Bc Project On Job Search Communication

A PROJECT OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ON

Presented to Prof. Hammad Shamimi

Presented by MBA (0) (C)

(INEFFABLES) Muhammad Mohsin Ali Abbas Sohail Mirza Muhammad Shahbaz Iqbal Abdul Rehman Kashif Ahsan Gulzar

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, we thank Almighty ALLAH; whose

blessings

remain

with

us

throughout this phase. Secondly, we would like to thank our respected Prof. Hammad Shamimi; whose guide has enabled us to achieve our goal

for

completing

this

major

project. I also owe thanks to those who contributed ideas and material and lend a helping hand.

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

DEDICATION We dedicate this project to our PARENTS;

whose

prayers

remain

always

with us and due to whom we were able to achieve this.

Description In this project, we will discuss all the aspects of a job search communication like self

analysis,

market

analysis,

how

to

write a good CV or resume and how to write a cover letter.

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Description

Page No.

INTRODUCTION

1

CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

2

SELF ANALYSIS

4

FREE CAREER AND JOB OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

5

JOB HUNTING IN TODAYS NEW WORLD

5

JOB SEARCH PROCESS

6

SIX STEP TO JOB SEARCH SUCCESS

7

METHODS OF JOB SEARCHING

16

JOB INTERVIEWS

18

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV OR RESUME

20

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THE WORDS ARE THE POWER

22

LIST OF RESUME POWER WORDS

23

WHAT IS A CV OR RESUME FOR

32

BEFORE YOU START

33

WHAT TO INCLUDE

33

HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER

39

A SHORT HISTORY OF COVER LETTER

39

WHAT ‘S THE SECRET TO A COMPELLING COVER LETTER

42

THE TOP TEN STRATTEGIES FOR WRITING WINNING COVER LETTER

44

EIGHT DEADLY COVER LETTER ERRORS

48

CONCLUSION

49

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Job Search Communication   

Introduction You have taken one of the most important steps towards finding the job you want through a system that I have personally used in my own career. There is an expression…”the harder you work, the luckier you get”. In the case of a job search, this is definitely true. (Jason Adams) Considering the intense and exceedingly competitive market in which we compete in order to achieve a job that suits our personality and satisfies our financial needs, has become the most important priority for individuals at different stages of their professional life. The most desirable jobs are rigorously competed for and having the required level of education and relevant professional experience is not enough. In order to achieve a satisfactory job you need to have some certain market skills and capabilities and make use of a variety of techniques that are focused below.

Career Goals and Objectives

In order to have a successful professional career it’s essential that an individual from an early stage starts to develop and work on certain factors. This requires of analyzing certain elements of the individual himself and of the environment.

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Personality and interest: A person should choose a field that complements his/her personality and is in accordance with his interests. Having a career in the sector which fits the individual’s personality and interests will motivate the individual towards high levels of achievement, thus making it a vital factor for the individual’s growth and success. While still in their educational careers individuals should make use of aptitude, personality and IQ tests in order to establish what field of work they are most suited for.

Abilities and Aptitude Although many skills and abilities are learned and developed over time but there are certain genetic elements that are unique to different individuals. For example a child that from a young age has an aptitude for math would be most likely to succeed in the fields of accounts or data processing.

Specialized Education In certain sectors apart from traditional education standards required to attain a specific job, there are some specialized educations that increase the chance of an individual’s to achieve a desired designation. These could be for example a person attaining a PhD; this would give the individual much more preference by potential employers over people who have not

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acquired this level of education. A person with a Masters in Business Administration would be more likely to get preference over a candidate that has just acquired a Bachelors degree.

Selection of Education Institutions Certain education Institutions that have maintained higher education standards and reputation in the market have a greater impact on employer, as candidates who have acquired education from such institutions are likely to get preference over candidates that have education from lesser reputed institutions.

Background and Society Background and society has a great deal of impact on an individual’s choice of profession. Certain professions in conservative societies are not that favored and success in those sectors would be quite uncertain.

