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 A
HR professional was among the first to write back after the last
column Apply, No Reply. Her submission-that she wished even one
of the resumes she received was of the sort that we talked about.
Her grouse: that more HR people at companies aren't as selective.
The candidates didn't disagree. "I've experienced
first-hand the benefits of your suggestions," said one gent.
Another asked for more suggestions. At the risk of being simplistic,
here are a few:
Use your word processor for starters. If
you're using Microsoft Word, go to File, New, choose Templates and
pick any of the Resume formats. These may seem a little bare-bones,
but it's a good enough way to start. Or try Google Online for resume
formats. Find one you think suits you. But how do you go about filling
it?
What on earth do you want to do? Let's
start right at the top. What is your career objective? What do you
want to do in the job you are looking for?
Do not expect your poor reader to read your
life story and figure out what the most "suitable position"
is for you. Be clear. "I want to use my experience and skills
to be a great FMCG marketer" is fine. "I want to contribute
to a growing, dynamic organisation" is babbling nonsense. Be
precise and tailor it to the receiver. If need be, write as many
objectives as resumes you are sending out.
Rewind your life, don't replay it. The
operative phrase is "reverse chrono". Start with your
most recent experience, not with how you did at SUPW in school.
Don't just mention the dates and the designations. That says nothing.
Talk of what you did out in that position that was different, special,
outstanding. What results did you achieve? Now do this going back
in time, job before job, till when you started. Look at it objectively,
from the outside. Does this tell the story of how good a worker
you are?
No experience? No problem. What if you're
fresh from college and have no job history to speak of? It's all
right-everybody starts that way. But look deeper. Is there nothing
you've done, really? You must have done an end-of-term project on
site. Helped organise a college festival. Helped a friend's dad's
business. Tell them what you did, and how well.
Believe me, this is far more valuable than
how many marks you got in your MBA.
Now comes the education. So you spent
your time and your dad's money getting those alphabets after your
name. Mention it here (reverse chrono again). And please, you don't
have to go all the way back to your kindergarten. Mention the things
that set you apart here. "Scored 67.3 per cent in CBSE Tenth"
is not likely to.
Now go beyond the curriculum. List the
achievements outside the academic realm that make you special. Maybe
you were a champion swimmer. Or you parasail regularly. Or you bit
the head off a rival debating team's captain.
When someone's choosing between two "67.3
per cent" types for an entry-level post, these are the things
that can make you seem more interesting.
Now get personal. If there's anything
unique or memorable about your personal situation, here's where
you put it down. Maybe age, or marital status-though either of those
strictly shouldn't matter. I've seen many who send in their height
and weight, even a photograph-and unless it's Femina Miss India
you're applying for, I don't see how that's of any use.
This gets you to a better resume. But that's
just brought you on to the playing field. Now you need to score.
Network furiously. You've probably whined
about someone else "She's got connections". Well, get
your own. If you meet or read about an interesting person or company,
track them down. Follow them. Learn about them, then ask to meet
them. Few will refuse you this favour, if you ask nicely. Ask about
the work there, about others they know in other companies who may
be hiring. Make sure you leave the interview with numbers of more
people to call. Repeat till you strike gold.
Create your job. How badly do you want
something specific? Find out where you can have that job and offer
to intern there for free. If you're any useful, someone will get
around to paying you.
Create your job, part 2. To me, this
recession and hiring into dead-end call centre jobs is an opportunity.
Not finding anything you like? Why don't you start off on your own?
There is no minimum age-or capital needed-for entrepreneurship.
Mahesh Murthy, an angel investor, heads
Passionfund. He earlier ran Channel V and, before that, helped launch
Yahoo! and Amazon at a Valley-based interactive marketing firm.
Reach him at Mahesh@passionfund.com.
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