What Do Recruiters Read in a Resume?

The mood in the market is low and I hear “Days are tough. There are no jobs.” so often. I, both agree and disagree with the two statements. Days are tough – no doubt, but jobs are always there. Even in current economic conditions, hiring is happening. Question is whether you are getting the interview calls or not?

On an average a recruiter spends 8 – 10 seconds on a resume before deciding if the candidate goes into next round. If your resume does not make the cut, chances are very little it will make the cut next time, even if it filed for future reference. Why do most candidates fail to get the call?

Professional recruiters are smart and savvy people. It is their job to read beyond the written word. Recruiters read in-between the lines. And, this is what they read:

1. Self Confidence: This might sound odd, but a confident candidates’ resume has confidence written all over it. A confident candidate does not write “Seeking a challenging position in your esteemed company…blah blah blah”. A confident candidate approaches the recruiter on an equal footing, realizing the fact that companies need good candidates as much as candidates need good companies. It is a two way street. It is not uncommon to find confident candidates’ starting their resume with a short summary of their personality and career which reads something like “A self motivated, honest marketing professional with an exceptional track record of achieving all major objectives assigned in past 5 year…”.

2. Buzz Words, Technical Terms & Acronyms: Companies run on buzz words, technical terms and acronyms. These three are very different from one another and recruiters use all three differently while evaluating a resume.

Buzz Words: These words are the latest industry lingo that demonstrate candidates up-to-date knowledge of the industry. Example, in advertising industry the word “Account Planning” is getting successively replaced by “Insights generation”. Same job, just described in more contemporary words. Technical Terms: Technical terms used by companies are more for being politically and legally correct. For example, when a company says “responsible for Accounts Payable” in job description, they are describing a fairly well defined and accepted job role. Recruiters often receive a copy of the job description and then use powerful data-mining tools to scan through thousands of resume scanning for technical terms mentioned in the job descriptions. This ensures best-fit in shortlisted candidates.

Acronyms: Every company has acronyms that are understood within the company, eg. SOP could stand for “Standard Operating Procedure” or “Social Orientation Protocol”. Recruiters hate acronyms and it reflects badly on the candidate because it indicates candidates’ assumptive nature.

3. Truth: It is a professional recruiters’ job to vet the truth from all the heap of achievements and responsibilities mentioned in a resume. Recruiters read thousands of resume in a year and meet hundreds of candidates. With experience, they can make out the difference between truth well told and truth oversold. Oversell yourself and you fall into the “Too good to be true” trap. Undersell yourself and you are not good enough.

4. Systematic Approach: Organized candidates have organized resume. Simple. It is a matter of attitude. It might be argued that a candidate can use professional resume writer to achieve good presentation and organization in a resume. Yes – it is possible, but professional writers do not finalize resume without the candidates’ approval. And, disorganized candidates can make even the most organized resume disorganized before submission.

5. Spelling and grammatical mistakes: “I was responsible for bulling clients on a hourly basis…blah blah blah”. There is a huge difference in the words “Bulling” and “Billing” and no one wants a candidates who bullies clients. Spelling mistakes indicate lack of attention towards finer points. If you cannot take care of your own resume, do not expect an employer to trust you with their business.

6. Self Image: Below is an excerpt from an actual resume that I saw ones

“I am responsible for writing cheques for suppliers, getting them signed from the boss, putting them in envelop, putting stamp on envelop, writing address and posting them to suppliers”

The above statement reflects one of the two things: the candidate thinks either too much of himself / herself or too little. Both are bad.

A good resume takes time to build. So put time and effort in writing it. Before the article is closed, I will share with you one secret of writing a good resume – write a resume and leave it. Revisit it a couple of days later and if like what you read, use it.

Sanjay O. Kumar is a Dubai based consultant whose career has spanned 5 nations and 3 continents. He can reached at sk@WhatAreYouGoodAt.net. You can read more articles from him on his website http://www.WhatAreYouGoodAt.net/articles

Senate federalism plan, constituent assembly same banana

MANILA, Philippines – They’re just the “same banana.” Speaker Prospero Nograles yesterday insisted that Joint Resolution 10 authored by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. calling for a shift to a federalist form of government is no different from House Resolution 1109 calling for a constituent assembly (con-ass).

Nograles pointed out that the public – particularly civil society, militant groups, the Catholic Church and the political opposition – tends to oppose the efforts of the House but not the opposition-dominated Senate “because the House is an administration ally.”

“These personalities were eerily quiet and unconcerned when in fact, the Joint Congressional Resolution 10 has the same purpose, which is to amend the Constitution, and it was overwhelmingly signed by 15 senators,” Nograles said.

He said the critics were nowhere to be found when the Senate approved Pimentel’s Joint Congressional Resolution 10.

Former Surigao del Sur congressman Prospero Pichay made the same observation, saying both resolutions are about the same issue.

“When Senator Pimentel made the proposal for federalism, no one opposed. It’s the same issue. Does it mean that it is proper for a member of the opposition to propose changes in the Constitution (but) not one from the administration?” he asked.

Pichay said the anti-Charter change rally held in Makati City last Wednesday was not about the sentiments against constituent assembly.

“It’s all about the 2010 elections. It’s nothing more than a political exercise. Politicians will ride on free publicity,” he said.

