Tag Archives: Career Advice

Smart ways to deal with your bad appraisal

Smart ways to deal with your bad appraisal

Smart ways to deal with your bad appraisal

 “A bad system will always beat a good person every time” W. Edwards Deming, the American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant.

Deming’s quote relates to your professional life-story? Is your professional life hinting at “quit” because of that bad, very bad appraisal?

Read on to find out the healing processing of such appraisals

We, at resume builder, have jotted down five ways to deal with such unwanted/ unexpected events in your professional life.

This is what you are required to do now –

Keep calm, because this is not the end!

While we understand that you worked hard to bring in desire results, however, this is not the end of your world. There will be negative emotions and also self-criticism, we suggest, see above this. All you need is the self-confidence, remember your hard work and the appreciations that you bagged. Getting angry or even showing anger to your manager/ higher-up will only worsen your situation, so don’t do that.

Precisely, accept this appraisal and stake calm. That’s the ideal first step.

Now assess yourself!

You will wonder why? Self-assessment is essential here to determine and understand if this has happened before – Yes? See through if it’s the same reason that crashed on your dreams even this year. If no, then examine the probable reason; discuss with your manager or the one who rated you, to understand their side of the story. Having done that, now it’s time to take some learnings from this appraisal.

You may not want to work in the same organization, under the same boss, however, you need to carry these learnings everywhere. This bad patch will remind you what to avoid in future and if you efficaciously handle it, you will emerge as a winner.

Thus, assess yourself, learn and carry forward.

Discussions!

Request your boss for a discussion on the appraisal, so you can see both the sides of the coin. Like we all blame it “politics” in the corporate world, however, in this discussion, your boss will have to elaborate your appraisal and performance of the past one year. There is a high possibility that you may have to face negative remarks and criticism, but don’t get bogged down with this. This is a healthy discussion to measuring the depth of your performance. You can also question your boss what the right things you have done and you do it more frequently. Additionally, if you feel, your boss is being too negative about your work, just correct them whenever required. Examine yourself through SWOT analysis of your performance of the last one year. Ultimately, resignation/ job change is not the only solution.

Plan your actions, NOW!

Once out of the meeting room, take some time to understand and decide what should be your next step. These questions may help you –

  • To what extent boss was right?
  • If yes, then how should I improve?
  • If no, do I want to work under him?
  • Or am I ready to move to another project/ department or search a new job?

If you are convinced that your performance was the core reason for this bad appraisal, then start focussing on the improvements. Plan and master very assigned task, deliver your best. You can also take help of your colleagues or your boss in improvising your performance.

Contrastingly, if you disagree with your boss and want to part-ways, we advise you to wait. You should stay in this job if you have a meagre experience of one-two years. In any case, “quit” is not the solution for this problem. However, as an experienced professional, you may commence your job search.

Meet your boss, meet frequently!

If you have decided to work hard and dedicatedly, you need to meet your boss at least once a month to discuss your performance. This meeting should be conducted exclusively to gauge your performance and measure the accuracy or rightfulness in the tasks performed. Another benefit of this meeting is that you keep improving, monthly and not when you encounter a disheartening appraisal.

Life is big!

Having dealt with this appraisal, now remind yourself that you have it enlarge your professional picture. This can be done through your performance, development of skill set and so on. So start working on it, and start today. Let this appraisal be the one and only bad patch in your professional history, which you rectified and moved ahead.

We hope we have victoriously healed your wounds and charged you up for that best Employee trophy.

However, if you still want to quit your current job, remember, we at Resume Builder are happy to help you with best resumes. Connect with us on:

https://resumebuilder.isourcecorp.com/contact-us/

E : resumebuilder@isourcecorp.com
Line 1 : +91-9970318611
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Author:

Renuka Dabhade

Top reasons why resume length effects quality

Top reasons why resume length effects qualityQuality Resume

The key document in any job search, a resume has risen as the need of the hour in today’s job market. Whether you are a fresher, entry-level, mid-management, or senior leadership professional, a resume will not only become a medium to showcase your capabilities, but will also serve as a key tool in convincing a recruiter to either hire or fix up an interview with you.

A professionally crafted resume not only serves as a perfect portrayal of a candidate’s abilities, but also demonstrates their inclination on obtaining a particular role. A well-drafted resume acts as a recruiter magnet, making a candidate stand out from a crowd of similar or less deserving candidates who don’t fit with the requirements of a job.

With so much emphasis being placed on creating the perfect draft, the natural question that arises is that what do employers look for in a resume – do they seek lengthy, descriptive CVs, or do they prefer a quick-to-read resume? For this, let us quickly understand what are the two documents and the discernible differences.

Definition & Differences

A resume is a crisp and concise summary document of a candidate’s employment and academic background, as well their skills and abilities acquired over the course of the employment or academics. Modern resumes do not go beyond two to three pages at their maximum, no matter how long the employment experience is. These can be used by any professional, right from fresher to senior management professionals to apply for a job opening.

On the other hand, a CV is a comprehensive document that lists in excruciating detail, a candidate’s work history, skills, qualifications, and other professional pursuits, and is a document of unspecified length, and ideally should be more than four to five pages. In fact, the longer the CV, the better it is. This document can only be used by a professional with some experience, right from entry level to senior management professionals, and is mostly developed on demand by a job.

The length versus quality debate has been in the resume writing industry since quite long, and professional writers have varying opinions on it. While some prefer the detailed CVs, most prefer a quickly whipped and concise resume for catering to job needs. Both have their merits and demerits, which would be addressed in the subsequent part of the article.

The Quality Aspect

A resume is the initial impression that a recruiter has on a candidate, and might be the last one if it does not follow basic guidelines in drafting. A poorly conceived resume will hit the trash pile faster than you saying “job”. The prevailing preference for resume length is two to three pages; any longer and it deters the interviewer from calling you. A crisp resume offers the benefit of consideration from an employer for an interview call.

Individual companies have hiring processes that work differently. Researching the exact job applied for and tailoring the resume accordingly goes a long way – skill mapping with job requirement is literally one of the best ways to secure an interview call. Moreover, a qualitative resume will go a long way in presenting yourself as a valuable catch to the employers.

Another aspect to quality resumes is the way you present the information. A company with a formal corporate culture would prefer resumes that are simple and easy to read, while a creative job would offer more liberty to present the information. A quality resume would also comprise of highly unusual or unique skills that would be valuable to a company, and showcase your knowledge and talents.

The Length Debacle

Lengthy resumes are what professional resume writing terms as a Curriculum Vitae, since it provides an in-depth overview of experience, education, and skills over the course of several pages. Since these are in greater detail, they comprise of longer sections, and list out even the minor roles, responsibilities, and credentials at one place.

While cutting short on information in a quality resume allows a recruiter to read the key aspects of your career, a CV offers much more space in terms of expanding information related to responsibilities, achievements, academic and professional credentials, and more such things. As the career of an individual progresses, their CV will expand on the go.

A detailed CV finds its use in academic, scientific or medical fields that are looking for a more complete and comprehensive picture of a candidate. Mostly, European and Australian jobs ask for a CV, since they prefer detailing on a candidate’s professional background. For this, the additional space offered by a CV is a wonderful place to focus on a person’s skills, qualifications, and experience.

Conclusion

While both have their merits and demerits, what matters ultimately is their usage – use the documents that have been specified for a job opening, be it a resume or a CV. Also, a key point to keep in mind here is that while a CV might allow more room, it is advisable to not ramble, and keep it to the point so that recruiters can seek the required information easily.

Additionally, supplementing both documents with the latest and newest information is they right way, since it will enable you to apply for jobs instantly, without waiting to write down your document at the last moment. It also portrays you as an agile job seeker, who is ready to accept new responsibilities and challenges on the go

Author

Amrita Kolay

Sundar Pichai’s approach That Will Change Your Perspective Towards Work

Sundar Pichai’s approach That Will Change Your Perspective Towards Work

Sundar Pichai approach

Less than four years ago, very few people outside of the tech world knew about Pichai Sundararajan, or Sundar Pichai, as he is more well-known. At one time, he was just a middle-management Googler, working as a Director of Product Development. It all changed in 2015, when Google announced that Pichai would be the leading man for all products, and the company itself. Things changed overnight, and Pichai was brought into limelight.

Today, the IIT-K – Stanford – Wharton graduate is leading the tech giant’s flag from artificial intelligence, to virtual reality; from home automation to driverless cars. The man has been much appreciated for his dedication to work, innovation, and driving teams to achieve their best. It is therefore, no wonder that he is an inspiration to millions, and individuals look up to him as a true people’s leader.

A former Google employee, who started working a year prior to Pichai, who started in 2004, notes that “Even though Pichai was smart and capable from the get-go, NO ONE would have guessed he would end up as the company’s second-in-command. He did not have an obvious flair or overwhelming charm.” So, what is it about Pichai that people find hard to resist from working for/with him?

Most of the people who are working for or have worked with Pichai vouch for his empathetic nature towards his employees. They say he actually cares about the people he works with, and is very supportive. They claim that Pichai works towards building a team rather than simply hiring people. He emphasizes on hiring or promoting the best, meritorious, and deserving people, as opposed to people who are opportunistic and political in nature, says another Googler. People want to transfer to his organization, since he has developed a reputation of being so enjoyable to work with, which stems from his ability to create and build strong teams.

There are many tales to Pichai’s supportive and motivating persona; one former Googler mentioned on Quora that while Sundar was heading the Chrome project, he visited the Mountain View office of Google, quickly introduced himself to Pichai, not thinking it would go beyond that. Not only did Sundar show an interest in his work, but went on to appreciate him for the contributions he was making towards making Google better than its competitors, even though the work was a small piece in the bigger puzzle. Another former employee notes that Pichai was one of the best people he’d worked with, adding that when he decided to leave Google for a start-up, Pichai was incredibly supportive and offered to help in any way he could.

Another aspect to Pichai’s leadership is how seamlessly he interprets Larry Page’s vision, presents to different teams, and collaborates with them to realize the dream. Once, there was a planning meeting at Google with a group of VPs and Directors from across products to discuss several secret projects, and they were all bickering. Page walked in, talked about abstract concepts and big ideas not related to the pre-set engineering roadmap, and introduced aspects the teams hadn’t expected even in their wildest thoughts. The entire room plunged into shocked silence, and Page walked out without getting a single question. Seconds later, Pichai walked in and simplified everything for the team. Post meeting conclusion, he talked to all teams individually, and helped them understand the future roadmap on which they were to proceed together.

Sundar is also noted for his amicable nature, humility, and sheer brilliance. Not only is he able to connect effortlessly with a wider age group, he is also able to integrate and bring together people from different disciplines, and make them work towards the collective good of the whole company, including the business side. He prefers to sit down one-on-one with people, explain the strategy, and get them on board. While Google has politics like any other large company, Sundar has waded through those to make his team successful while rendering the least possible damage on any other team. He is widely regarded as an efficient problem solver and knows how to get the best of everything, without disregarding anyone’s idea completely.

A story on Sundar Pichai’s collaborative nature goes on tell that he is the kind of leader/manager who would sit and quietly listen to what everyone had to say, and then deliver an idea that could work for everyone. Such are his people orientation abilities, that he has been lauded for his opinionated nature, while providing others the opportunity to present their ideas before delivering his own opinion.

Additionally, Pichai has a great regard for quality work, focus, and results, and deals with it through a “substance over overt style” attitude. Combine that with his high people orientation and task orientation approach, Pichai has clearly succeeded in becoming a great CEO of a great company. As a Quora user pointed out, “competence can be gained in an IIT or IIM or Wharton, or literally anywhere with the right attitude; but when that meets high consciousness/awareness of people and happenings around – magic happens.” I believe, Sundar Pichai is a living example of the magic reaped through perseverance and empathy.

Post Author:

Amrita Kolay

BEWARE of these 8 managers in your job interview

BEWARE of these 8 managers in your job
interview

 

image 1

 

Once in a while in a job interview you come across a bad manager who you realise could do more harm than good to your career. We help you identify the 8 bad managers you must be wary of in an interview

When was the last time you appeared for a job interview and encountered a manager who influenced you to reconsider your choice of joining the organisation?

Your first meeting with your prospective manager could unveil a lot of things about what you can expect from the organisation.

Candidates who have appeared for job interviews admitted that hiring managers they have met during interviews ranged from being intimidating to outrageous and in some cases even ignorant!

Interestingly, most of these interactions have helped them decide if they wanted to take up the offer of working with the company.

While some of these managers you may hate because they made you wait for an hour and did not care to apologise to you for the delay, there are job seekers who cant figure out why they were being interviewed for the position when all the manager did through the interview was tell them how bad they are.

In such situations, the knack is to identify a bad manager from a good one and adapt accordingly.

A bad manager could also be a warning sign, says Gargi Thorat, a 32-year-old advertising professional from Mumbai. “If you are lucky to identify a bad manager at the interview stage, half your problem is solved. It helps you decide whether you should play on with the interviewer and nail the offer or simply walk out of the place,” shares Thorat.

Here, we identify the various types of bad managers by their behavioural warning signs and help you understand what to do when you meet them next.

image 21. The Unapologetic Latecomer

You have reached the interview venue on time but there’s no one to attend to you.

When you ask the receptionist, you are told that the manager is busy in a meeting and that you will have to wait.

The hiring manager walks in 30 minutes later and without apologising, gets straight into the interview routine.

Now, a manager could be late for various reasons. S/he could be delayed by a meeting that got extended, which is the most common of excuses made by managers when they turn up late. And then there are those who love to turn up late just to make themselves feel extra important.

When a person delays his appointment, no matter what position of authority s/he holds within the organisation and no matter how trivial your interview appointment to the organisation is, it is expected of them to apologise to you.

“An apology means that they value your time and respect your presence,” feels Vidhan Chandra, Director, iSource services. “If they don’t, it displays unaccountability.”

In case of the latter, be prepared to trade for your time, just in case you wish to join the organisation. And if the manager happens to be your immediate boss, you could end up ‘waiting’ for worse, warns Chandra.

image 32. The Silent Killer

The interviewer has a stern look on his face throughout the interview.

A firm handshake, a well manicured smile and the questions asked to you are mostly open ended. You keep talking, but all you get is a plastic nod and minimal words from the manager. The expression on their face is deadpan and you are not sure whether they are listening to your responses or judging you by your face.

Is he partially dumb or does he intentionally turn deaf as I speak? You wonder.

Senior copy editor Nandita Kapadia from Mumbai remembers the interview she appeared at one of the leading technology firms in the country. The interviewer first put down her CV on the table, then folded his hands and asked her the obvious: Tell me something about yourself.

“I was talking for nearly three minutes, but the interviewer who appeared to be listening to me did not utter a word in reciprocation. After I thought I had said enough about myself, I told the interviewer politely: ‘Sir, I think I have said enough. So, you tell me what else would you like to know.’

Managers could be silent for two reasons — either because they want you to speak so that they can know you better or because they believe in minimal communication.

The best way to tackle a silent interviewer is by answering briefly and to the point, says consultant Vikas Shinde of Omkar Consulting, Pune.

“You should patiently wait for the interviewer to ask you questions. If you realise that you have answered enough, you can try asking a few questions to the manager to find out how much information you can gather while you are at it,” Shinde suggests.

Meanwhile, if all your questions are met with silence or monosyllables, be ware that the company follows a closed policy where they do not encourage a healthy communication culture, cautions Vidhan Chandra who tells us that these species of managers are common in public sector units.

Talk to a few employees or ex-employees from the organisation to get better insights before you sign on the dotted line, Shinde suggests.

image 43. The Gossip Monger

You have met the manager for the first time and you two have been talking for over an hour.

From the bad state of roads to the financial reports of a common competitor firm, the interviewer has talked about everything but your job. And most of it has been gossip.

While a conversation like this could only be too tempting to be ignored upon, it is dangerous and means two things. Either the manager is trying to extract finer details about you and your present organisation through personal information like your opinions and feedback on various issues or they are seeking information that they can use against you after you are hired.

Akash Motwani, HR Manager, Right Jobs Consulting tells us how feedback (read gossip) received from candidates who are working for a competitor are great source of information and explains why this could be dangerous.

“You may be tricked into believing that you are being hired, but they must be looking to extract information about your present company. If the interviewer is your competitor, do not divulge details like marketing strategies, yet-to-be-official plans, work principles etc,” warns Motwani

image 54. The Distracted One

The interviewer’s phone is constantly ringing. He attempts to put it on silent but then he simultaneously asks you to talk while he is busy sending a text on his phone. From his actions, you can tell if he is not paying attention to what you are saying.

Distractions like these where managers are attending phone calls, sending text messages or checking emails while the interview is on, are clearly off putting.

Considering that managers are busy people who have to attend important calls, you can identify a good manager when he seeks your permission to answer a call and then apologises to you for the interruption.

“However, if the interviewer repeats this process for a more than 3 times and if you find out that it’s some random friend who is trying to interrupt your conversation, you could tell that the person does not respect your presence,” warns Vrushali Mange, senior manager-HR, Perfect Jobs and Consulting Services.

 

5. image 6The Fault Finder

The interview room resembles a boxing ring. The interviewer looks into your eyes when they speak. S/he counters everything you say with an unsatisfactory response that leaves you intimidated.

You wonder if they are testing your confidence or finding out excuses to tell you why you are the worst candidate they have ever met.

Palak Arora (name changed to protect identity) shares his experience where the interviewer said everything nasty to make him feel.

“After a mock presentation of a sales call, I had to meet the manager to discuss details of my job profile. The manager told me how unimpressive I was despite going through my past records of high performance referred by my seniors. Just when he was rejoicing the success of demoralising me, with his nitpicking the manager told me that I should be meeting the human resource head to discuss my salary break up. I failed to realise why they were hiring me at all, if they found me so incompetent.”

Since you can never satisfy them and you still want to keep the job (that is if you are so desperate to work under a boss like that), just get used to ‘filtered listening’ viz absorb only what’s important for your sustenance in the company and ignore the unnecessary.

image 76. The Lecher

When Priya Kothari (name changed to protect identity) appeared for an interview in a leading IT firm, she was asked to reveal her sexual preferences.

“What are your views on lesbianism? Are you straight?” the interviewer asked her coyly.

Although Kothari claims that she was first taken aback, she was equally quick enough to retort, “I don’t think my answer to this question has got anything to do with the position I have applied for.”

After the interview, Kothari immediately called up the consultancy and cautioned them to be careful about further sending female candidates to this manager. “I surely don’t want to work in a place like this,” she asserted this consultant.

Vidhan Chandra says that women are more likely to meet such managers who are likely to hit on the opportunity and make them feel uncomfortable by asking questions that directly or indirectly outrage your modesty.

They will start off by complimenting a woman for her looks, and slowly try to ask them questions that will make them feel uneasy.

“If you realise that the manager is trying to do something funny with you, please be polite and ask them to stick to the interview routine. Women can easily identify such managers from the very first eye contact they make,” assures Chandra.

image 8.jpg7. The Belitter

The interviewer surely knows too cents more than you. And obviously has more experience in his years of service to the company.

But that does not give them the authority to make any of your credentials feel less important.

The Belitter could be just as dangerous as the Fault Finder.

While the former would leave no stone unturned to tell you why you are of no good, he is more prone to exploit your talent than the latter.

