Nov 21, 2010

Job Objectives on the Resume

Job Objectives on the Resume


Most resumes contain a job or career objective. A human resource manager may rely on this objective statement to select appropriate resumes, to eliminate irrelevant or unqualified resumes, and to route resumes received to the proper departments.

Components of an Effective Job Objective

A job objective should be direct and to the point. Some objective statements may be written as a sentence, other effective objective statements may simply be phrases with little or no punctuation. This portion of the resume should be tailored to the individual position for which a candidate is applying. If the advertisement or job description has obvious key words, it is useful to include these in the objective.



Examples of effective objective statements include:


* A position in Early Childhood Education utilizing my ten years experience teaching in a Head Start Preschool

* An entry level position in human resources with the opportunity to advance to a human resource generalist

* A position as a Sheriff’s Deputy for the Clarke Township Sheriff’s Office


Things to Avoid in a Job Objective

Do not write a general catch-all statement as an objective. If your job objective contains no usable information, it is better to have no objective statement. Avoid long objective statements, as well. Give the potential employer a concise and direct statement that needs little interpretation. If an employer has to figure out what position interests the applicant, the resume often goes into a file with many other resumes which may or may not be reviewed by the hiring agent.


Examples of poor job objective statements include:

* A position using my skills and abilities to improve the company

* A job leading to a manager position

* Seeking a position using my skills to provide good service and improve the company bottom-line and to grow in my job to a more responsible position


Arguments Against Using an Objective Statement

Some resume professionals now argue that using a job objective on a resume is no longer appropriate. One of the arguments against using a career objective is that job candidates do not provide employer-oriented objectives or provide vague ineffective objectives. Another argument is that the employer has job openings that need to be filled and the company will hire for those positions no matter what the objective states.


The decision to use or not to use an objective statement is very personal. A job seeker must take all these facts into account then decide whether or not an objective will be helpful for her personal job search. If an applicant uses a career or job objective, the job objective should contain useful and targeted information and avoid any generic or vague statements.

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Job Interview Tips


Job interviewing never seems to get any easier - even when you have gone on more interviews than you can count. You are meeting new people, selling yourself and your skills, and often getting the third degree about what you know or don't know. Here are job interview tips to help prepare you to interview effectively. Proper preparation which help alleviate some of the stress involved in job interviews.


Practice

Practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your successes is a great way to promote your candidacy.

Prepare

Prepare a response so you are ready for the question "What do you know about our company. Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.

Get Ready

Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.

Be On Time

Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Stay Calm

During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

Show What You Know

Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for.

Follow Up

Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note.

No Vacancy “Brain Drain”

I would say, too many applicants for fewer seats obtainable in universities and consequently failure to get admission in professional institutes is actually the notion of “brain drain”. I’d rather consider the aforementioned brain drain a blessing in the given situation. It is inevitable now at least those who can afford, or students’ who are able to get scholarships are going abroad, creating space for freshmen here.


Policy makers are aware of the fact that more than half of our population constitutes adolescents; they have been calling them our greatest treasure & pride. But the irony is that, no development had been done to dwell them except to possibly exploit them for some mere political purpose, if not for anything else. Having most of our population being predominantly youngsters should have sent shivers & goose bumps, setting off alarm bells across campuses to have more of the same developed on an emergency basis.
Higher Education Commission did an incredible job for a couple of years, thanks to Dr Atta-ur-Rehman. His plan of opening campuses of 11 foreign universities here, arranging of scholarships and outreach program etc was marvelous. After the merciless butchery of the HEC after his departure all his efforts of opening those coveted 11 campuses went down the drain, the outreach program bunged up & scholarships vanished.

For instance, the MCAT, only in Punjab this year about 20,000 applicants applied for seats as few as 2000 the private sector took advantage of the shortcoming resulting in mushrooming of private medical colleges which are in reality meant for business. Scores of these private colleges have their first or second year and are charging a minimum fee of 20 lakh. They have exploited parents and seemingly there is no restraint and consequentially no evaluation. Most disquieting fact is that the quality of education is being compromised. Undoubtedly, with such hideos quality of education cases like Imane Malik would be seen more and more frequently in future.

