FAQs
You are at your desk, or at home watching TV when you get a call from a recruiter who has found your contact information using the many secrets of the trade (sorry – that’s one secret I intend to keep). Before you hang up the phone, remember that recruiters can hold the keys to the hidden jewels of the job market. Use them and they may just open the door to a new career opportunity. I am not saying this because I am a recruiter, because I’m not – I just work for them. What I have learned working behind the scenes is the important role a recruiter can play in a persons career path. Even if you are not looking now, you may need their help later, so this applies to those who are blissfully happy with their careers, as well as those looking for a new opportunity. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should use a recruiter.
- Hidden Job Market. I said earlier that recruiters hold the hidden jewels of the job market, and here they are – undisclosed jobs. Many times, especially with Sr level positions, companies have confidential roles that are for restricted eyes only. Companies then turn to recruiters for help with these positions. You cannot find these positions listed on the various other job sites on the web. Imagine - your dream job may just be a recruiter away. This point goes hand in hand with #2.
- Connections. Recruiters have clout with hiring managers and sr. level executives - many of us do not. You send your resume to numerous companies, and post your resume on various job sites to no avail. You still haven’t heard a peep. Recruiters have the connections to not only get you in the door, but also get feedback – whether positive or negative – rather quickly. Think of how many others are applying to the same job you are…tons. Hiring managers and HR personnel simply cannot and do not have the time to review every resume. A recruiter can guarantee that you won’t be just another resume in a pile; you will be sent to Sr manager who will review your resume. Don’t you love recruiters just a little bit more now?
- Expertise. Are you underpaid? Overpaid? Are you ready for a Sr role? Are your technical skills up to par? There are a number of questions that can help you make an informed decision when it comes to strategic career planning, and a recruiter is a great resource to utilize. They can help you find answers and ask questions that will guide you to the right job and the right steps to take in order to advance your career. Best of all, this information is free, unbiased and essential when determining your position and worth in today’s job market.
- End Game is the same. You and your recruiter have the same goal, and that is to make sure you are putting your best foot forward, meeting the right people, and hopefully getting you an ideal role that is a perfect fit for both you and your future employer. Their on your side. This leads me to point #5…
- Long-term ally. Let’s say you found a recruiter, you find a job (whether it was their role or not), and you are now perfectly content, remember this may not always be the case. Come 3-5 years down the line you may decide to try your hands at a new company/role again. Or you may spend the rest of your days in the company you are working for, but may need advice when it comes to compensation, employee rights, etc… You now have an ally that is there for you to utilize. Recruiters (meaning legitimate, professional recruiters) are in it for the long haul. They are in the business of building relationships with both candidates and clients, and making sure both parties are equally satisfied. Therefore you not only gain a new role, but you also gain an important ally to guide you through your current and future career path.
-Evelyn Amaro, Recruiting Blogs
Registration is totally free on OpportuneJobs.com
OpportuneJobs.com is one stop portal for Jobs, Fellowship, Internship, Volunteering, Consultancy, RFP/EOI/Tender, sector related events information.
We understand that a fulfilling career which helps one to grow personally and professionally and achieve newer milestones in his/her chosen career path is everyone’s dream. Today, it is not just enough to have a job that pays in multitudes but a career that enriches ones’ persona and builds ones skills and talents.
Moreover, in an ever changing and dynamic sector, every organization wishes to scale newer heights, witness its vision achieved and see lives transformed due to its hard work and sincere efforts. To achieve this vision, OpportuneJobs.com realizes the need to have competent suitable professionals who understand the needs and dreams of your enterprise.
At OpportuneJobs.com, we offer you the following:
We understand that a fulfilling career which helps one to grow personally and professionally and achieve newer milestones in his/her chosen career path is everyone’s dream. Today, it is not just enough to have a job that pays in multitudes but a career that enriches ones’ persona and builds ones skills and talents.
Moreover, in an ever changing and dynamic sector, every organization wishes to scale newer heights, witness its vision achieved and see lives transformed due to its hard work and sincere efforts. To achieve this vision, OpportuneJobs.com realizes the need to have competent suitable professionals who understand the needs and dreams of your enterprise.
