Should You Put Your Objective On Your Resume/CV?

This is a very personal decision to make and therefore the person best qualified to take that decision is you. Here are a few thoughts that you should consider in deciding whether you should put your objective on your resume.

1. Is it relevant to the job applied for?

If your personal objective is very specific to a particular industry and sector, then think about it's relevance to the job you are applying for. For example is your objective is to find employment within the airline sector, how will it be received if you leave it on your resume when applying for a job in computing? They may feel that you are unlikely to stay with the company if a better offer comes along from an airline company a few months or a few years later.

2. Does your objective communicate something about your character

"I am an enthusiastic career driven individual with a strong team emphasis who excels in embracing tough new challenges and is able to motivate others towards achieving a common purpose."

This example objective lays out its intentions and provides an employer with insight into the individual's work ethic which could be very appealing to them. Think about using your own personal objective to communicate some important details about your character that would be beneficial to an employer.

3. Does your objective have a clear meaning

Sometimes personal objectives can make sense to the person writing it but no sense at all to the reader. Ensure that if you intend to use a personal objective you ask a friend to read it to check they understand what you are trying to communicate.

4. Does your objective put you in a positive light?

Some personal objectives can be a positive turn off to prospective employers, even though they may be about something you are passionate about. I once read a personal objective in a resume that talked about how it had been the person's ambition to keep sheep and learn about caring for animals. This resume was being sent in for a computing job! Statements like this in the wrong context can leave an employer feeling that you are strange or eccentric, even if you are passionate about that pastime.

If you do decide to put your objective on your resume then consider using an approach to objective setting called SMART. This is used in a number of industries.

1. Specific - Keep your objective to the point and don't waffle.

2. Measurable - Is your objective something that can be easily measured. I.e using the term hardworking in your objective, can be measured by your output at work.

3. Achievable - Is your objective something that you can achieve even if it is a challenge

4. Realistic - Is your objective realistic and within the boundaries of possibility

5. Time bound - Is there a timescale you can put on achieving your objective?

Summary

As discussed previously the decision to place your objective on your resume rests with you, but this article has attempted to provide some thought provoking questions to aid you in the process.

How To Write A Thank You Letter Following An Interview

Keep employers interested!

Thank you letters are a great and subtle way of restating your credentials as well as showing respect and courtesy to an employer after they have invited you for interview. A well written thank you letter can improve your chances of securing that dream role! I have prepared some helpful hints for preparing that all important thank you interview letter.

Well Structured

Remember that your letter will leave a prospective employer with a final impression of you. Make sure that you take time to structure it appropriately, ensuring that it contains the employers address at the top left of the page and your address for correspondence in the opposite right hand corner. Remember to put a date on the letter so that the employer knows that it was written after the interview. Address the letter to the specific person who interviewed you, that way it will be sure to find the right person. Make sure that you sign off the letter, yours faithfully, as you have little relationship with the person concerned. You should only use yours sincerely where you know the person you are writing to in some detail.
Ensure that your letter is spell checked before you send it and ask a friend or family member to read through the finished article before you send it off to check that it makes sense and that you haven't made any obvious mistakes.

Type up your letter

Hand written letters may be suitable for personal matters between friends, but typing up your letter is much more professional and appropriate if communicating with an organisation. Take time to print it out on good quality printer paper so that it looks highly presentable.

Concise

Keep the letter to one page of A4 and keep what you say succinct. Don't waffle.

Re-emphasise your key skills

Remember that whilst this is a thank you letter it is also an opportunity to restate your key skills briefly and leave the interviewers with a lasting impression of your abilities. Talk in no more than one paragraph about what value you think you can add to the company based on your core abilities.

For example

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to state how closely I feel that my project management, organisational and time management skills would compliment your core business operations."

Thank them for the interview opportunity

Take a paragraph to thank those who interviewed you for the opportunity to meet with them and comment on how impressed you were by the company and the manner in which you were treated whilst there. This will leave a potential employer feeling positive about you as you have taken time to express your gratitude. In reality only a tiny percentage of interviewees take time to write a thank you letter.

Writing a thank you letter following interview should be done within 48 hours, any longer and the opportunity to leave a good impression may have passed. Remember that a thank you letter will be the final impression a potential employer has of you, so take your time, think carefully about what you include in it and make it as presentable as possible.

