You, an ignorant consumer, walk down the shampoo aisle for the very first time in your neighborhood supermarket. And, lo and behold, you find entire shelves stacked with shampoo, bottles each batch displaying a different brand name. All of the products essentially do the same thing (clean your hair), and yet some readily stand out from others because the design or the color of the packaging naturally appeals to your aesthetic sense. So which make do you select? A majority of buyers are so mesmerised by the packaging of the product that they end up selecting the one that is best designed.
In the same way, a recruiter, when considering how to fill a specific vacancy, has to look at numerous Curriculum Vitae’s, in short CVs, before he decides which one to call for an interview. Each CV represents the packaging or the marketing brochure, and each individual now becomes a brand.
Welcome to the ‘brand’ new world of consumerism! Can you now picture yourself as a branded hair product bottle waiting on a shelf to be selected and placed in the recruiter’s ‘supermarket basket’? Only the CV with the wow factor or the bottle with the best overall packaging gets picked up, while the rest are just overlooked. Scary isn’t it? But this is exactly what Tom Peters wrote about in his article titled The brand called you in Fast Company, “You’re branded, branded, branded, … It’s time for me—and you— to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that’s true for anyone who’s interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work.”
Once you realise the importance of a CV it’s time to work on the packaging of brand ‘Me’. The question is how to craft a resume that is a work of art and manages to generate the star quality among its consumers. Your goal as a job seeker is very much the same as that of a growing business: you must build your trademark to make a consistent impact in the market. Students just entering the job market should take note of the following tips.
Contact information
Suppose a recruiter is so impressed with brand ‘Me’ from its marketing brochure that he/she wants to get in touch with you to learn more in an interview. Don’t be afraid to make yourself easily reachable by clearly stating your home address, phone number, and email address. A word of advice, avoid using immature and childish email addresses on your professional ‘work of art’ such as casanova@email.com, or else Mr. Casanova will be Mr. Unemployed.
Personal information
While a standard resume omits this, there are a few jobs that still request information such as your date of birth, CNIC No., father’s name, passport details (in the case of an overseas job), so do your research first!
Education background
When it comes to your education, clearly list the names of the institutions you have attended, in chronological order, with the most recent one first, the title of the degree, the date it was awarded, and the corresponding grade, Grade Point Average (GPA) or percentage, whichever is applicable. If you are a student then you might consider mentioning a few of your electives under a separate heading.
Awards
For experienced professionals, the industry awards indicate not only that you know your job, but that you are one of the best. Similarly, for students, the awards received in school or university need to be mentioned. If you have not received any awards, that’s ok. Don’t fabricate any just to make an impression on the recruiter.
Employment history
Seasoned professionals list their experience starting with the most recent one first whereas students list the companies where they interned and a sentence about what they learnt there. If there have been any accomplishments during the short internship programme then you might want to highlight them here.
Training
Never underestimate the value of workshops, training programmes and certificates that you earn, as the extra education may be the key to saying why you are the best candidate for the job.
Extracurricular Activities
If you belong to any industry-specific groups or campus societies (in the case of students) that are applicable to your job, mention them, as they display your ability to work in teams and your leadership potential. Without any extracurricular activities, you might come across as a typical nerd to the recruiter.
Interests
Personal interests help to give an employer a view of the type of person you are at home. They help to create an image of a person with a range of interests and accomplishments beyond the scope of the job itself.
Proofreading
Once you are done with writing your CV have a friend or a professional that you trust proofread it.
To sum up, writing a CV that makes employers sit up and take notice is an art, one that anyone can master provided they have the right set of skills and practice to go along with it. All you need is that interview call and if your marketing brochure and packaging is prepared well, you might not need a popular or high-ranking ‘brand ambassador’ to refer your brand and endorse it before consumers. It will sell on its own. Happy campaigning for the ‘Me’ brand!
Cr: epaper.dawn.com & Jason Pereira
