You probably fall under the category of fellows who have been applying for hundreds of jobs only to receive a bunch of regret letters. While some companies will have the decency to alert you once your application has been unsuccessful others will ignore the ‘not so good’ resumes and proceed to contact only the successful applicants.
Organizations mostly look to hire people with experience so that productivity is not interrupted. It is easier this way as company’s get to save money and time they would have used in training inexperienced personnel.
Lack of experience can be as a result of many factors, for example, recent graduates or stay-at-home mothers/fathers. This should not automatically doom you to the pool of unemployed citizens. Here are a few tips that will help you improve your resume
Volunteer work
Most people have done volunteer work at a certain point of their life. If you have, make sure you include this on the resume. It can be in the form of charity, community work and on-campus extracurricular activities.
Transferable skills
This refers to skills that can be transferred from one area of the industry to another. For example, tool use, machine operation, payroll and writing. Babysitting, leadership, team work and computer skills can all fit in here and can have a huge impact on the employer especially if they have interest in the mentioned areas.
Recommendations
Recommendations usually come about when people are awarded for their good service. Teachers, parents, former employers, suppliers, customers and even fellow employees can all offer recommendations.
Layout is easy to read and clean
Recruiters probably have hundreds of CVs to sort out, so, the simpler the resume the easier it is for employers to look at it. The font should be similar all through the document, location and dates need to be clear so that it’s easier to pick out the important parts.
Get the best referees
Parents, especially mothers would defend their children through thick and thin and they would definitely give a glowing review of their children. However tempting it may be to include them as referees, it is not recommended. Alternatively, if you have a great relationship with a teacher, mentor or adviser they could appear as your referee (with their permission of course).
Certificates
We tend to underestimate certificates, they are not only pieces of papers but a tool that show hard work and commitment. Make sure to write down all your achievements, whether in a science contest or in a sporting event.
When all is said and done, CVs are meant to market the applicant to potential employers. Make sure you highlight the areas that you feel you will be of benefit to the organization.
There can be a number of reasons why your resume is not shortlisted, don’t lose any sleep because of this. Continue sending your CV to numerous places and eventually someone will view you as the perfect fit for their organization. After all, nothing falls into the mouth of a sleeping fox.
