You saw an advertisement for your dream job. Finally, this is what you have been waiting for! But how do you write an outstanding resume that gets you invited for an interview and how can you perform well enough during the interview to land that job?

By Ruth Wong

Job search can be a headache to many. Yet, with adequate preparation, it can be a less daunting task than you imagine and there are proven steps which you can take to gain the edge over other applicants. In any successful job search, there are two key ingredients – an outstanding resume and excellent interviewing skills.

What is a resume, really?
A resume is a marketing tool. Its aim is to sell YOU – your skills, personality and experiences, to the potential employer. To be successful, the resume has to make your ‘brand’ stand out amongst the avalanche of applications, where for some highly sought-after positions or companies, you could be competing with 1,000 other people. So how can you go about writing a resume that grabs the recruiter’s attention?

Do your homework
For a start, think from the employers’ perspective. What kind of candidate would they be looking for? It is crucial that you demonstrate to the employer you have those qualities they seek.

Study the advertisement you are responding to and also those for the same position in other companies. Take note of the common requirements in areas like qualifications, skills and personal attributes and jot down the words or short phrases that frequently appear. Use these key words in your resume. With online applications becoming the norm, using key words gets even more important as job portals allow recruiters to search for candidates via key words. If your resume does not contain the key words, it will remain in the database unread.

Types of resume format
Before you begin writing, decide which type of resume format you should use – Chronological, Functional or Combined.

The “Chronological Resume” details your work experience in reverse chronology, beginning with your current job. This is a format preferred by many recruiters as it gives them a quick overview of your experience. However, for someone making a career switch or who is fresh out of school, this may not be appropriate as it tends to emphasise your lack of relevant experience.

The “Functional Resume” organises your experiences and accomplishments by skill areas. It may also state the past positions and companies but there are no work descriptions. Even though this format may be helpful to those wanting a job switch or have diverse careers, some recruiters may think that the candidates are hiding something on purpose.

As such, the ‘Combined Resume’ may be a better option for some people as it includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It organises your experiences by skill areas and provides information on previous companies, employment dates while containing brief work descriptions.

Telephone interviews
Two to three weeks after the resume was sent, you received a call. You thought you are being invited to an interview but were surprised when the HR personnel said she would like to first conduct a telephone interview.

Do not be alarmed. Telephone interviews are becoming increasingly common. They are used as a time-saving screening tool to eliminate unsuitable candidates. So it is important that you are prepared for telephone interviews, which may or may not be scheduled.

In your preparation, think about some potential questions they might ask, e.g. why do you want to quit your present job, why are you applying for this job and what do you know about it, what do you know about our company, and more.

During the telephone interview, give concise answers and avoid rambling. Your goal is to be selected for a face-to-face interview so creating a good first impression is critical. Be aware of your tone of voice, articulate your words clearly and sound confident.

If the telephone interview is unscheduled and the recruiter rang you at a bad time, apologise and arrange another time to call her back. Make sure you ring her at the agreed time.

Going the extra mile for the face-to-face interview
Finally, your efforts had paid off and you are invited to a face-to-face interview. You are just a step away from your dream job. To ensure you perform well during the interview, arm yourself with adequate preparation so that you can answer the questions effectively and impress the interviewers:

• Research on the company – what businesses are they involved in; who are their competitors; what are some of the company’s future plans?

• Do you need to sit for any tests? In general, there are two kinds of psychometric tests:
1) Aptitude test - assesses your numeric and verbal abilities
2) Personality questionnaire - gives a profile of your personality

• Prepare answers to some commonly asked questions such as:
1) Tell us about yourself
2) What are your weaknesses?
3) Why do you think you are suitable for this job?

• Prepare answers to behavioural-based interview questions. Such questions are based on the premise that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. The questions asked are related to behaviours required of the position you are applying, like “Tell me about a time when you handled a very difficult customer”.
1) Prepare answers by thinking about the behaviours and competencies required to perform the job. Then recall your past experiences that demonstrate those qualities – what was the situation, what actions did you take and what was the outcome?

Salary…. to ask or not to ask
Many candidates are not sure when to raise the question about salary. As a guide, do not bring it up unless you are asked. It is better to negotiate the salary when you are offered the job.

When you are asked about salary expectation, it is wiser to state a range. Have in mind what is the minimum salary you can accept and then state a higher amount. For example, if the minimum is $2,500, tell the interviewer a range higher than this, such as $2,700 - $3,000 so as to give yourself room for negotiation. You may also want to research what others in the position and related industry are earning so that your expectations are realistic.

Resume Checklist:
• Keep your resume to within three pages. For fresh graduates, keep it to two pages maximum.
• Use font size 11 or 12 (Times New Roman/Arial). Use sub-headings e.g. Education, Career History, Accomplishments.
• Recruiters take average 10-20 seconds to scan a resume – so make sure your resume is concise and easy to read. You may want a separate ‘Accomplishments’ section to draw recruiters’ attention to your achievements.
• Get someone to proofread your resume for grammatical and spelling errors.

Interview Checklist:
• Find out how many interviewers there will be and who they are so you can be mentally prepared.
• Get a good friend to help you rehearse your answers to interview questions. You may like to write out the answers and review them on the way to the interview.
• Unfamiliar with the location? Visit the company on a separate day before the interview to get familiarized and to estimate the traveling time needed.
• Take care of the details – be punctual, dress appropriately, offer firm handshake, maintain good eye-contact and show enthusiasm.
• Prepare and bring along a list of questions to ask about the job, the company, and the department.