comprehend the entire message that is being sent to you.

There are several things that you can do to become an active listener. Here a list of some key elements that will help you to become an active listener.

Pay attention

You must give the speaker your undivided attention. Maintain eye contact with the speaker and also listen to his body language. A lot more is said through body language than spoken words. Put aside distracting thoughts and also do not get affected by environmental factors.

Show your involvement

You can show the speaker that you are listening through your body language. An occasional nod, smile and other appropriate facial expressions, a friendly posture and small verbal comments like, “yes” and “uh” will make the speaker realize that you are actively listening.

Provide feedback

Our perspective, assumptions and judgments often distorts what we hear. To get the message correctly you should reflect and clarify your doubts. Paraphrasing and asking questions will help you in doing this.

Defer judgment

Interruptions waste time and break the flow of communication. It also makes the speaker frustrated. So defer your judgment and do not interrupt the speaker with counter-arguments. Let the speaker finish and then you can raise your issues.

Respond appropriately

Active listening helps you to gain information and perspective. It also shows respect and understanding. So be open and honest about your response. Treat the other person with respect and assert yourself respectfully.

Tips

Becoming an active listener is not an easy job. It involves a lot of determination and concentration. You have to constantly remind yourself of your goal and concentrate on what is being said and conveyed. Ask questions, paraphrase and reflect to ensure that you understand what is being said.

Start using these tips from today and become a better communicator and boost your personal relationships and workplace productivity.

Have you ever wondered what makes you like to visit your insurance agent whenever you are stuck with some insurance matters? Is it his reassuring nature or sound knowledge of insurance products or his ability to understand your requirements? You have guessed correctly. His soft skills make him so popular and win so many clients.

Soft Skills

The fundamental difference between soft skills and hard skills are their transferable qualities. Hard skills are domain specific and cannot be transferred, but soft skills are transferable skills which are necessary for every domain.

The importance of soft skills

Previously, the value of soft skills was undervalued. The companies expected their employees to know how to behave in an office. They assumed that everyone understood the importance of taking initiative, being friendly and being punctual.

But things have changed much now. With liberalization and opening up of economies, competition has increased manifold. Today, big MNCs are competing with smaller companies to capture the market. In this era of intense competition, soft skills are playing a determining role.

Good soft skills ensure that the companies are able to capitalize on the wealth of technical knowledge, experience and efficiency to rule markets.

In order to meet the pressure of global competition, the companies are concentrating on the hiring process to take on board those employees who have skills in working in teams, can resolve conflicts and can handle work related stress. Nowadays, most companies have their training departments which work towards improving the soft skills of their employees.

To get a competitive edge companies need to attract talented people. But to deliver, it needs employees who can work in teams, can communicate well and have strong interpersonal skills.

Today, companies are driven by meritocracy and not mediocrity. A professional cannot depend on his technical knowledge and skills alone. He should be equipped with a significant amount of soft skills to excel in his work.

Problem solving, delegating, motivating and team building becomes easier for a person who has good soft skills.

Knowing how to get along with people and showing a positive attitude can go a long way in establishing a successful career.

Thus, it is not enough to have technical skills, but you should develop your soft skills too which are essential elements for organizational and personal success.

And behind a successful marketing campaign there must be a Marketing Assistant to monitor the entire system. Therefore, career as a Marketing Assistant is equally responsible and exciting.
Job description of a Marketing Assistant:

A Marketing Assistant works under a Marketing Manager and he or she is responsible for a wide variety of activities. A Marketing Assistant is responsible for assisting everything of a marketing campaign, marketing strategy from starting till finishing. He or she will look after all areas of marketing and will assist the Marketing Mangers while planning market research, launching an event, production schedule, drafting press releases and clients dealing.

Scopes & Career Prospects involved being Marketing Assistant:

Career scopes are enormous for a Marketing Assistant these days. These professionals may work in commercial, retail, health and government sectors. Apart from promotions and high remunerations this profile gives oneself excitements and thrills of the marketing jobs. And it is predicted that the number of job openings will be more in the forthcoming years.

Skills & Eligibility require to become a Marketing Assistant:

To become a Marketing Assistant a candidate must be holding a Bachelors degree and degrees in Marketing, Business, Economics are likely to be noticed. Other qualities a candidate should have are strong consumer and product awareness, sound knowledge in marketing techniques, an eye of detailing and who can think out of the box.

Remuneration of a Marketing Assistant:

As a starter a Marketing Assistant can get $ 23,000 to $ 28,000 annually. And after gaining experience one can expect to earn around $ 30,000 to $ 34,000 annually.

Definitely, the direct impact of the news implies large number of attractive jobs with market leading businesses. As Scotland has already proved its potentiality in the financial services in Europe through its extraordinary contribution, yet there is an argument recently popped up regarding market leading businesses outside London.

This significant investment on Scotland is going to prove right because the Scottish market is full of resources to contribute into this big group like Barclays. This news has encouraged highly potential candidates from major cities to relocate Glasgow for an improved work-life balance. Others striding over their career and professionals wish to work closer to their home town have boosted up with this news of forthcoming jobs in financial sector.