Job Interview Follow Up Do's and Don'ts

Do

1. Do call your prospective employer to get feedback

Most companies will give you a timescale within which feedback will be provided. If it goes beyond the date specified call them and ask whether there is any feedback available. Keep calling every 3-4 days until you get an answer. Calling everyday may be misconstrued as harassment but every 3-4 days will be viewed in a positive light as it shows your commitment to wanting the job.

Tip: Get the name of the hiring manager who interviewed you and a direct dial number and check out that it’s okay to call them to get feedback.


2. Do be polite but assertive

When calling for feedback be polite, pleasant but assertive. Explain that you are considering offers from other companies and are keen to find out the outcome of this interview as it was your favourite role. If a company knows that you are considering other job offers they will be more likely to work quickly to give you interview feedback or risk losing a good quality candidate.

3. Do thank the organisation for your interview

Regardless of whether you get the job or not after receiving feedback, make a point of thanking the manager or human resources staff for the interview. Remember that others who have been made a job offer may decline it and if a prospective employer perceives that you have showed character and respect they may remember that and offer you the job next.

I know a number of people who have adopted this approach and the companies concerned have been so impressed that they called them back having created another role for them!

4. Ask for feedback on how your came across in interview if you don’t get the job

This can be difficult as it can hurt your pride but ask the company how you interviewed. They may identify something you hadn’t thought of as a problem, perhaps about your presentation or listening skills or something else. You can then use this information to improve next time.

5. Do speak to the decision maker.

Human resources departments often deal with interview feedback but very often they have little idea of your potential importance to the company. So after interview they are likely to give you a standard response that they are still awaiting feedback from the hiring manager. The hiring manager has the real power so speak to them directly or in addition to the Human Resources department so that they are aware of your concerns or other offers you are considering. The hiring managers will often speed up feedback to you if you keep them informed of developments.

Don’t

1. Don’t harass

There is a fine line between being persistent and harassing. If after interview you have been told a date by which you should have feedback, don’t call before this date. After this date has passed you should call every 3-4 days but not sooner as you will become a nuisance and people will stop taking your call.

2. Don’t be rude or offensive

Finding out interview feedback can be exciting or disappointing. If you don’t get the job and don’t agree with the feedback do not be rude or offensive to employers. Remember they are just doing their job. Just write it off and go find that company that can appreciate your skills.

3. Don’t lie about other job offers

You need to be careful what you tell a prospective employer after interview in order to hurry up feedback. Don’t lie about job offers and use this to try and speed up feedback or it could simply backfire. The company concerned could simply reply that you should take the other job offer as they can’t get the feedback quick enough. This will leave you empty handed.

Job Hunting Myths

Introduction

Like anything Job Hunting has its fair share of myths which can be unhelpful or misleading for those involved in job search. This articles aims to explore and explode some of the most common myths to give you a more rounded perspective.


Myth 1 The perfect job is waiting for you

This totally untrue, there is no such thing as the perfect job and if you find it please let me know. This myth is often used in an attempt to make you feel better about yourself but in fact it can make you feel frustrated as you wonder why you haven’t found that perfect job, or if you ever will. Granted there are many enjoyable and rewarding jobs but each have their own drawbacks as well as their many advantages.

Myth 2 A resume should be no more than two pages in length

There is a myth that any resume should not be longer than 2 pages. This is absolute nonsense I have read resume’s of professional contractors (particularly in the IT industry) who due to the short duration of contracts have resume’s lasting 10 pages, but the information which they contain is both succinct and relevant. This is the key, employers prefer to see short work histories in which you have demonstrated specific examples of how you have used your skills than page long summaries that talk about who you sat next to and how good you were in the company golf team.


Myth 3 You should always write resumes in the third person

This is also a myth. Whilst some people like to write resumes in the third person it is certainly not essential and is in fact becoming increasingly unfashionable. There is nothing wrong with writing “I did this…” rather than “Michael did this…”. The only time when writing in the third person might be considered is at senior manager or executive level to communicate an air of authority.

Myth 4 Don’t call us, we’ll call you

This is perhaps one of the biggest myths and is often a means of politely informing you that you won’t be getting the job, although in all my years of recruiting I have never once heard a company use it. What it actually infers of course is that a company doesn’t want you to ring them as they are too busy to deal with your request for interview feedback due to the volume of candidates being assessed. However, In reality most companies actively encourage you to chase them up after your interview for feedback.

I got my first ever job because the manager who interviewed me was impressed that I persistently kept calling the office every three days to chase feedback after interview, they said it demonstrated enthusiasm and commitment.



