Resumes are vital to any Job Application, unless you're Steve Jobs or the winner of the Apprentice, it’s the only way HRs will really get to know you. Resumes must speak for you, they must establish the image the HR or interviewer has in mind. Some resumes are intricate like in my case, I'm applying for a job under fashion and media and so packaging is everything, Some others are way too formal and simple, so to not divert the reader’s attention and to not make it look as if it’s trying so hard. Content is still everything.
So here's my tip on Writing Resumes for
Dummies, a.k.a Unknown Active and Workaholic Kids
Step 1: Keep it Short
HRs don't have the time to read lengthy
Resumes and Bio-data, that's why it’s best to conduced it in one page or two.
Remember, length doesn't overwhelm, it tires the reader. This is not your
professor reading your literature paper. HRs only have 5 to 10 seconds to
browse your Resume, and a few milliseconds to decide whether it goes to the
shredder or the "For Interview"
Step 2: Highlight your achievements and be specific
If you're the Mr. Achiever or the Ms.
Active of wherever and you're more of a jack of all trades than a master
mathematician, it’s really a trouble having to include all the things you've
done which you believe contributed to the skills you have acquired in life. A
tip is to make your Resume Job-specific, it means put everything you think will
be beneficial for the kind of job you're applying for and save the "Mr.
Neat" and "Member of the Environmental Advocates" on the
interview, once asked on your interests that doesn't concern the field. Over
decorating your Resume with stuff that doesn't make sense to the job won't help
if you simply want to look like you can take a lot of responsibility.
I admit I'm the kind who literally goes
around joining all possible things that would catch my attention. As I recognize
the fact that they did help me my growth as person and helped hone my skills. I
made a full resume that includes all my skills and achievement and different
versions of it depending on the job I'm applying for, and a page concise resume
for when the calling gets there
Yeah, I’m a retarded kid for creating so
many resumes; I’m so specific I made a version of each per company. Every
resume is defined as a company is. It’s a technique so the HR would feel as if
he’s reading a page from the company’s official documents.
I enjoy formatting my resumes and so I
really had so much fun doing them. Some took more effort than the others I
might say like my Fashion and Media Resume for the Companies Mega Magazine,
Preview Magazine and Metro Magazine. The Top three local Fashion mags in the
Philippines.
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| My Fashion and Media Resume. The first page that acts as a magazine cover serves as a cover letter. The QR-Scan will redirect you to my blog. I printed it like a folder file keeper, the back page has a cut-out business card that you can easily get by pushing it with your hands. |
On my Marketing Resumes for Marketing and
Advertising Companies I choose to format them according to company color and
identity. I googled for Ogilvy, McCann and BBDO’s company profile, colors and
fonts used. Advertising Companies stick to their colors and fonts. This is to
show how much you understand what branding is all about. If you want to enter a
company, you have to feel and show you wanna be part of it.
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| My BBDO Guerrero Resume. The Cover letter in BBDO Identity and color, The Resume, The Folder I made with a few pictures of my works on photoshop in red bubbles. And my pop-out business card. |
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| JWT Resume in JWT Colors |
Step 3: Submit on a timely basis: Be Early or Be Late
I’m not from the most prestigious
University I do admit. I do belong to the top 4 but not the top 1. In my
internship no one in the job was from my University. There is some kind of
discrimination that is happening in the HR room. Yeah it’s true; the top
Universities get separated from the set of resumes while rest die in waiting.
The technique in landing an internship for students, is to either submit it
early before internship screening starts, Philippine setting September-August
for Internships on October, December-February for Internships on summer. Or
submit it late just when Companies open their slots for Internships. The logic
between passing it early is because HRs still has ample time reviewing it
without the wave of Internship applications on its way. Late is because if you
pass it just before the season, you end up being in the last of the mail to be
read, or in the bottom of the piles of resumes.
Step 4: Get the right Email Address
With the emergence of new technology,
companies prescribe to have resumes submitted online. It’s to save effort and
to save paper. If you think submitting it personally will give you more chance.
Well sadly it won’t. Because it gets in the pile of Resumes which gets dumped
when HRs are not around. The trick is obtaining the right email address. The
company address tends to get loaded with so many emails they will have a hard
time seeing your entry. Look for the email address of people and use your
connections. But you have to be extra careful and be extra courteous in the way
you converse especially if your contact is of authority.
On giving out Resumes: Do you make it Rain or not?
Post it online. I have a lot of Resumes
but I never posted them online. A friend of mine suggested I do, which I will.
Its best to establish a professional online identity with way communications
are.
Goodluck to students looking for
Internship!
