Career building, CV writing and facing the interview board

BUS 251, Taufique Hossain

Types of companies in Bangladesh

Telecom

FMCG & Retail

Bank & Financial

Garments

Energy

Real Estate

NGOs

Advertising agencies

HR agencies

Research firms

Media

Things to look for in a job

Salary

Bonus

Other benefits

Type of work

Job environment

Management style

Career growth opportunity

Status

Employers approach to employment process

Looking for someone inside the organization

Relying on contacts and personal recommendations

Hiring an employment agency or search firms

Your approach to the employment process

Stay abreast of business and financial news

Researching specific companies

Networking

Seeking career counseling

Preparing Résumés

Analyzing your purpose & audience Create interest rather than telling every details Research the organization and the type of job Research the people who will be viewing your

CV.

Preparing Résumés

Organizing your CV around your strengths

Common problems Frequent job change Gaps in work history Inexperience Over qualification Long term employment with one company

Composing your résumé

Use short crisp phrases

Avoid using the word I

Use strong action verbs:

Accomplished, achieved, assisted, coordinated, established, generated, implemented, initiated, launched, maintained, organized, participated, performed, supervised, transformed, upgraded etc.

Composing your résumé

AVOID WEAK STATEMENTS USE ACTIVE STATEMENTS THAT SHOW RESULTS

Responsible for developing a new filing system

Developed a new filing system that reduced paperwork by 50 percent

I was in charge of customer complaints and all ordering problems

Handled all customer complaints and resolved all product order discrepancies

I won a trip to Europe for opening the most new customer accounts in my department

Generated the highest number of new customer accounts in my department

Member of special campus task force to resolve student problems with existing cafeteria assignments

Assisted in implementing new campus dining program that balances student wishes with cafeteria capacity

Composing your résumé

Name & Contact Information

Introductory Statement Career objective Qualification summary Career summary

Education

Work experience

Skills & Accomplishments

Activities and achievements

Revising résumé

Too long

Too short or sketchy

Difficult to read

Wordy

Amateurish

Poorly produced

Spelling and grammar error

Boastful

Too generic

Gimmicky

Cover Letter

When applying for a job a cover letter should be sent or posted with your resume.

Your cover letter should be specific to the position you are applying for, relating your skills and experience to those noted in the job posting. Your cover letter is your first (and best) chance to make a good impression!

Interview

Preemployment testing

Learning about the organization

Thinking ahead about the questions

Planning for the employer’s question

Planning questions of your own

Be ready for warm-up stage

Stay on your toes; even initial small talk is part of the interviewing process.

Greet the interviewer with a smile and direct eye contact.

Offer a firm (not crushing) handshake if the interviewer extends a hand.

Take a seat only after the interviewer invites you to sit or has taken his or her own seat.

Listen for clues about what the interviewer is trying to get you to reveal about you and your qualifications

Understand the question and answer stage

Let the interviewer lead the conversation.

Never answer a question before the interviewer finishes asking it.

Listen carefully to the interviewer and watch for nonverbal signals.

Don’t limit yourself to simple yes-or-no answers; expand on the answer to show your knowledge of the company (but don’t ramble on).

Often you have the opportunity, ask questions from the list you’ve prepared; remember that interviewers expect you to ask questions.

Close on a strong note.

Watch and listen for signs that the interview is about to end.

Quickly evaluate how well you’ve done and correct any misperceptions the interviewer might have.

Don’t bring up salary but be prepared to discuss it if the interviewer raises the subject.

End with a warm smile and a handshake and thank the interviewer for meeting with you.