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Self Analysis

What Do You Love? What Makes You Lose Track Of Time? What Types Of People Do You Admire? What Types Of People Do You Like To Be Around? What Do You Value? What Do You Want Your Life To Look Like? What Is Your Dream Job? If You Had Many Lives, What Would You Be? Don’t put it off, do this exercise now. Define your dream job. Do you want it to be creative, fun, allow you to meet new people, does it involve travel, does it offer flexibility, money, career growth, and do you want it to be in a specific environment i.e. a wilderness park. It’s your life; let your imagination run wild. In order to make the best career choice for you, it's important that you have all the important facts about the occupations that interest you. You should keep the following in mind when making your decision: Nature of the Work Working Conditions Where will you most likely be employed Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement Job Outlook Earnings

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Free Career and Job Opportunity Information

These days, there are plenty of places where you can get information related to careers and job search. You are often only a click away from obtaining details of specific fields in your area of interest. One of the problems in the past with job assessment and reevaluation is that once you knew what you wanted to do and where you wanted to go, you ran out of places to look. Today, this is very different. With access to the Internet you will find tons of information. As a matter of fact, you may very well experience information overload if you don’t know how to narrow down your search.

Job hunting in Today’s New World In one of the biggest job markets in the world, the U.S. unemployment rate is high. Companies have become conservative in recruiting and hiring in general as well as within specific sectors and industries. In the airline industry, for example, job growth is weak. In law enforcement, it’s stronger. Some financial firms are desperately looking for seasoned professionals while others are downsizing. Fields such as pharmaceuticals, nursing, and assisted living, that market to aging populations, are either enjoying growth or planning for it as 76 million Baby Boomers approach retirement age. On the other hand, the group that demographers call the “Baby Echo” (Boomers’ children) is off to college in

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droves. Once these graduates enter the workforce, it may well trigger growth in industries more dependent on the spending habits of those in their twenties.

Nevertheless, opportunity does exist in the workplace—just not where it has traditionally been! New jobs are being created as start-ups launch and prelaunch, as required skills shift from industry to industry and within sectors, and as growing numbers of workers retire. The good news is that what you must do to conduct an effective job search has not changed. What have changed is how you must do it and how much of it you must do. Here are several essential guidelines for managing the successful job search in today’s challenging, new world.

The Job Search Process:

I need a job or a better job & I need a company to notice me and for them to call me isn’t that it in a nutshell? Nothing else matters! The process today is simply getting noticed enough to have a company go to the next stage. - Your cover letter = first level of interest - Your resume = your obvious qualifications - Your job interview = the final step, your hire ability!

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SIX Steps to Job Search Success

Step1 - How Many People Do You Know That Hate Their Job?

How many people do you know that hate their job, but have been doing it for YEARS? Do you know why? Because finding a better job is hard work. People would actually rather stay where they are and be miserable, than take the time to find something better.

Its understood that life happens and that many of the reasons that people give for not changing jobs are valid, but its also a fact that just by changing a few things in your life, you can carve out the time needed to make your life better. If you follow the 6 suggestions and ideas in this section, you will get where you want to go a lot faster. 1-First and foremost, get your personal life in order as best you can.

Before you start looking for a new job, be sure that your personal life is “in order” and be prepared to accept what it takes to find a new job. You are going to need a lot of quality time and support at home in order to find the job you want.

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2 - Set a target amount of time you will spend on your job search each week and stick to it.

As with so many other things in life, you get out of it as much as you put into it. I’ve seen books entitled, 20 Minutes to a Better Resume, and so on. I’m sorry, but if you really want a great cover letter and resume, you have to spend a lot more than 20 minutes to make it right. Even 30 minutes to one hour a day is better than nothing. 3 - Begin gathering facts, figures and accomplishments about your career to date.

Start with such things as dates of employment, job titles and responsibilities, salary progression, major achievements, special skills that make you unique, educational background, including any courses you’ve taken since college or high school. Be sure to include any training your company has provided or courses they have paid for. Get it all down on paper because you’ll need it to write your resume, cover letter and on interviews. 4 - Create your own personal portfolio.

A good portfolio will visually demonstrate and support your abilities during an interview. Anything that is not proprietary, confidential or property of previous employers should be kept in your portfolio. This works particularly well for artists, marketing personnel, architects, designers, etc. BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

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Some of the things you might want to include in your portfolio could be catalogs, brochures, letters of success and anything else you have created – ads, PR, reports, patents, products, etc. Successful “before and after” campaigns work particularly well. 5 - Create a list of companies that you think you’d like to work for.

Get the address, phone number and the name of the CEO/President if possible. You can get this information from the ads you cut out from the newspaper or from your local Chamber of Commerce (they usually have a list of member companies that might be helpful). 6 - Get organized and be ready for the months ahead with these final 6 suggestions

1. Get a personal/private cell phone if you can so you are not making phone calls from your work office. Make sure to take off all those cute greetings too. Get a home answering machine and again – change the message to be more professional.

2. Appearance counts! Make sure that you have the right clothes to go on interviews. This doesn’t necessarily mean formal suits. Your wardrobe should match the industry you are in and the job that you seeking.

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3. Try to find a quite place in your home that you can devote to your job hunting effort. A home office is ideal if you have one.

4. Change your e-mail address to something appropriate. Your [email protected] address may have been cute while you were dating, but it doesn’t make for a good first impression and certainly doesn’t present the professional image you want to project.

5. Start thinking about who you will use for references. You’ll need to find people you can trust. Start gathering their names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses now. Don’t forget to call and let your references know that someone might be calling them in the near future.

6. An organized desk will be your best friend, especially if you get an unexpected call from a hiring manager. You’ll also need to set up a system of tracking who you send resumes to and what job you was applying for. Remember, in the end, no one owes you a job. It truly is your responsibility to find a job. Sure, there are recruiters, friends, etc. but the bottom line is that you can’t and shouldn’t depend on a single source or way of finding the job you want. Step 2- Job-Hunting? - The Best Story Always Wins

There’s an old joke about two men hunting in the jungle. Suddenly, they come upon a man-eating tiger that hasn’t eaten for days. The hunters both start running with the tiger in hot pursuit. As they are running, one

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Job Search Communication   

hunter says to the other. “You know, we’ll never be able to outrun this tiger.” To which the other hunter replies, “I don’t have to outrun the tiger; I only have to outrun you.”

The point of the story is that, yes, there will be many other candidates in the stack of 500 cover letters and resumes that the hiring manager will receive for just one ad and many will have more experience and better qualifications than you. You just need to be sure that your cover letter and resume shows off your strengths and experience better than the other guy. And if you follow the ideas in this section, they will!

Job-hunting is like the sales profession. It always comes down to…he who has the best “story” wins. What does it mean to have the “best story”?

Let us define a “story”. A great story essentially means that to the employer, you have “The Right Stuff”. A great story evolves from a well thought out job hunting system where all pieces of the “campaign” are closely aligned. It requires thought, logic, and study and of course practices. It’s a theme that continually shows up in anything and everything you write or say.

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Step 3- Four Easy Ways to Become a Job-Search “Commando”

According to current Department of Labor statistics, today’s college graduates will, on average, have 8 to 10 jobs and as many as 3 careers in their lifetime. In addition, with downsizing, rightsizing, layoffs, mergers and acquisitions, etc. your job skills and job-hunting skills need to be constantly updated and refined.

Problem solvers get jobs! Broadcast letters uncover positions in the “hidden” job market. Answering blind ads lessens your competition. The best time to answer an ad? Step 4 - Cover Letter versus Resume – Which Is More Important?

Some people say that the resume is THE most important part of the job Changing process, while others say it’s the cover letter and even others say it’s the interview. The truth is that they are all right and wrong! It’s like asking …what is more important in a car, the brake pedal, and the gas pedal or the steering wheel. Obviously you need all three to get you from point A to point B.

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Step 5- Five Key Points to Keep in Mind When Writing Your Resume

Resumes and cover letters that get acted upon are those that demonstrate the writer’s potential to solve an employer’s problem. Companies like resumes that demonstrate what you can do for them…that you are a problem-solver. Put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager/screener and you’ll understand why a good cover letter and resume MUST make you stand out and therefore is so important. To make a point, let’s make some “worst case” scenario assumptions about the hiring manager reading your cover letter and resume for the first time.

Keep these 5 points in mind when writing your cover letter and resume.

1. You want to make it as easy as possible for the hiring manager to get a sense of you in just a few seconds.

2. Your cover letter and resume have to be exciting, dynamic and be EXACTLY what the screener/hiring manager is look for.

3. You need an easy-to-read format that can be scanned quickly and easily, so be sure that your letter and message is clear, succinct and direct.

4. Your cover letter should have a lot of white space and use bullet points, with short effective phrases that are easy to read quickly.

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5. The experience and accomplishments in your resume are only relevant to the hiring manager if he/she thinks it can address the issues and problems important to their company. Step 6 - Job Interviews Are Predictable – So be Prepared

For the most part, 80% of what goes on in an interview is routine and predictable. There are hundreds of books out there on what to ask and what you’ll be asked. In addition to the standard questions, you need to decide what questions you are most afraid the interviewer will ask you so you can prepare and practice answers to those questions now.

A common interview agenda looks something like this: 1. Introduction in the lobby

2. Walking to the interview room

3. Small talk

4. The interviewer may give you a brief description of the position/overview of the company (depends on the interviewer)

5. The interview then asks: • Tell me about yourself • Job highlights/work experience • Achievements

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• Strengths and weaknesses • Maybe education • Maybe outside interests – community service

6. The interviewer may ask you if you have any questions

7. The interviewer should let you know a little more about where they are in the interviewing process and advise you of what their next steps are.

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Methods of Job Searching

When you are looking for a job what you must understand that no one owes you a job. It is your responsibility to find a suitable job. There are certain strong sources such as friends and recruitment companies but you should not rely on one single source for locating potential jobs. There are a variety of ways which you can make use for job Searching. Newspaper Adds

Develop a habit of scanning local newspapers. Even though companies publish job offerings at specific times of the year but periodically they advertise for jobs. Developing and maintaining this habit is quite beneficial as you will not miss out any opportunities that are formally advertised. Internet

The use internet is vital for success, with the ever increasing trend of the internet replacing traditional methods of business operations, having a regular access to the internet is quite important. Through the internet you can be informed of numerous job advertisements from various companies only a click away. The internet provides a whole access to different recruitment companies and you can simply leave your resume online.

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Recruitment companies

These companies offer their specialties of finding suitable jobs for candidates. This method is quite convenient and also very effective as these companies are collaborated with numerous organizations and are among the first to know about new job offerings. The problem with them is that there is a lot of competition you will have to go through with to succeed in getting a successful job. Connections with other people

Having connections with other people is of vital importance. Many potential jobs are in the knowledge of the people working within organizations long time before they are advertised by the company officially. For maintaining steady relationships with people you need make use of networking. Networking is making informal and formal contacts with a variety of people. They can be people you meet socially or people you specifically want to develop a relationship with due to their position in an organization that might become useful to you. Networking is by far the most important method of locating a potential job. About sixty one percent of people find jobs through networking. Networking also helps you to get references, these are most important for your job success. Through references you get an edge over other candidates and a referral generates 80 percent more results than a cold call.

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Job Interviews – Prepare well for it

Do your research about the company’s age, services, products, competitors, cultures & Values so you have enough information to respond to any question about the company you are applying in.

80% of what goes on in an interview is routine and predictable. In addition to the standard questions, you need to decide what questions you are most afraid the interviewer will ask you so you can prepare and practice answers to those questions.

Preparing for the interview is essential as it helps individual gain confidence and gets an edge over their competing candidates.

A common interview agenda looks something like this:

1. Introduction in the lobby

2. Walking to the interview room

3. Small talk

4. The interview then asks: • Tell me about yourself • What are your strengths? • Job highlights/work experience

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• Achievements • Strengths and weaknesses • Maybe education • Maybe outside interests – community service

5. There may be Behavior Based Interviewing

6. The interviewer may ask you if you have any questions Successful interview Tips

• Be well prepared • Be formally dressed • Make sure you send the right signals • Maintain a good body posture • Be polite • Be attentive and patient • Don’t get confused with a range of questions

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How to write a good CV or resume:

Introduction

Everyone in the business world knows that having a good, strong resume can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting a job. You will need to have a resume that is crafted professionally and that will reflect you, your job abilities, and your experience.

Having a good looking resume is so important when you are searching for a job that it should be your number one priority. There are all sorts of ways you can go about crafting a resume that works, but there is no magic formula for a resume that will work all the time. What is a Resume

The resume is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's workplace. Your resume has to sell you in short order.

WRITING A CV RESUME If you are looking for a job, then it is very important that you understand how to offer yourself in the best way to an employer. This is done by writing a 'CV' (curriculum vitae - Latin for 'life story'), called in some countries a 'resume'. BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

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Different countries may have different requirements and styles for CV resumes. So you must follow the correct practice for your culture and country. However, we will try to give you important principles and advice. Writing a CV / Resume can be a daunting prospect, especially if your confidence has been dented, or you haven’t written a CV / Resume before, or at least for a long time. The CV / Resume are a document (paper or electronic) that conveys your skills and experience in a way that compels the reader to interview you. Build a CV / Resume by presenting your information in the order that grabs the reader’s attention quickly. You have carefully interpreted the job specification or advert, and listed what you feel they are looking for in order of importance. In the case of a speculate approach to a company, you still need to research about the company to understand their objectives, interpret this into the skills they may be looking for.

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The Words are The Power

Resume Power Words / Resume Action Words / Resume Action Verbs – whatever you want to call these words… Your personality and personal motivation reports will give you words and phrases that you can cut and paste straight into your CV / Resume. But by all means look below to see it there are other words that you like. This is where the magic happens! These Resume Verbs sprinkled liberally throughout your CV / Resume will add… Action Emotion Gravitas Power

One of these Power Words will replace 2/3/or 4 other words in a sentence, instantly making you concise and compelling.

