|
|
 The first rule of job hunting – never give up. The second rule is, take your CV very seriously. It’s your first and often only chance to make a good impression. |
Editors note: At this time of year, we have thousands of students receiving the Bangkok Post at their schools and universities. Today’s feature is especially relevant to them, but as Kelly May points out, it can be relevant to just about anyone.
Most of us have been there, pen in hand, circling job advertisements in the classifieds section. Job-hunting is not the most pleasant of tasks, but for one reason or another, at some point in our lives, we shall all be at the mercy of the positions vacant section.
It’s not only school leavers and graduates who face the daunting task of finding suitable employment. In Thailand, unlike in some western countries like the UK, there is no social security system to fall back onto during periods of unemployment, thus having some form of secure employment is mandatory for everyone, Thais and farang alike. Thus when we see a position in the classifieds that may suit our skills and experience, it’s essential that we grab that opportunity with both hands.
Most adverts will state the prerequisites and methods of application. Read thoroughly to ensure you are a suitable candidate. Political correctness has failed to reach our shores and prerequisites are sometimes painfully specific. It’s not uncommon to have an age, nationality or sex requirement ruling us out right from the start (a practice that is illegal in many western countries, incidentally).
Finding a suitable position is only the first step on a very precarious journey to employment. There are cover letters to compose and interviews to survive. More often than not, the advertisement will stipulate a ‘CV’ or resume. Curriculum Vitae is in fact Latin for ‘life story’ and here’s where the first impressions come in. You have to bare your job-seeking soul to a complete stranger.
Your CV is your only chance to make that first vital impression and it is not something to take lightly. You need to make it count, you need to sell yourself. You need to make your ‘life story’ so irresistible that employers come banging on your door, begging you to come and vie for their next ‘Employee of the Year’ title.
The human factor
Let’s be honest, the people in charge of reading the applications are only human. It’s a well-known fact that humans like their lives to be as simple as possible. A four page CV detailing past hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes will not be favourably received.
Thus, keep it short and sweet and pay attention to layout. Your CV should be easy to skim with the important details clearly standing out (using bullet points helps here). You can then expand on these points in the interview.
Let’s just imagine for a moment that you are the person in charge of finding a new employee. You have a stack of CVs, cover letters and applications to get through. There are going to be two piles, ‘potential candidates’ and ‘waste paper’. The harsh reality is that a person may be perfect for the job, but if the CV doesn’t communicate this, then quite simply, they won’t get the job.
All CVs need to contain personal information about gender, date of birth, contact details, employment history and referees. Employers often look for an aims and objectives section stating personal and professional goals as well.
Chronicling your academic qualifications is another must, but here there is often a disparity of opinion between farang and Thai managers. Thai managers tend to put considerable emphasis on grade point averages and university reputation. Farang managers, on the other hand, look more to experience as the decisive factor in the selection process.
Problem with grades
 John Stevens, