Improve your Resume through Blogging

How to imrpove your Resume through Blogging

Unichat Top Tips

Lately career fairs at universities have been looking not so much like recruitment drives for entry-level positions, and more like recruitment for CEO posts. Very often recruiters produce an impossible list of professional skills and experience for both undergraduate and graduate students. Yet, my students who have aspirations to work at an international level have to increasingly deal with these demands and must build up their list of professional skills and experience in creative and innovative ways – not least by participating in online debates and becoming bloggers.

Here’s how stepping up your online presence can help you improve your CV.

1. Understand what recruiters want

Recently I had a discussion with an HR recruiter from a top international company about his approach to hiring for entry-level positions. His formula was very simple: “I don’t care much about his or her education institution background; what I care about is the skills, experience and expertise: whether the person can do it or not. In the current competitive environment I need people who can deliver.” Well, that’s of course quite obvious and straightforward. However, what has been disturbing me is the formulation of his criteria; how do recruiters identify the candidates who have those specific professional skills and competencies?

The answer was: a long list of experience and expertise in several quite specific and concrete areas. After looking though the list I was wondering – was this an entry-level position or recruitment for a CEO at a top international corporation? For example, the requirements included not just business writing skills, but also experience in writing analytical papers by analyzing quantitative data on the impact of the changing market situation, due to the introduction of new consumer regulation acts to reflect recent large court decisions. On top of that, he specified that the applicant should have at least one year of experience in such writing!

I am guessing that this list of entry-level requirements is pretty much the same as for a CEO for HP, IKEA or SHELL Corporation. That is a huge challenge for today’s students and recent graduates, and of course there is a need to deal with it!

2. Seek out online opportunities for international debate

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric and influential business guru, once said that the “ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” Indeed, only creative and innovative approaches are going to work here, in order to improve your CV and gain the competitive advantage required to solve this seemingly impossible challenge.

One way to look at the requirement for professional skills expertise is to understand what’s behind it: many managers would actually like to see not necessarily experience per se, but two qualities in new staff members: (1) knowledge of global issues and global business trends; and (2) the ability to grasp those issues and experience in dealing with them.

In this regard, new media and social networks provide exciting and unique opportunities for students to be involved in a global agenda at the international level by participating in online debates and discussions. For example, many large events such as the Davos Economic Forum (which is organized annually by the Global Economic Forum in Switzerland), various similar regional gatherings or large corporate events organized by transnational companies around the world have their own websites with a significant portion devoted to blogs and global discussion.

3. Stay focused on your target career

The moment you enter cyber space, you will find no end of global discussion clubs, circles and blogging opportunities. However, it is very important not to get carried away, and to keep your focus on your main objectives: creating a professional online persona that will improve your CV and impress potential employers.

First, it is essential to choose a good topic for your article, blog or comments, with an attention-grabbing title. Second, it is equally important to select discussion groups that are in one way or another related to your future field. Third, it is vital to write about topics or areas where your potential recruiter would expect you to demonstrate your experience.

4. Learn how to write a professional blog post

No denying, it is a challenging assignment to write an article, blog or comment that you would be proud to put on the desk of your dream company recruiter to prove your experience in dealing with relevant issues. The key is to approach the project with the same care you would use in preparing for any important paper. The task can be broken down into several simple, but indispensable steps:

First, choose an angle by carefully assessing your future field and making connections between your ideas and possible scope for professional opportunities and jobs. If you see your future in international finance, you will be looking for an angle concerning international finance; if you’re aiming for international trade, reflect on challenges for international or regional trade, and so on

Second, choose a good size and design for your blog or article – not too long, but not too short. Again, imagine that you have to put it on the desk of your potential boss – about 600-900 words (2-3 pages) with 2-3 well-presented photos or graphs is a respectable target. This length will not be too challenging to write, but will have credibility when presented to your potential HR officer.

Third, take time to do some background research and illustrate your ideas with figures and numbers, especially if you plan your future in the field of business, banking or trade.

Fourth, you should structure your arguments by subdividing your short article or blog into 3-4 sections connected with strong logic and good flow of words.

Fifth, check and edit your post very carefully with your friends and classmates – at least 3-4 times. This is your future business card and, therefore, needs to be of the highest quality and impact.

Good luck and happy blogging!

UNICHAT - University Blog Website

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CV [15 HELPFUL TIPS]

For many jobseekers, your CV is the first point of contact with a potential employer. It is the first opportunity to sell yourself, to get yourself noticed and, above all, to make sure any potential door is not closed to you. First impressions do count, so make this one work for you.

As an environmental recruitment agency, we have worked with hundreds of graduates to kick-start their career in sustainability or the environment. But the tips for improving your CV apply whatever industry or sector you are looking to work in:

It’s a good idea to have your CV prepared well in advance of spotting any job opportunities, and certainly well ahead of any closing date, so that it is not undertaken in a rush. This ensures that the basics will be there to build on, and you can tailor the CV for each specific opportunity without too much additional work.
You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s worth repeating because there are far too many examples of people who ignore the advice – do make sure you check it through (better still, get someone else to check it through) for clarity, spelling and grammar. Mistakes will send your CV into the waste paper basket (metaphorically if it’s electronic).
Given that your CV needs to be tailored for each job opportunity, double check it through to make sure that you are have the right version for that particular company or organisation – there’s nothing worse than focusing on your people management skills, for instance, when the company in question is actually looking for someone to work on their own as a self-starter.
Make your CV easy to read and interesting – employers will have many CVs to look at, so don’t make it difficult for them – instead, make it a pleasure; think about the font (and please don’t be tempted to go for a quirky choice!), size of type and density of text; avoid colours other than black.

Short blocks of text work well, and bullet points are fine provided the list isn’t too long – again, use the ‘pleasure principle’ as your overarching guide.
Tables are also OK for small amounts of text, but don’t overdo it.
Use the selection criteria where possible to align the skills and experience on your CV with the job description – wherever you can, give examples of how you match the criteria (approach it like marking criteria – how high can you score?).
A profile (or personal statement) can work well, but only if you have some relevant points to make. This could be used to demonstrate your enthusiasm and creativity (to compensate for lack of experience perhaps) or to show your passion and commitment – but it is important to avoid clichés and buzzwords.
Don’t include a photo – unless it’s a modelling job you’re after!
Aim for 2 pages of A4 max, and remember you don’t have to detail every qualification and piece of work experience – if you have a degree or higher, the grades you got for GCSE are probably not too important, so just list the number of passes and subjects.
References at this stage aren’t essential and they will take up too much space – just say ‘references are available on request’ – recruiters won’t be needing references at the CV filtering stage.
Remember that life experience can be just as relevant as job experience when it comes to many key skills – project management, budgeting, communication skills, for example, can be demonstrated in different ways – so be creative
Don’t forget to highlight professional qualifications and any relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – what training have you undergone recently that shows that your skills are up to date? This is particularly important if you have been unemployed for a while and the employer is concerned that you could be out of touch in a fast-moving industry.
Don’t be afraid to ask friends and colleagues what they think your strengths are – and if they have any other comments or adviceon your CV.
Finally, don’t think of your CV as set in stone. If you progress to the next stage, ask for feedback on your CV – what worked, what jumped out, what was irrelevant to the potential employer – and hone your CV accordingly. And do share your experiences with others – blogs and websites are a great community resource; if you give to others, they will give back to you.

Remember, your CV is about bringing you and your experience to life, so give examples wherever possible, to help the potential employer quickly build a picture of you.

Written by Karl McGrory, Head of Change Partnerships – Change Agents UK. Change Agents is a charity that specialises in recruitment, training and support for a wide range of sustainability projects. Follow on Twitter @changeagentsuk

photo by: Zach Klein- Article

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