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List of Resume Power Words / Resume Action Verbs The following alphabetical list of Resume Verbs / Resume Action Words is a great resource. Use these words to transform your CV / Resume into a concise, authoritative and truly compelling marketing tool for you.

A: Abated, abbreviated, abolished, abridged, absolved, absorbed, accelerated, accentuated, accommodated, accomplished, accounted for, accrued, accumulated, achieved, acquired, acted, adapted, adopted, added, addressed, adjusted, administered, advanced, advertised, advised, advocated, affirmed, aided, alerted, aligned, allayed, alleviated, allocated, allotted, altered, amassed, amended, analyzed, answered, anticipated, appeased, applied, appointed, appraised, approached, appropriated, approved,

arbitrated,

arranged,

articulated,

ascertained,

aspired,

assembled, assessed, assigned, assimilated, assisted, assured, attained, attended, audited, augmented, authored, authorized, automated, averted, avoided, awarded

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B: Balanced, began, benchmarked, benefited, bid, billed, blended, blocked, bolstered, boosted, bought, branded, bridged, broadened, brought, budgeted, built

C: Calculated, calibrated, capitalized, captured, cared for, carried, carved, categorized, catalogued, caught, cautioned, cemented, certified, chaired, challenged, championed, changed, charged, charted, checked, chose, chronicled, circulated, circumvented, cited, clarified, classified, cleaned, cleared, closed, coached, coded, collaborated, collated, collected, combined,

commanded,

commended,

commenced,

commissioned,

communicated, compared, compiled, complemented, completed, complied, composed,

compounded,

computed,

conceived,

concentrated,

conceptualized, condensed, conducted, conferred, configured, confirmed, confronted, connected, conserved, considered, consolidated, constructed, consulted, consummated, contacted, continued, contracted, contributed, controlled, converted, conveyed, convinced, cooperated, coordinated, copied, corrected, corresponded, counseled, created, critiqued, cultivated, customized, cut

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D: Dealt, debated, debugged, decided, decoded, decreased, dedicated, defined, delegated, delineated, delivered, demonstrated, deployed, derived, described, developed,

designated, devised,

designed, diagnosed,

detailed,

detected,

differentiated,

determined,

diffused,

directed,

disbursed, discovered, discussed, dispatched, dispensed, displayed, disposed, disproved, dissected, disseminated, dissolved, distinguished, distributed, diversified, diverted, divested, divided, documented, doubled, drafted, dramatized, drew up, drove

E: Earned, eased, economized, edited, educated, effected, elaborated, elected, elevated, elicited, eliminated, embraced, emphasized, empowered, enabled, encouraged, ended, enforced, engaged, engineered, enhanced, enlisted, enriched, enrolled, ensured, entered, entertained, enticed, equipped,

established,

executed,

exercised,

estimated, exhibited,

evaluated,

expanded,

examined,

expedited,

exceeded,

experienced,

experimented, explained, explored, expressed, extended, extracted

F: Fabricated, facilitated, factored, familiarized, fashioned, fielded, filed, filled, finalized, financed, fine tuned, finished, fixed, focused, followed, forecasted, forged, formalized, formed, formulated, fortified, forwarded, BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

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fostered, fought, found, founded, framed, fulfilled, functioned as, funded, furnished, furthered

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G: Gained, garnered, gathered, gauged, gave, generated, governed, graduated, grasped, greeted, grew, grouped, guaranteed, guided

H: Halted, halved, handled, headed, heightened, held, helped, hired, honed, hosted, hypnotized, hypothesized

I: Identified, ignited, illustrated, implemented, imported, improved, improvised,

incited,

included,

incorporated,

increased,

indicated,

individualized, indoctrinated, induced, influenced, informed, infused, initiated, innovated, inspected, inspired, installed, instilled, instituted, instructed,

insured,

integrated,

intensified,

interacted,

interceded,

interpreted, intervened, interviewed, invented, inventoried, invested, investigated, invigorated, invited, involved, isolated, issued, itemized

J: Joined, judged, justified

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L: Launched, learned, lectured, led, lessened, leveraged, licensed, lifted, limited, linked, liquidated, listened, litigated, loaded, located, logged

