Job Hunting: Tools and Techniques

Getting ready for a job search? This guide will help you on how to complete job application and become employed.

 

Resume

Consider your resume a job hunting tool, design your resume to catch and captivate the employer’s interest, the immediate purpose of which is to secure job interview. Take note that your resume is not just a chronological record of work experience. Its your sales ad.  You have only 10 seconds, more or less, to show the reader that your resume is worth a second look.

Your resume is highly personal. Only you, can organize, write and rewrite it.  It’s a boo-boo to ask somebody to write your biodata. So learn to write a power resume that is effective and can assure you of a job interview

Some pointers in writing a job-winning resume

Begin with soul searching – evaluate your past, the activities you were in, the skills you have cultivated, and the achievements you have earned.

Honesty is the best policy – state facts and only facts. Be accurate in mentioning dates. “ Find out what a man wants and make a deal with him”

Analyze data and organize them – your resume must be ‘crisp’ and must have a punch, a kick and deep impact.

No negatives- remember, your resume is your personal promo. Create the impression that you are a doer, not a somebody who just sits and waits

Edit, re-edit, and rewrite your draft – your resume should be complete, clear and concise.The style must be formal. Avoid personal pronouns like, I, me, my. Make good use of capitalization, bold types, bullets, underlining, etc.

Never send a resume with erasures – sufficient spacing between data helps create a clean impression. Single space all text, and double space every paragraph. Stay away from a long paragraphs. Always put your name on the second page if there is a second page.

Vital Parts of a GOOD Resume

NAME, ADDRESS, CONTACT NUMBERS, AND POSITION DESIRED

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

WORK EXPERIENCE (IF YOU HAD)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (interest, special activities, awards/achievements)

Note: Do not offer reference yet, you may instead state “References are furnished upon request”.

Inexperienced or young jobseekers`

Have you participated in a student government? Become one of its officers? Were you the president?  Have you been actively participated in any school activities or programs? Have been a dean's lister? A staffer in school paper? Joined debates, speech, or quiz show?

Make your resume a picture of achievements and accomplishments

Preparation for a Job Interview

Learn everything you can about the company. Review your resume and your competencies. Assemble all the papers you need. Finally, a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and plenty of travel time

Punctuality

Arrive on time A last minute rush means you will arrive flustered and tense. The important thing is you arrive at the location of your interview about 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment.

Professional Appearance

Decide well what you wear before the day of your interview. Make sure all the buttons and zipper works. Be comfortable with what you wear. Finally, take care not to walk into the room laden with all your belongings.

First Impression 

Relax and appear confident. Greet the interviewer by name. Introduce yourself in a relaxed and confident manner. Do not sit down unless you are not asked to do so.

The rule of the game is to be your natural self- a little tense but willing to listen and learn, nervous but honest and hardworking.

Body language 

Avoid small repetitive movements, like waggling your feet, smoothing your hair. Do not turn away from the interviewer, do not appear frozen, rigid or stiff. Relax and smile. Appear professional at all time. Do not give the interviewer that you are not listening or you are losing interest.

Common question during interview

Tell me something about yourself.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as employee?

What do you like best/least in your past job?

Describe your ideal boss.

How do you think your boss would describe you?

What area(s) of your profession do you seek to improve or develop?

Why did you apply for this job?

Why did you leave your previous job?

What can you offer this company?

What is the most important qualification you possess that would convince me to hire you?

Lets discuss:

1.  What is/are your weak points that may deter you in getting a job. How would you deal with it?

2. (For ME Student) As fresh graduate and a registered Mechanical Engineer, discuss your competency. (Please write your Full Name, Course and Section)
3. (For ENSE Student) In what field of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering you want to practice your competency. Why? Discuss (Please write your Full Name, Course and Section)

 

About the Author:

Rebecca Mauhay Nunesca is a Professional Industrial Engineer, and an ASEAN Engineer currently connected at Batangas State University as Faculty Staff in the IE department. She is presently enrolled at Rizal Technological University taking MS Engineering Education, major in Industrial Engineering.

References:

Marximiano, Jose Mario B., Managing Human Resources in the 21st Century, 2006 Rex Book Store Inc.

Subjects:

Comments

Yes I made it! I passed the initial and final interview a while ago. Thanks for this knowledgeable and informative article. :)

I can definitely say that a resume is a very powerful tool for applying the job. It will dictate the flow of conversation during the interview so it is best to be familiarized on the things you have put in the resume.

These advise became very useful during the interview by increasing confidence when it comes to answering such related questions. Thanks for this article.

Well, this article helps a lot especially for those fresh graduates. I can also say that Resumes tell an employer a great deal about you. Some questions from my current interview are from resume. Thanks for this!

Early this day I got an opportunity to apply at one of the job fair held in our university and thanks to this article because it helps me in creating my resume and in preparation of myself in answering the interviewers question because some of the common questions of interviewers discussed here were asked in our interview..thanks to the author of this article! :)

After I read the article, I tried to answer those common questions that was mentioned above and it really helps a lot for me in answering my interview today accurately. My resumes serves as my guide to my success. Thank you for this, it really helps me a lot.