Parents who can afford such phenomenal tuition costs maybe can also meet the expenses of better quality graduate degrees abroad & consequently are sending off their children out of the country.Is this brain drain??

Moreover, employment situation is even worse. Graduates are being produced by the dozens with absoltuely no job opening for such mass produced MBA’s, IT experts and are left to do odd jobs even manning the cubicles at call centers which they would have achieved without the expensive education they had previously acquired. Is this not brain drain?

Brain drain happens when state of affairs around does not let people use their brain to the best of their ability. Those who are departing are at least sending off their remittances back home.

Graduates these days are opting for postgraduate degrees abroad instead of grieving over redundancy, which I take as a positive approach. Providentially, scholarships and financial aid availability from their from foreign universities, even after the dreary downfall of HEC.

Brain will be drained if they are left to rot at homes after their FSc/A’s because they are incapable to get admission anywhere coz their are not enough seats on hand for them or brain drain would ensue if even after a graduate degree, unemployment leave them dejected, disheartened & perturbed.

Pakistan has more than enough brain, to be drained so easily. Solution is easy – Fix govt policies, revive HEC, build new universities, conduct evening classes in campuses, improve economy, combat unemployment – the much mourned “brain drain” that has already happened will also reverse.

Failure to execute this indicates incapability of higher authorities, and their incapacity to hold the righteous designations. In such case, instead of drenching over brain drain, one should shout for change!!

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Some suggestions for those graduates with little or no working experience

Some fresh graduates who have little or no working experience may face a similar problem, in that they cannot get experience until they get a job, but cannot get a job as they have no experience. Fortunately, many large local and multinational companies, - most of them prestigious - have their own campus recruitments targeting fresh graduates who have no working experience. One of the problems that fresh graduates face is how to attract employers’ attention and make themselves stand out. Here follows some suggestions for becoming a successful candidate.


Firstly, candidates must try to avoid low level mistakes in their CVs. When sifting through hundreds of CVs, it’s far easier to find reasons to eliminate candidates than to grant them interviews. Spelling mistakes, lack of clarity and meaning will conspire to reward the application with instant rejection, because no employer wants to have to train someone in such fundamental skills. For those graduates whose written communication skills are weak, practicing frequently is a good way to improve the written skills.

Secondly, try to make non job-related experience count. Although fresh graduates have little or no job-related working experience, they are still likely to have much to offer employers. The secret is to think about the aptitudes required in the job and consider how well their campus and social experience might have prepared them. For example, working in teams, managing time, and dealing with difficulties are skills that can be developed in campus and social activities.

Thirdly, try to make the best use of the knowledge learned during college and ACCA studies. During the interview, an interviewer always asks some job-related technical questions, and candidates need to answer these questions by using the knowledge they have learned during their studies. Some important parts of accounting and finance knowledge should be prepared before attending any interviews, and impressive answers to the technical questions can be the key to successfully being offered the job.

As the global economy goes into meltdown, recruiters are under intense pressure to justify any expenditure related to hiring staff, and more people are coming on to the jobs market. Those who make recruitment decisions are in a strong position to raise the bar when screening candidates, so it’s important for graduates with little or no working experience to try their best to improve their employability in order to get the job offer they desire.

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Fresh Graduates

Many fresh graduates complain that they
have to suffer a lot when they start looking for jobs after they
complete their education. The Pakistani youth have been facing this
dilemma for quite some time now and the situation seems to be
deteriorating with each passing day. The global recession has further
aggravated the situation as millions became jobless and as a result,
fresh graduates have to face tougher competition.

There is no need to despair however, if you are a fresh graduate and just started looking for a job. According to ROZEE.PK statistics, plenty of jobs open up for fresh graduates but
the candidates far outnumber the capacity of these job openings.

However, as a fresh graduate you need to be well prepared and able to
leave a good impression on the employer in order to get a job.