M: Made, maintained, managed, mandated, maneuvered, manipulated, manufactured,

mapped,

marked,

marketed,

mastered,

maximized,

measured, mediated, memorized, mentored, merged, merited, met, minimized, mobilized, modeled, moderated, modified, molded, monitored, monopolized, motivated, mounted, moved, multiplied

N: Named,

narrated,

navigated,

negotiated,

netted,

neutralized,

nominated, normalized, notified, nurtured

O: Observed, obtained, offered, officiated, offset, opened, operated, optimized,

orchestrated,

ordered,

organized,

oriented,

originated,

outdistanced, outlined, outperformed, overcame, overhauled, oversaw, owned

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P: Paced, packaged, packed, pared, participated, partnered, passed, perceived, perfected, performed, persuaded, photographed, piloted, pinpointed, pioneered, placed, planned, played, praised, predicted, prepared,

prescribed,

presented,

preserved,

presided,

prevailed,

prevented, printed, prioritized, processed, procured, produced, profiled, programmed, progressed, projected, promoted, proofread, proposed, protected, proved, provided, pruned, publicized, purchased, pursued

Q: Quadrupled, qualified, quantified, queried, questioned, quoted

R: Raised, ranked, rated, reached, read, realigned, realized, rearranged, reasoned,

rebuilt,

received,

recognized,

recommended,

reconciled,

reconstructed, recorded, recovered, recruited, rectified, redesigned, redirected,

reduced,

re-engineered,

referred,

refocused,

registered,

regulated, rehabilitated, reinforced, reiterated, related, released, relied, relieved,

remained,

remodeled,

rendered,

renegotiated,

renewed,

reorganized, repaired, replaced, replied, replicated, reported, represented, reproduced, requested, researched, reserved, resolved, responded, restored, restructured, retained, retooled, retrieved, returned, revamped,

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reversed, reviewed, revised, revitalized, revolutionized, rewarded, risked, rotated, routed

S: Safeguarded, salvaged, saved, scanned, scheduled, screened, sculptured,

searched,

secured,

seized,

selected,

sent,

separated,

sequenced, served, serviced, set up, settled, shaped, shared, sharpened, shipped, shortened, showed, signed, simplified, simulated, sketched, slashed, smoothed, solicited, sold, solidified, solved, sorted, sourced, sparked, spearheaded, specialized, specified, speculated, spent, spoke, sponsored, spurred, staffed, standardized, started, steered, stimulated, streamlined, strengthened, stretched, structured, studied, submitted, succeeded, suggested, summarized, supervised, supplied, supported, surpassed, surveyed, swayed, swept, symbolized, synthesized, systemized

T: Tabulated, tackled, talked, tallied, targeted, tasted, taught, teamed, tempered, tended, terminated, tested, testified, tied, took, topped, totaled, traced, tracked, trained, transcribed, transformed, transitioned, translated, transmitted, traveled, treated, trimmed, tripled, troubleshot, turned, tutored, typed

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U: Uncovered,

underlined,

underscored,

undertook,

underwrote,

unearthed, unified, united, updated, upgraded, upheld, urged, used, utilized

V: Validated, valued, vaulted, verbalized, verified, viewed, visualized, voiced, volunteered

W: Weathered, weighed, widened, withstood, won, worked, wove, wrote

Y: Yielded

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WHAT IS A CV OR RESUME FOR? A CV resume is quite simply an 'advert' to sell yourself to an employer. You should send a CV to an employer when they ask for one in a job advert, or when you are enquiring if any jobs are available. So the purpose of your CV is to make you attractive, interesting, worth considering to the company and so receive a job interview. Therefore, your CV must be as good as you can make it. So yours must be easy to read, short and attractive. There are two communication principles to remember: *'Keep it simple, *'If they didn't hear it, you didn't say it'. So, when you have written a first attempt at your CV, get someone else to look at it, and tell you how to make it better. Ask your friends, your tutors or teachers, your career office, family friends in business. What you have written may seem simple and obvious to you, but not to an employer! Go through it again and again with a red pen, making it shorter, more readable, and more understandable!

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Before you start Sit down with a piece of paper. Look at the job(s) that you are applying for. Consider how your skills, education, and experience compare with the skills that the job requires. How much information do you have about the job description? Sometimes employers do not give enough information. Ask for more detail if needed. Spend time researching detail about the job(s) that interest you and information about the employer - their structure, products, successes, and approach - from:

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Personal details

Name, home address, college address, phone number, email address, date of birth. Do you have your own web homepage? Include it (if it's good!). If your name does not obviously show if you are male or female, include this!