Myth 5 You’ll walk into a job

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard this. In reality we all know that getting a job is not always that straight forward. The average recruitment cycle from making an application to getting a job offer can take up to three months, so don’t get frustrated if by the second week of your job search you still haven’t secured a job. Be persistent.

Myth 6 When I get nervous at interview I just imagine the Interview panel in their underpants!

In reality no one has ever done this for two reasons a) It doesn’t occur to them to say it until afterwards and b) if they did they would probably burst out laughing and blow their chances of getting the job. It’s a great anecdote but it is unlikely it has ever happened.

Myth 7 Agencies don’t pay you a full hourly wage.

I hear lots of people say, I work through an agency and they take loads of money of my hourly wage. I get paid $4.00 per hour but the agency charges the employer $6.00 per hour.

It may feel that you are being ripped off but the answer to this is simple. All agencies have agreements with employers that allow for an additional percentage to be added on to the hourly wage. This percentage generally ranges from between 15 and 30% but can easily be higher.

This means that whatever rate the employer decides to pay to you as an employee; the agency can add its additional percentage on as a reward for finding suitable people to fill the position.

Most of the time it would be unlikely that you would be paid the amount the agency receives even if you applied directly to the firm because this is the agency's fee for finding you.

Strategies for getting yourself promoted

Introduction

Getting a job promotion at work is often a delicate process, if you’re too pushy it could backfire damaging your future career prospects, not pushy enough and you could be overlooked for another more forthright member of staff. This article seeks to provide some simple strategies to help you get yourself promoted.


1. Work Hard

Throw yourself into your work, don’t drag out breaks and be willing to do some overtime to show your commitment to the organisation. Employers often like staff to lead by example so being the first person in the workplace each day is also a good start.

Tip: don’t confuse working hard with being a workaholic. Remember family or social life are equally important. It’s possible to work hard within the confines of normal contracted hours and still be more productive than those who are constantly doing overtime.

2. Be Trustworthy

This is a major issue for an employer. I once heard a story of a senior bank official who whilst in the staff canteen buying lunch, stole a small tub of butter to go with his bread roll, believing no one was looking. The Chief executive of the bank saw him do it and fired him on the spot. The Senior bank official said “It’s only a tub of butter” to which the CEO replied “If you can steal a tub of butter, you can steal anything.”

If you are known for your trustworthiness your chances of promotion will increase dramatically, as management need to know that they can delegate important work to their senior staff.

3. Get to know your boss outside of work

Sometimes your hard work can still go unnoticed, particularly in busy professions and workplaces where it is taken for granted that you will work late. Find out what interests your boss has and engage them in conversation on that subject. At some point you may get the opportunity to take them out to indulge that interest such as a trip to the theatre, football game, baseball match or round of golf. Getting yourself noticed like this is a sure fire way of keeping yourself at the forefront of their mind when it’s time to consider promotions.


4. Improve your skills base.

Skilled staff are always the first in line to be considered for a promotion so take every opportunity to develop your knowledge and experience.

Book yourself on as many internal training courses as you can manage, without it detracting from your day to day work. Alternatively consider taking an external course or qualification of direct relevance to your job. Not only does this benefit both you and the organisation but your employer will be impressed by your commitment.

5. Don’t sleep with the boss

Whether you’re male or female, sleeping with the boss is out. Whilst you may believe it’s the best way to get a promotion you will instantly lose the respect of colleagues. Ask yourself is it really worth sacrificing your morals for a promotion?

6. Be Organised

Employers often look to promote staff who they see as organised, disciplined and efficient. Make sure you take every opportunity to demonstrate how good you are at planning and executing your various job responsibilities.

Tip: If this is not a strong point consider going on organisational or time management training courses. Keep to do lists and record details of tasks that need following up so that you can demonstrate what you have done if required.

7. Be passionate about your job

Being passionate about what you do for a living is contagious and others will naturally look to you, even informally, for leadership and direction, even if they wouldn’t admit it. This will not go unnoticed by your employer and it is a sure fire way of getting a promotion easily if management see you demonstrating leadership skills without even being asked.

8. Be open to criticism

Good managers are often defined by how they have learnt from previous mistakes and this requires an ability to respond positively to criticism. As a manager you will come in for criticism from all sides, your staff will sometimes feel that you are out of touch and senior management will want to know why you haven’t achieved objectives. This requires a willingness to learn from mistakes and getting defensive over a problem because you don’t want to admit you made a mistake will not endear you to management.