“He will provoke you to answer questions which will display your aggressiveness and then use it against you,” Vidhan Chandra warns and tells us why he will hire the candidate with the weakest profile.

“Because the belittler wants to hire someone whom he can dominate at work. He will hire someone who will obey his orders, do all the work without arguing or sulking about it,” Chandra reasons.

While admitting that most managers choose the most unproductive candidate, Akash Motwani advises why it’s better to stay away from such managers when you are fully aware that they will make your work life miserable.

“They will treat you like a doormat. No appreciation and no promotion. You will work like a slave. These are the dictums you will have to put with. Only a person who has absolutely no self respect will vouch to work under such a manager,” Motwani feels while adding why such a manager could do more harm for your career than good.

image 9jpg8. The Air Dropper

In Vidhan Chandra’s words, an air dropper is “someone who has inherited the position of a manager through ancestry or by virtue of an educational degree from a prestigious college, but has no experience whatsoever about the manpower requirements of the company he manages.”

Such managers usually have limited or theoretical knowledge of how an organisation functions, and hence are not fully equipped to take decisions on hiring an employee. In fact such managers could be detrimental to your career, observes Vidhan Chandra.

Avni Chopra (name changed) currently works as the secretary for a shipping agency that was inherited by the son-in-law of the founder. Chopra says that although the manager was hell bent on hiring fresh graduates to replace the experienced professionals in their agency, he sooner realised that the company suffered huge losses due to his lack of experience working in the shipping sector.

“You can identify such bosses in an interview when they do not ask you anything specific about your profession. Their ignorance will clearly show off when you ask them questions related to their company’s performance,” Chopra shares.

“It is better to check the website of the company you are joining and do a quick background check on the people who are managing the company. Cross check the recent financial reports of the organisation to find out how the company has performed under their management and then make a decision,” suggests Chopra.

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The original article appeared on Rediff.com

14 reasons why your CV is going in the TRASH CAN !

14 reasons why your CV is going in the TRASH CAN ! 

Vidhan Chandra, co-founder and director of iSource Services, a recruiting and executive search portal tells you why you must avoid making these mistakes in your CV.

A well written and presented CV will help you clinch that dream job interview.

Avoiding some of these potentially damaging mistakes can increase your chances of being hired.

 

1. Avoid writing CV/Resume on top

We all know it is your resume, never write it.

It may sound funny but 55 to 60 percent of applicants commit this horror.

Avoid it. Instead, write your name in bold.

The ideal font would be Arial, size 20.

2. All-caps

In written communication, all caps is used to over-emphasise or highlight something.

In the case of a resume, text in all caps is downright rude. The golden rule is to avoid using it.

Even if it means writing your name, a sub heading, a company’s name, your institute or designation, use title case for emphasis.

At the same, not using capital letters at the appropriate places is equally thoughtless For e.g. VP is not the same as Vp or HR Manager is not the same as Hr Manager.

While using abbreviations or names of institutes, never write Iit in place of IIT. Rather spell it out as Indian Institute of Technology.

Use your mind, put in a thought why you are writing what you are writing.

3. Unnecessary details

There are candidates who mention their entire family history replete with names of their father, mother, spouse and children.

And then there are those who add the occupation of their father, mother and in some cases their children’s age and sibling’s occupation.

Frankly, who is interested?

Obviously the HR manager is not.

Your CV is not aimed at verifying your marriage suitability.

4. Vital statistics

In case, you thought the earlier point was irrelevant, here’s more.

We have candidates who add details of their caste, religion, height and weight.

The HR manager is clearly not looking to recruit you for join politics and unless you are applying for specific profiles like model, television presenter, cabin crew or receptionist, details like height, weight and colour are least important.

By writing these one indirectly presents a mindset which is regressive. It is advisable to avoid these blunders at all cost.

5. Contact clutter

Simply because one has to furnish their address and contact, it is not important to add details like present address, permanent address and multiple phone numbers.