Pichay, chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), said the opposition “failed miserably in their duty to fiscalize.”

“Their role is to come out with a counter-proposal… they have not really come up with a counter-proposal,” he said.

Fear of the unknown

On the other hand, lawmakers like Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. said the primary reason why many from the opposition voted against HR 1109 is because of the apparent move to extend President Arroyo’s term of office.

“They (administration congressmen) just wanted to extend her (Mrs. Arroyo’s) term beyond June 30, 2010,” De Venecia said.

“The Cha-cha they are flaunting before the Filipino people is a charade, to fool us so that Gloria can become president again or prime minister,” the former Speaker told a prayer rally in Dagupan City yesterday.

De Venecia urged the rallyists led by government critic Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz to be more vigilant.

Cruz, for his part, said majority of the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would soon speak up against Charter change.

Cruz admitted most of his bishop colleagues have been silent on the issue “but if they will speak their mind, I think they will follow the other bishops who speak out.”

Cruz said “the silent majority” of the member-bishops of the CBCP share the sentiments of those opposing Cha-Cha, as against a few of them supporting the cause of the administration.

“They are few (pro-administration) and usually they are not as vocal as the more active bishops. They are by and large quiet and if they talk, that is their right but I don’t think they make an impact,” Cruz said.

He reiterated the CBCP’s official stand on the issue is that Cha-cha initiatives should take place after the 2010 elections.

While the Constitution may not be perfect, Cruz said moves to amend its provisions should be made through a constitutional convention.

Cruz said one of the principal concerns over Cha-cha is the fear of President Arroyo extending her term of office.

Cruz shared the concerns of many sectors against Cha-cha at this time when elections are fast approaching.

If Nograles and the administration congressmen succeed in amending the Constitution, Cruz pointed out, it would be an opportunity to lift the term limits of elected officials, including Mrs. Arroyo.

Nograles, on the other hand, said the arguments on Cha-cha would never end.

“These protests (against Charter change) will go on forever in the Philippines because even while we all agree that we need to amend the Constitution, partisan politics always gets in the way,” he said.

“Some of the people who are instigating these protests are the very same people who are staunchly defending Charter change when they were the ones who are still in power. When will this end?” he asked.

At the same time, Nograles urged the Supreme Court to step in and give a clear interpretation of the constitutional provisions on the modes of amending the Charter.

Nograles said he would take the congressional recess as an opportunity to exchange ideas with key leaders of Congress on the issue.

The Speaker admitted that he is still at a loss on what to do next with the controversial HR 1109.

Nograles also clarified the approval of HR 1109 does not mean that the House can already convene itself into a constituent assembly in late July, when Congress will resume session after President Arroyo delivers her last State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA).

“I am not going to convene anything,” Nograles said.

“We need the period for consultations with House and Senate leaders and other sectors to get a clear picture of what to do next. Frankly, we are still in legal disagreement as to the procedures to follow after the approval of Resolution 1109. I therefore need to clear the air as to the legal procedure,” he said. – With Evelyn Macairan and Eva Visperas – By Delon Porcalla (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Original page here

Stock market attracts higher hot money inflows

MANILA, Philippines – Hot money inflows in May turned around as the local stock market showed to be an attractive investment for foreigners, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

BSP data showed that in May, there were over $498-million worth of funds coming into the country compared with $276-million funds which flowed out of the country in April.

Foreign portfolio investments looked for opportunities in the emerging markets, leading to the significant increase in gross inflows in May.

The BSP said registered foreign portfolio investments more than doubled to $978 million in May from April’s $435 million. Total outflows, on the other hand, slipped by a third to $480 million

The BSP reported that 91 percent of gross portfolio inflows were invested in shares listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange while nine percent went to peso-denominated government securities.

On the other hand, 97 percent of the portfolio funds that left the country were investments taken out of interim peso deposits or IPDs.

Despite the dismal 0.4-percent economic expansion for the Philippines in the first three months of the year, investors were also bullish on the local economy as shown by a substantial Japanese investment in the country’s food, beverage and tobacco sector, said central bank governor Amando Tetangco.

Elsewhere in the globe, confidence in the world economy rose for the third straight month as job losses in the U.S. continued to slow down and global production improved.

Tetangco said this supported the emerging consensus that the crisis was bottoming out.

The May net inflows brought the five-month net inflow at $276 million, a contrast to the net outflow of $461 million for the comparable period in 2008.

Gross investment inflows during the five-month period totaled nearly $2.7 billion, 43-percent lower than the recent $4.7-billion posted last year as cautiousness lingered among investors.

The BSP reported that investments in PSE-listed shares amounted to $1.9 billion, making up 73 percent of total inflows. These inflows, however, were 35-percent lower than the $3-billion level in 2008.

The BSP said about 30 percent of these went to food, beverage and tobacco companies, and 28 percent to telecommunication firms. Similarly, combined investments in peso GS and peso bank deposits with minimum maturity of 90 days dropped to $673 million from last years $1.7 billion.

Meanwhile, placements in money market instruments marginally rose by $49 million.

The United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the Netherlands were the top investor countries, collectively contributing 84 percent of total investments during the period.

Gross investment outflows, on the other hand, amounted to $2.4 billion, a 53-percent slide than last years $5.1 billion, signaling improving investor sentiment. GMANews.TV