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Education

Give places of education where you have studied - most recent education first. Include subject options taken in each year of your course. Include any special project, thesis, or dissertation work. Pre-college courses (high school, etc.) should then be included, including grades. Subjects taken and passed just before college will be of most interest. Earlier courses, taken at say age 15-16, may not need much detail.

Work experience

List your most recent experience first. Give the name of your employer, job title, and very important, what you actually did and achieved in that job. Part-time work should be included.

Interests

They will be particularly interested in activities where you have leadership or responsibility, or which involve you in relating to others in a team. A one-person interest, such as stamp-collecting, may be of less interest to them, unless it connects with the work you wish to do. Give only enough detail to explain. (If you were captain of a sports BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

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team, they do not want to know the exact date you started, how many games you played, and how many wins you had! They will ask at the interview, if they are interested.) If you have published any articles, jointly or by yourself, give details.

Skills

Ability in other languages, computing experience, or possession of a driving License should be included.

References  

Usually give two names - one from your place of study, and one from any work situation you have had. Or if this does not apply, then an older family friend who has known you for some time. Make sure that referees are willing to give you a reference. Give their day and evening phone numbers if possible.

Length

Maybe all you need to say will fit onto one sheet of A4. But do not crowd it - you will probably need two sheets. Do not normally go

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longer than this. Put page numbers at the bottom of the pages - a little detail that may impress.

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Style

There are two main styles of CV, with variations within them.

Chronological

Information is included under general headings - education, work experience etc., with the most recent events first.

Skills based

You think through the necessary skills needed for the job you are applying for. Then you list all your personal details under these skill headings. This is called 'targeting your CV', and is becoming more common, at least in UK. But it is harder to do. So take advice on whether it is OK in your country and culture, and how to do it best.

Optional extras  

It can be good to start with a Personal Profile/Objective statement. This is a two or three sentence overview of your skills, qualities, hopes, and plans. It should encourage the employer to read the rest.

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You could add a photo of yourself - either scanned in by computer, or stuck on. But make sure it is a good one. Get a friend (or a working photographer) to take a good portrait.

Presentation

You may vary the style according to the type of job, and what is accepted in your country and culture. So a big company would normally expect a formal CV on white paper. But, just perhaps, a CV applying for a television production job, or graphic designer, could be less formal - colored paper, unusual design, etc!

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How to write a cover letter:

A Short History of Cover Letters and Their Evolution

Cover letters began to evolve several decades ago. In their original form, they were known as transmittal letters—brief letters indicating that the writer was transmitting a resume. Over the course of time, transmittal letters evolved into cover letters—letters that “covered” the resume and introduced the job seeker. Today, cover letters have again transformed themselves and can be much more accurately described as career marketing letters—letters that are designed to market the job seeker, highlight notable qualifications and career successes, and generate an invitation for a personal interview.

The Importance of Cover Letters in Your Winning Job Search Campaign

You might be wondering whether you need to use a cover letter at all. The answer to that question is simple and straightforward: Every job seeker must have a cover letter. There are virtually no exceptions to this rule, unless a particular company or recruiter has instructed you to forward just a resume, without a cover letter.

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There is no doubt that a great cover letter can make the difference in whether you get noticed or passed over. A great cover letter can be a powerful marketing tool that does all of the following:

Positions you above the competition. Sells your qualifications and your successes. Demonstrates your knowledge, experience, and expertise. Creates excitement, enthusiasm, and action (and thus, an interview).

What is it about your cover letter that can do all of this? Is it the words that you write? Is it the style or the tone of your cover letter? Is it the visual presentation? Is it the color of paper that you choose and the type style that you use? Is it the specific achievements that you highlight? The years of experience you have? Your educational credentials? Yes—to all of the above!

The real you come out in your cover letter, it's an introduction and in that simple introduction you have to make that Real You stand out. We already assume that your resume qualifies you, but with a better cover letter as your introduction, the rest just doesn't matter. If they don't get past the cover letter, your qualifications, as great as they may be, just won't get the recognition they deserve. That's as simple as I can put it.

Resumes need to be good, whether they are functional or chronological. But at the end of the day, they don't get tweaked too much. Altered slightly to best fit the job at hand yes, but that is stills only a minor BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS  

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alteration. After all your resumes a blueprint at best, where you've been, what you've achieved, core competency. There is only so much you can tweak in that area. But your cover letter now, is the real challenge. It needs to be altered for every possible career opportunity. Anything less is a template cover letter!