Keep it simple and add one local address, one phone number (working) and e-mail id.

That would be more than sufficient.

6. Spelling mistakes

The surest way to mar your chances to get that dream job is by sending a CV without running a spell check.

Honestly, there is no valid explanation as to why a potential candidate would not use the Spell Check feature which is built in your word processor.

A CV with spelling errors shows your laziness or incompetence.

Get your resume vetted by someone other than you — a colleague or a friend.

Another way is to read it at least 3-4 times before you print or upload it online.

Each time you run through your CV, you are sure to be surprised.

7. Bad formatting

A badly formatted CV can have the same disastrous effect as one with spelling errors.

Avoid long paragraphs and haphazard layout.

Check for improper use of blank spaces, tabs and margins.

Use bold, italics and underline to highlight keywords.

Your information has to flow in a seamless manner, so plan it out well.

Lack of bullets can be a major turn off especially while stating achievements.

Also double check before you print and upload it online to see if the changes you made are reflecting.

8. Using too many abbreviations

Don’t assume the recruiter to know it all.

Avoid abbreviations, spell it out.

What comes naturally to you may not be perceived the same way by HR professionals.

It is okay to use domain specific abbreviations, or well accepted brand names or entities as abbreviations but using it at all the places is not the best way forward.

For example, ISB could mean Indian School of Business, Institute of Systems Biology or even International Society of Bassists.

9. Avoid SMS language

With the advent of SMS and chat, people fail to realise that they are writing a resume and not a personal message to their friend.

Using SMS language is a good way to ensure your rejection.

Do not, I repeat do not use them, EVER.

Some common words you can avoid using in a CV are ‘thru’ instead of ‘through’, & for ‘and’, ‘ur’ for Your and ‘m’ for I am etc.

10. Vague achievements

You may have stood first in a lemon and spoon event at kindergarten, but would you put it on a CV?

Best of all, there are those who mention their KRAs and job description under achievements.

Either you don’t understand the meaning of the word achievement or you are simply overdoing it.

Your job description is not an achievement, but will aptly appear under responsibilities or work experience.

Your KRAs are also part of your job, so never mention your regular deliverables as achievements unless you have achieved something significant and can validate the same if need be.

For example, if you are in sales, sales or marketing cannot be your achievement.

But if you’ve acquired a huge client or achieved highest sales for a particular quarter/month etc, that can be listed under achievement.

Ensure you have supporting figures to back your (achievement) claims.

11. Superlatives

As a potential candidate it is obvious to use expressions like ‘I am very good at this…..’ or using sentences like excellent in communication, Out achiever in ….., I am extraordinary at …

I’d advice let the recruiter or the interviewer make that call.

12. Job irrelevance

 

It is important to prepare a CV that matches the job description you are applying for.

 

Why are you preparing your resume? What purpose is it going to serve?

 

One resume fits all is a belief that keeps good candidates from getting hired.

Remember you need to tailor your resume for each opening.

13. Avoid jargons

 

Using fancy words is a big turnoff.

Keep your choice of words and sentence formation simple and clear.

Your CV has to be clear, concise and easy to read.

14. Keywords, not hyperbole

 

Words like dynamic , out-achiever, self-starter, effective, seasoned, out-standing, driven, excellent in communication, exceptional, hard working, result oriented, result driven, motivated, etc are beaten to death.

The less you use these words, the better.

Instead focus on keywords like sales, marketing, networking, communication to make it work for you.

This article originally appeared on Rediff.com authored by Vidhan Chandra.

About the author:

Vidhan is an entrepreneur and passionate about technology and its impact on human evolution. He is the founder of iSource Services & Resume Builder. Vidhan has over the years been a speaker at various universities and corporate events and specialises in delivering lectures and talks related to career development, staffing, resume writing and job related insights. An avid reader, he enjoys reading corporate strategy, current affairs, politics and sociology. Vidhan is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur’s Post Graduate Business Management Program. 

Reach him on LinkedIn , Google+ , Twitter