After I read the article, I tried to answer those common questions that was mentioned above and it really helps a lot for me in answering my interview today accurately. My resumes serves as my guide to my success. Thank you for this, it really helps me a lot. It is good that there is a site like this, very useful.

After I read the article, I tried to answer those common questions that was mentioned above and it really helps a lot for me in answering my interview today accurately. My resumes serves as my guide to my success. Thank you for this, it really helps me a lot. It is good that there is a site like this, very useful.

I agree, resume provides primary information about the applicant and helps a company to know if he is qualified in the primary screening. The conversation flow will be obtained from the data written in the resume. Thanks for this article.

It is very important for an applicant to know what he/she indicated on their resume so that the interviewer will ensure of its credibility and it maybe it is an advantage to have an job experience and discuss it during the interview.

I had the chance to be interviewed for a certain position early this day. At first, I don't have any idea about an interview process. this article is a great help for me. I have this mannerism of waggling my feet and doing hand motions and with this article, I am reminded during the interview. I would like to extend my gratitude to the author for this piece. :)

Weak points? Too much gestures and lack of confidence. Thanks for this article. Now I know how will I deal with it. Just be yourself and good things will follow. Anyways, I bet someone took a long time reading and analyzing his/her grammar. Funny but I also did that. :P Thanks a lot! Godspeed :) Let's Discuss: What is/are your weak points that may deter you in getting a job. How would you deal with it?

This article is very informative. It gives me a glimpse of what will happen in my future job interview and how will I be able to face it successfully. Two thumbs up for ourhappyschool.com and Engr. Rebecca for a job well done. I hope you continue writing articles like this because it really helps a lot. Good day! :)

Through this article, fresh graduates can gain idea on how they can make their resume more appealing for their employer. thanks for this article.

Another great article by Engr. Rebecca Nunesca :) It is nice that this article was posted especially for those graduating students who are about to apply for a job after their graduation. Through this, they are now guided on how to make a presentable and captivating resume that will probably attract the attention of the interviewer and thus will make you hire. Through this also, we have been informed of what are the necessary traits or manner to go along with while on the way to interview. It informed me also of what are the common questions being asked during interview thus I can able to prepare for it. Thank You Mam and God Bless!

This article is something worth reading and worth sharing! It's kinda cool how this article made me actually reflect on things, made me even think more (especially on the common questions in a job interview)and made me imagine myself on an actual interview (oh yes, i just did!).Indeed, 'twas very informative and the ideas were well-presented! Credits to the author! True enough, resume and job interview are two things that are very significant as one opens door to opportunities, say towards the practice of his profession. These two things may impose the what we call as "first impression";thus, it is of great importance to exert some "extra" effort to accomplish them "with flying colors" (as they say)!Nevertheless, I believe it is still up to us how we will make our resume or how we will undertake job interview in a way that we'll make ourselves competitive enough and have that "inner edge" among others. Yes, there are techniques but we must not forget that we each have our own potentials and capabilities. As for myself, I guess my sense of inferiority and nervousness would be a problem no more! As per my realization in this article,I just need to focus, know and be honest to myself--accept my weaknesses, work them out, and eventually make them my own strengths,and just believe in myself: keep the confidence, keep my faith! Great article you have there, Ms. Author! Superb site, Ourhappyschool! :)

i really enjoyed reading this article. it would really help anyone that would apply for a job. thanks Ms. Author for presenting those questions that frequently asked in an interview. that would be a good preparation so i wont stammer when i'm in a job interview.

i learned new things on how to present a resume and also the sample questions will help me in my future job interview . thank you for that techniques and DO's & DON'ts that must be remember truly when you're on an interview.

This article is really an informative one. It clearly shows the importance of a good resume and some tips for an interview. This will guide me in my future applications for job. Thank you for this article! More power. :)

The article is a great tool for me because I don't have lot of experience in an interview. This will give an individual a clear image on how will he present himself/herself not just physically but emotionally as well. Hopefully I can follow these tools and techniques to attain a great job in the future. Thank you so much! :))

thank you for the article. i know that the the information will hep me a lot in making an effective resume and for job aplication.. this will be very useful for graduating students. i just hope these techniques will help me to get the best job in the future.. God bless.

This is the arrangement of guidelines to be followed. Resume increases creativity. Since resume needs to be concise. This declares your personality as well as your your ability.

Wow! Big thanks to this article. I can definitely use these common questions written on this article as a practice for preparations of my first job interview. Two thumbs up!