Your cover letter always need to be tweaked exactly right for every job you apply for. These days the template cover letter is absolutely dead. They will never stand out, as everyone else is sending exactly the same thing, that's what templates are, a sort of cookie cutter approach. And trust me, recruiters have seen thousands of letters, a stand out letter is rare and does just that, it really stands out when you write from the heart, a genuine, sincere and real person behind the word, gets noticed every time.

Remember the process. A recruiter reads your cover letter, when it's interesting enough, they want to read your resume, where you detail your already qualified status and thus a job interview is arranged. But that process is all about your cover letter first!

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What’s the secret to a compelling cover letter?

According to Jimmy Sweeney an ex copywriter who has become an expert in writing highly effective cover and follow up letters there are actually 11 secrets of a highly effective cover letter:

1.

One page max. Two-page cover letters are the kiss of job-search

death! 2.

Start your letter with an attention grabbing headline.

3.

Let your cover letter ‘breathe.’ The more white space the better.

4.

Three paragraphs max. More than this and it appears to be a ‘tough

read.’ 5.

Use bullet points and numbered lists when appropriate. This allows for

easy scanning. 6.

Start the first sentence of each paragraph with bold-faced type. It

highlights the start of each paragraph inviting the person to read further. Works beautifully. 7.

Paragraphs should contain no more than four to five sentences each,

but Jimmy highly recommends just three well-written sentences per paragraph. 8.

After you’ve finished your letter, print it out to see that it’s easy on the

eyes and ‘invites’ you to read more. Remember: Less is more!

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9.

No overly big words, friendly and fast paced are what you’re after.

10. ASK for the interview. This is critical you must ask for the interview. 11. Add a postscript (P.S.) after your signature. This is Jimmy’s marketing expertise shinning through. Postscripts are always read, and are proven winners.

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The Top TEN Strategies for Writing Winning Cover Letters

1. Make it easy for someone to understand “who” you are. Are you a sales representative, actuary, nurse, college professor, chemical engineer, restaurant manager, customer service agent, or architect? Be sure to clearly communicate that information at the beginning of your cover letter. Don’t make someone read three paragraphs to find this critical information. No one is going to take the time and energy to figure it out!

2. Use a unique and professional format when writing and typing your cover letters. Don’t fall into the trap of using cover letter formats that have been used for years and now appear worn out. Make your letters visually attractive and distinctive not the overused “standard” formats. Take a look at all the samples in this book to see how creative yet professional you can be in writing the text and designing the presentation.

3. Highlight your most relevant qualifications. Use your cover letters to highlight your skills, experiences, qualifications, honors, awards, and credentials that are directly relevant to the company’s needs and the type of position and/or career path you are pursuing.

4. Shine a spotlight on your most relevant achievements. Be certain to highlight your career successes, results, and accomplishments that will be most meaningful to the letter’s intended audience.

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5. Include information that you know about the company or the position for which you are applying. If you know any particulars about the company to which you are writing (for example, core issues, challenges, market opportunities, products, services, staffing changes, or management changes), be sure to address those items in your cover letter. What’s more, relate specifically how your experience can meet the company’s needs and provide solutions to its challenges.

6. Explain why you want to work for this company in particular. Do you want to work for the company because of its reputation, financial standing, products, services, personnel, location, or market potential? Why this company? Everyone likes a good “pat on the back” for a job well done. Companies are no different. Tell them what they’re doing right that caught your attention.

7. be sure that your cover letters are neat, clean, and well presented. Remember, cover letters are business documents, not advertising materials. They should be attractive and relatively conservative, not “overdesigned.”

8. Double-check, triple-check, and then have someone else check your letter to be sure that it is error-free! Remember, people don’t meet you; they meet a piece of paper. And that piece of paper—your cover letter—reflects the quality and caliber of the work you will do on their behalf. Even the smallest of errors is unacceptable.

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9. Keep your cover letters short! Cover letters are not essays. We recommend a one-page letter in nearly all circumstances.

10. Always remind yourself why you are writing each cover letter and be sure to ask for the interview! Remember, securing an interview is your number-one objective for each cover letter that you write.

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Eight Deadly Cover Letter Errors

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Conclusion

The biggest challenge in the current market to find the adequate job that suits your personality, financial needs and lifestyle. In this reports we have summarized the ways that a person can prepare before hand and make use of specific methods that will help the individual adopt a job that best suits his profile. We have explained secrets of winning resumes and cover letters that become a key factor in locating and acquiring a successful job. We have explained the do and don’ts while locating and applying for a desired job. This repots outlines all the factors that lead to effectively locating a job and the adequate techniques and methods that are needs to get that job.

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