At OpportuneJobs.com, we offer you the following:
- A unique interface where you can find Jobs, Fellowship, Internship, Volunteering, Consultancy, RFP/EOI/Tender, sector related events information
- Encrypted Connection: Encryption makes it very difficult for unauthorized people to view information travelling between computers. It is therefore very unlikely that anyone read this page as it travelled across the network.
- Manage your resume, opportunity listings, applications, microsite
- Want a recall of your resume that you've submitted to an employer? At OpportuneJobs.com, you can request a call back within a set timeframe
- Search for candidates and contact them
- Protect Privacy - Keep your identity anonymous and still get head hunted
Tips & Career Guide
Chronological Resume
Chronological resumes have traditionally been the most common, but functional resumes are gaining ground—and until you've built a solid body of work experience, a functional resume might be the best solution.
In a chronological resume you have to list your job experience in date order, starting with the most recent first.
The sections of a chronological resume are
Personal Details
Personal Profile or Job Objective
Career & Related Accomplishments :
Work Experience
Education
Professional Affiliations & Interest
References
When using this format you'll need to highlight your job experience. It's a good choice when applying for work with traditional organisations or when you held a post which had an impressive title.
Remember that your resume will have to impress your potential employer and convince him/her that you're the right match for the job advertised.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Chronological Resumes
Advantages
Your job titles and the organisations you have worked for are clearly shown.
Your career is 'show cased' and the progression can be easily followed by the recruiter/employer.
Your last job/school will be at the top of your chronological resume. As long as this is something you want your employer to see, a chronological resume is the right choice for you.
Disadvantages
Frequent job changes are clearly visible.
Gaps in your career are clearly visible.
If you held various functions in a company, this resume format is not your best option. Consider a functional resume instead.
Functional Resumes
A functional resume is one that lists your qualifications for a job—it emphasizes skills and abilities over actual work experience (though if you've got it, definitely include it!) If you're a fresher or just starting off in a new field, a functional resume makes the most of what you have to offer.
Functional resumes are best used in situations where specific skills and accomplishments gained through experience or academic qualifications will demonstrate the candidate's competency. Your skills should be listed in order of their importance.
The functional resume is ideal if you're looking for a complete career change. This resume is ideal for students who have no previous work experience and are applying for their first job.
Avoid the functional resume when you are applying for traditional jobs, especially positions within government entities or private institutions.
A functional resume's categories are based on :
Personal Details
Career Objective
Professional Experience
Work Experience(optional)
Professional Affiliations
Education
Awards
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Functional Resume
Advantages
Shows skills that would be hard to see in a chronological resume.
If you have an irregular career this format will 'make more sense of things'.
New graduates can use this format to highlight their skills rather than their experience.
Useful when changing careers.
Disadvantages
Some employers find the functional resume difficult to interpret and are more interested in the actual organisations you have worked for and the positions you've held. Employers need this information to determine the level of responsibility that you previously had.
Leaving out dates and job titles can raise recruiters suspicions.
Techincal Resume
A technical resume is designed to highlight the job seeker's technical skills, intelligence, and consistency.
Using this format helps this applicant highlight his strengths, this is mostly used when you are with the same company but had a tremendous growth in responsibility and achievement over a period.
The main sections are:
Summary:
Strengths:
Skillset:
EXPERIENCE:
EDUCATION:
Training:
REFERENCES ON REQUEST
Combination Resume
A combination resume is so called as it combines the features of both a functional and chronological resume/CV.
It emphasizes your achievements while providing career history in reverse chronological order.
It can provide great flexibility in that you can alter the emphasis of the resume to suit your personal abilities and situation.
For example if you have few years in employment but many years in relevant education, then you can highlight education and keep the emphasis off work history.
Who might use a combination CV/Resume?
If you have worked many different jobs but in the same role you may want to highlight achievements in each post rather than repeat the same list of job duties over and over.
If you are applying for a job that you have not done before, you can focus instead on your skills and achievements rather than on your previous job titles.
If you done many different jobs, again highlight skills and accomplishments rather than work history.
If you have just graduated and lack employment experience you can emphasize your education, volunteer work, skills etc.
The main sections are:
Career objectives(optional)
Summary
Skills
Experience
Work history
Education
Memberships (optional)
Honors (optional)
Certifications (optional)
The Targeted Resume
To write a targeted resume, you need to list the most relevant accomplishments, skills and experience for the specific job.
In addition, you may also list skills for which you don't necessarily have any job experience, but have acquired through attendance of seminars or courses. The job history is placed after the skills and accomplishments. This type of resume should be kept between one and maximum two pages and is specific to each job and employer that you target.
Targets a particular job opening.
Emphasizes the job specific skills and knowledge.
When to use the targeted resume
When you apply for a specific job and have a clear understanding of the responsibilities.
The main sections are:
Personal details
Objectives
Skills and Accomplishments
Education or Training
Job History
Interests
Chronological resumes have traditionally been the most common, but functional resumes are gaining ground—and until you've built a solid body of work experience, a functional resume might be the best solution.
In a chronological resume you have to list your job experience in date order, starting with the most recent first.
The sections of a chronological resume are
Personal Details
Personal Profile or Job Objective
Career & Related Accomplishments :
Work Experience
Education
Professional Affiliations & Interest
References
When using this format you'll need to highlight your job experience. It's a good choice when applying for work with traditional organisations or when you held a post which had an impressive title.
Remember that your resume will have to impress your potential employer and convince him/her that you're the right match for the job advertised.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Chronological Resumes
Advantages
Your job titles and the organisations you have worked for are clearly shown.
Your career is 'show cased' and the progression can be easily followed by the recruiter/employer.
Your last job/school will be at the top of your chronological resume. As long as this is something you want your employer to see, a chronological resume is the right choice for you.
Disadvantages
Frequent job changes are clearly visible.
Gaps in your career are clearly visible.
If you held various functions in a company, this resume format is not your best option. Consider a functional resume instead.
Functional Resumes
A functional resume is one that lists your qualifications for a job—it emphasizes skills and abilities over actual work experience (though if you've got it, definitely include it!) If you're a fresher or just starting off in a new field, a functional resume makes the most of what you have to offer.
Functional resumes are best used in situations where specific skills and accomplishments gained through experience or academic qualifications will demonstrate the candidate's competency. Your skills should be listed in order of their importance.
The functional resume is ideal if you're looking for a complete career change. This resume is ideal for students who have no previous work experience and are applying for their first job.
Avoid the functional resume when you are applying for traditional jobs, especially positions within government entities or private institutions.
A functional resume's categories are based on :
Personal Details
Career Objective
Professional Experience
Work Experience(optional)
Professional Affiliations
Education
Awards
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Functional Resume
Advantages
Shows skills that would be hard to see in a chronological resume.
If you have an irregular career this format will 'make more sense of things'.
New graduates can use this format to highlight their skills rather than their experience.
Useful when changing careers.
Disadvantages
Some employers find the functional resume difficult to interpret and are more interested in the actual organisations you have worked for and the positions you've held. Employers need this information to determine the level of responsibility that you previously had.
Leaving out dates and job titles can raise recruiters suspicions.
Techincal Resume
A technical resume is designed to highlight the job seeker's technical skills, intelligence, and consistency.
Using this format helps this applicant highlight his strengths, this is mostly used when you are with the same company but had a tremendous growth in responsibility and achievement over a period.
The main sections are:
Summary:
Strengths:
Skillset:
EXPERIENCE:
EDUCATION:
Training:
REFERENCES ON REQUEST
Combination Resume
A combination resume is so called as it combines the features of both a functional and chronological resume/CV.
It emphasizes your achievements while providing career history in reverse chronological order.
It can provide great flexibility in that you can alter the emphasis of the resume to suit your personal abilities and situation.
For example if you have few years in employment but many years in relevant education, then you can highlight education and keep the emphasis off work history.
Who might use a combination CV/Resume?
If you have worked many different jobs but in the same role you may want to highlight achievements in each post rather than repeat the same list of job duties over and over.
If you are applying for a job that you have not done before, you can focus instead on your skills and achievements rather than on your previous job titles.
If you done many different jobs, again highlight skills and accomplishments rather than work history.
If you have just graduated and lack employment experience you can emphasize your education, volunteer work, skills etc.
The main sections are:
Career objectives(optional)
Summary
Skills
Experience
Work history
Education
Memberships (optional)
Honors (optional)
Certifications (optional)
The Targeted Resume
To write a targeted resume, you need to list the most relevant accomplishments, skills and experience for the specific job.
In addition, you may also list skills for which you don't necessarily have any job experience, but have acquired through attendance of seminars or courses. The job history is placed after the skills and accomplishments. This type of resume should be kept between one and maximum two pages and is specific to each job and employer that you target.
Targets a particular job opening.
Emphasizes the job specific skills and knowledge.
When to use the targeted resume
When you apply for a specific job and have a clear understanding of the responsibilities.
The main sections are:
Personal details
Objectives
Skills and Accomplishments
Education or Training
Job History
Interests
Here are some common mistakes made by job applicants, avoiding these only enhances your chances.
- Overly long paragraphs.
They are difficult to read and will likely not be read by recruiters who are quickly scanning resumes.
Use bullet points and short paragraphs instead. - Resumes over two pages long.
Because the HR person or Recruiter has no time or patience to go through it. - Spelling or grammatical errors.
Especially if you are trying to get into a job where english speaking is important the recruiter will start of thinking that you are not good in english or you dont care for the job. - Adding unnecessary information like hobbies, your place of birth, etc.
These are like something of no importance unless you are going for some sporting or DJ jobs. Focus on your academic and work accomplishments instead. - A resume that does not match the job requirements.
This is very easy for the recruiter, s/he will just ignore it, Why bother sending a resume if it does not match. - Lying about something in the resume.
Companies can and often do cross-check information and believe us they will. - Putting in too much detail, especially on what your role/ duties were.
Describe your role briefly and spend time listing what you accomplished in previous jobs.
The more prepared you are for your interviews, the better you will do. For the best results, formulate answers to the following questions and practice them BEFORE the interview.
- Tell me about yourself.
- What do you look for in a job?
- What are your career goals and what have you done to achieve them?
- Tell me a time when you have shown strong initiative.
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- What are your most significant accomplishments?
- What can you do for us that someone else can't?
- Why do you want to work for us?
- Why should we hire you?
- Whenever the interviewer asks any questions, listen carefully. Do not interrupt him midway. Ask for a clarification if the question is not clear. Wait a second or two before you answer. And don't dive into the answer!
- Speak clearly. Don't speak very slowly. Be loud enough so that the interviewers don't have to strain their ears.
- Brevity is the hallmark of a good communicator. An over-talkative or verbose person is disliked and misjudged instantly, so keep it short.
- If you don't know an answer, be honest. The interviewer will respect your integrity and honesty. Never exaggerate.
- Never boast about your achievements. Don't be overconfident -- it is often misinterpreted by interviewers for arrogance.
- Don't get into an argument with the interviewer on any topic. Restrain yourself, please!
- Remember your manners. Project an air of humility and be polite.
- Project enthusiasm. The interviewer usually pays more attention if you display enthusiasm in whatever you say.
- Maintain a cheerful disposition throughout the interview, because a pleasant countenance holds the interviewers' interest.
- Maintain perfect eye contact with all panel members; make sure you address them all. This shows your self-confidence and honesty.
- Avoid using slang. It may not be understood and will certainly not be appreciated.
- Avoid frequent use of words and phrases like, 'I mean'; 'You know'; 'I know'; 'Well'; 'As such'; 'Fine'; 'Basically', etc.
- When questions are asked in English, reply in English only. Do not use Hindi or any other languages. Avoid using Hindi words like matlab, ki , maine, nahi etc.
- Feel free to ask questions if necessary. It is quite in order and much appreciated by interviewers.