This article is instructive. It is clearly stated here that making a concise and professional resume will help us to have a chance of getting a better job. Thanks to the author..God Bless..:)

This article is instructive. It is clearly stated here that making a concise and professional resume will help us to have a chance of getting a better job. Thanks to the author..God Bless..:)

This article is instructive. It is clearly stated here that making a concise and professional resume will help us to have a chance of getting a better job. Thanks to the author..God Bless..:)

This article is instructive. It is clearly stated here that making a concise and professional resume will help us to have a chance of getting a better job. Thanks to the author..God Bless..:)

This article help me so much. I know that I don't write perfect resume, but with this article, it will help me to develop my writing skills and making right or the best resume for my application. And with the job interview it will help me to change my doings from present and be responsible enough in the near future as Industrial Engineer. It can also help me to boost my confidence for any job interview. Thank you for this article. It can help anyone of us for our job application.

It is true that resume is a tool that will help the individual to know your skills and qualification as well as the interviews. This is our personal marketing tool with the goal of gaining the employer's attention for applying a job. This resume is our chance to showcase our talents and accomplishments/achievements.

Resume is a vital requirement in job application. After reading this article, I gained important information that will help me in the near future as I apply in a certain job. Thank you for this knowledgeable article. I also want to thank the author of this article. Thank you for the advices. God bless.

a great article, i didn't know that you only have less than or more than 10 seconds to show the reader that a "my resume" is worth the second look. this can help me in writing my updated resume and remind me on how to nail a job interview. a lot of thanks to the author and this site

This article can help a lot to those newly graduates and job seekers to better know what should be and should not put into the resume. You should send out messages to others through your physical appearance, the way you move and speak, how you behave and your intellectual knowledge. Thanks for this article.

My weak point is actually in my confidence and some habit like smoothing my hair. Since I’ve already read this article, I got ideas that would help me know what to do and how to behave before and during facing an interview. It gave me idea on how to prepare myself before facing an interview and how to do a powerful tool (resume) for the interview,

Thanks to the author for a very useful article. I think I must start answering those common questions for it requires unique and uncommon answers. Another thing is I'm beginning to think how my future boss would describe me? Off course, I'm aiming to be described with good words and in positive way.

Thank you for creating this kind of article which concern about writing appropriate resume and guidelines in conducting interviews. These tips will be helpful upon applying for a job. Thank you for the information and God bless.

This article brought me to the real world of job hunting. it is very informative. it gave tips on how to make an effective and strong resume that can be used by everyone. It also gave different ideas and techniques necessary in an interview . It is very useful. thanks po for this article.

This article give us information on how to make a proper resume and give us a hint on the possible questions that we may encounter during job interviews. Thank you for this informative article.

Thanks to this article, Now I have an idea of what I need in finding job in the future. It will increase my confidence especially when I undergo in the real life situation. Thanks to the author and to Ourhappyschool. Godbless us. :]]

thanks to this articles for giving tips and pointers in making resume. the list of common questions during interview is very helpful, because of it i can start to practice answering these questions so that i will be more prepared for my interview. thank yo for the author for this very informative article.

Goodeve to all! Thanks again for this very interesting article! It helps all of the fresh graduate how to handle a situation for applying and especially how to make a perfect resume. Again thanks to the author! Godbless!

Thanks for this article. It have been thoroughly explained the tools and techniques needed for the preparation of a job search. I will certainly use those key points/guidelines.

Knowing for a fact that the author (being my instructor) has worked for the Human Resource industry, I find this article very reliable. For the preparation from start to finish of the job-hunting process and with a very intricate discussion on what-to's and not's, this article opens up into the complete arsenal to land that dream job. I am yet to apply for a job in the field, but I'm pretty much sure I can establish a BETTER professional image with the help of these tips. Come to think of it, this makes it a whole lot more exciting! Thank you for the wonderful article, Engr. Rebecca Nunesca! Here's to a community of successful employed professionals!

Short yet full of information, All important facts, tips and techniques are gathered in this informative article. Sooner or later, we'll have to make a resume for a job interview and this will be really a great help for us to design a resume to catch and captivate the employer's interest :) Thank you so much OurHappySchool and to the author of this article. GOdbless !

This article is very helpful for those who are going to apply. The article is helpful regarding the content that should be written in the resume.

thanks to this article, it really helps me a lot. this will help me boost my confidence. this will help me handle things for applying and making a resume. Godbless! :)

This article will help me to improve my knowledge on how to prepare a powerful resume. It will lead me to motivate myself and increase my confidence. So that there will be no problem when I am in the actual interview.

The article is very reliable. I already experienced my first job interview and I can say that this article will be of great help to an applicant because what's written in the article really happen in reality. Thumbs up to the author for a very helpful tips. I suggest to bear this article in mind so you can made it in your interview proper. :)

Thanks to the author of this article. This is a great help for those who are graduating students who will find work after they graduated. This serve as a guide for them on how they will face the actual interview.Godbless

by Rachelle Joy B. Vasquez This article is very useful for us since we are graduating students. This article gives us some tips that are very helpful upon applying for a job. It also gives us an idea on how to make an appropriate resume. Thank you and God Bless!

This article will help me to improve my knowledge on how to prepare a powerful resume. It will increase my confidence especially when I undergo in the real life situation.

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