Many candidates complain that job interview is a later step as they do not even get calls for interview despite applying for various openings. Therefore, we have compiled a
list of things you need to take care of in order to make sure that you
at least get the call for an interview.

Checklist For The Job Hunt
As soon as you finish your degree, the first thought on your mind is to get a job. This would be a lot easier if you started working on some of these tips during the final year of
your education. Go through all the pointers and see what you can do in
each arena to enhance your job search.

Choose Your Career
When we choose which subjects we wish to study most of us think that we have determined our career path and have nothing to worry about in the near future. As a result, when the fresh
graduates hit the job market they have no orientation of which industry
suits their requirements and often end up choosing a wrong line. Even if
you have studied a specified course, there are many different
industries where you get a job. Many times the fresh graduates miss good
job opportunities because they have no idea of some of the niches that
are available to them.

It is best that you go to a career counselor, or if you do not have such a facility, you can always turn to the Internet for help. Do a thorough research on the kinds of job
opportunities that are available for your specialties and apply to all
of them.

Maintain your network
In order to find a job right after college you should maintain an active network of teachers, colleagues, and other acquaintances. They can improve your chances of getting a job
in interview by recommendations or simply by forwarding your CV to the
relevant departments. The stronger you network, the better are your
chances of securing a job interview.

Social Networking Websites
Nowadays, social networking websites have become and effective medium for finding jobs. More than that, maintaining a professional profile on these social networking websites
is becoming more and more essential as now employers have developed a
tendency to look at the profiles of the job applicants to make sure that
they are choosing the right person.

Application Process
The most trying and testing phase of the job hunt is dropping off CVs at various places and waiting for the call for an interview. Some people believe that the higher number of
applications they submit; the greater are their chances of succeeding.

Such candidates are much mistaken, as this does not have any positive
effect on your job search.

The best way is to find the jobs that are relevant to your field and expressly want a fresh graduate. It is important that you focus your energy on fruitful prospects rather than
wasting time in wild goose chase.

Customize Your Resume
One of the most important things one has to keep in mind is to customize your resume for each job that you apply to rather than sending a generalized CV to all openings. The objective
for each job should be modified and the skill set for every job should
be different. Catering to the requirements of the employers is necessary
so put more emphasis on skills that are of value to the specific
employer.

Prepare an impressive cover letter stating the reason for your applying to the job and the things that make you perfect for it. Address it the employer and attach to the CV. The
cover letter should be brief and concise. Make sure there are no typing
errors or spelling mistakes in the cover letter or the CV as the
employer will send your application straight to the bin if he sees one.

Lastly, make sure that you include all the important projects and assignments that can show the employer what your capabilities are since you do not have any prior experience to show
what you can do for the employer.

Lower Your Expectations
One of the mistakes that the fresh graduates make is that they hope to get the dream job right away. These unrealistic expectations make it harder for the candidate to get the
job. Asking for a pay scale that is not in accordance with you skills is
also a common mistake. As a fresh graduate, you need to lower your
expectations and be ready to work for less pay as all you need from the
first job is the valuable experience. Once you get the experience, you
will be able to ask for the pay scale according to your expectations and
the employer will be more willing to accept.
Prepare well for the interview
Once you get an interview call for a job, you need to be well prepared for the interview session. Do your research and practice a lot to make sure that you do not make any huge
mistake when you appear for the interview. Dress appropriately and
follow the interview protocol that has often been discussed in the
ROZEE.PK articles.

Freelance Work
While you are looking for a job, it is a great idea to work as a freelancer as there are many such opportunities available in the market. Not only will this help you financially but
also give a boost to your CV as you can mention the freelance work you
have been doing to fill the time between your graduation and the
interview. This shows the employer that you are someone who makes the
best of things and does not believe in wasting any time.

All these tips can help the fresh graduates in getting a job if followed with persistence and patience. It is easy to feel discouraged and get disheartened if one fails to get
the job for a prolonged period of time. However, if you keep on trying
and improving yourself in the time being, sooner or later your luck is
bound to change.

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