25. Jun
2009

Responding to Job Ads

Written by: parisalexandra - Posted in: Job Articles

Many companies take out job advertisement to announce job openings and make the recruitment process easier. There are several ways for them to do this. First, they can do a direct ad placement or they can hire a job search firm that does the advertising for them.

Aside from letting potential hires know which career opportunities are open, job advertisements also serve as an indicator of labour market strength. Prominent sources of jobs ads include online job posting sites, the weekend section of major newspapers and the employment section of professional journals.

There are two basic types of job ads. The open ad includes the company name and their contact information. These are companies that are not concerned about hiding their identity. For a job seeker, it means that you can check on the company before sending I your job application. A blind ad, on the other hand, conceals the name of the company. Companies use this to sample the market, to maintain privacy and to research on availability of candidates.

Posted job ads often require the potential employee to send in a written response. However, it is advisable that you not spend so much time on answering one ad unless you know it’s a good fit. When structuring your response, highlight your skills and how it matches their needs.

If there are particular ads that you find interesting, keep copies of those. Any correspondences you may have with the company and their ad replies should also be kept for future reference.

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23. Jun
2009

The Resume Checklist

Written by: parisalexandra - Posted in: Job Articles

When it comes to job seeking, a well-written resume is your foot in the door. This document should highlight significant information about your skills, experiences and achievements.

The following is a checklist that analyzes your resume’s suitability to your job search needs:

Format:
•    Is it updated?
•    Does it include information about your current position?
•    Is it formatted properly and is visually attractive?
•    Is it on a standard size paper that allows for easy printing?

Writing Style:
•    Is the content grammatically correct with no spelling or typo errors?
•    Are the tenses consistent? (ie present tense for your current position and past tense for former positions held)
•    Did you use concise sentences and paragraphs?
•    Did you start your phrases with action verbs?
•    Did you avoid using the first person point of view (“I” or “me”)

Content:
•    Does it have your phone number and email address?
•    Does it have a general summary or an objective that lets the employer match the position with the kind of job you are looking for?
•    Is your work history laid out chronologically?
•    Does your work history show the title you held, the place of employment, the location of the employer and the dates covered by the employment?
•    Have you listed your achievements/accomplishments related to the job?
•    Does it show any progress in your career? (ie promotions or lateral transfers)

Also as a general reminder, if you intent to add a references section to your resume, you should call them beforehand to let them know that they should expect a call from potential employers or recruiters.