How to compare a number of job offers

Introduction

Trying to decide between two competing job offers can be difficult, especially when they are both jobs that you are more than capable of doing. This article has been written in an attempt to help provide some tips for aiding you in the process.

1. Write down your thoughts on paper.

Writing down your thoughts on paper is often the best way to make an objective comparison. Write down the strengths and weaknesses of each offer, that way it’s easier to see visually whether one offer has more drawbacks than another.

2. Location

Think about the location of each job offer an how easy it would be to get there. Whilst the one further away may appear more lucrative financially by offering a high basic salary, by the time you’ve calculated travel costs you may discover that there is little difference.

You need to decide whether you are willing to travel or even relocate for the right job and what effect this will have on you and/or your family.

3. Job Role

Are both job offers comparable in terms of the role being offered or is one more appealing because of new skills you may acquire?

Sometimes going for an identical job to the one you have had is a bad idea as you may be likely to become bored more quickly. A job that offers confirmed training opportunities may be more beneficial to your career and job satisfaction in the long term.

4. Promotion Prospects

As well as developing skills and abilities are there good promotion prospects in both roles being offered or does one have less opportunity that another? The last thing you want to do is end up getting stuck in a dead end job where career development is hard to come by.

5. Company Reputation

This is often of critical importance when deciding between rival job offers. What have you heard about the companies concerned, do you have friends or family working for those organisations who can give you a real insight?

Don’t just think about salary, as a company with a poorer reputation may seek to offer a higher salary to cover up for its weaknesses in this area.

Tip: Why not call both companies and ask if you could visit the sites again. This will give you an invaluable opportunity to chat with staff and get another feel for the environment rather than simply relying on your experiences in interview. If one of the companies refuses your request then this may tell you something about the way in which they work.


6. Benefits

Aside from salary what benefits are available in both job offers? Whilst the basic salary may be higher on one offer the associate benefits of another may outweigh this.

Think about what discounts you may be offered if you join a particular company, length of vacation time, commission structures, car or car allowance, pension arrangements or medical insurance.

How to avoid embarrassing yourself at interview

Introduction

Being interviewed for a new vacancy can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Perhaps the first thought is the happiness or for some the relief of having been invited for an interview and the knowledge that you have been considered as a potentially suitable candidate for the job. This can often give way to an overwhelming sense of anxiousness, self doubt, and fear of rejection should you not be deemed suitable.
Don't worry help is at hand to ensure that you can excel when the day of the interview arrives.

As an Ex Recruiter here are a list of common interview bloopers and some advice on how to avoid them.

1. Unsuitably dressed

Interviews often bring out the worst in dress sense. I’ve had people turn up to formal interviews in jeans and T-shirt’s, bright yellow and orange shirts, shorts and a variety of other inappropriate attire. You may believe that how you dress shouldn’t matter if you have the right skills for the job, sadly it does make a difference.

It doesn't matter what type of job you are applying for any potential employer wants to know that you have made an effort at your interview and presentation is important for a number of reasons

A) It shows courtesy to a prospective employer and reflects your respect to them for having been invited in the first place.

B) Looking smart can also give you much needed confidence (not arrogance) in your own abilities.

Tip: Go for dark colours, like blue, navy or black for interview clothing and always stick to a plain white shirt or blouse. These colours are quite neutral and smart and are unlikely to be off putting to a prospective employer.

2. Don't tell them you're nervous!

Many people with issues around self esteem seek to gain sympathy from a potential interviewer by stating just how they feel. Whilst most interviewers will politely tell you that it's okay just take your time, it is often a sure put off and sends out a clear message that you have no confidence in your own abilities.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling nervous, with shaking, crying or even being sick just prior to your interview just as long as you are able to do this out of sight of your potential employer, perhaps in the nearest bathroom, but take time to compose yourself before it's your turn.

Some tips for dealing with nerves

A) Take your IPOD and listen to some music whilst waiting, it will take your mind off thinking about the interview.

B) Take a magazine, newspaper or book with you to read whilst you wait.


3. Don't lie or exaggerate

Whilst it can be tempting to exaggerate your skills or lie in order to get a job just don't do it! I guarantee that you will be caught out at some point. I never forget interviewing a male in his late thirties for a programming position in a computer company. He was a very impressive candidate he knew all the technical language had an impressive resume , what he didn't know was that he was required to undertake an impromptu technical test lasting 15 minutes following his face to face interview, which he duly failed spectacularly.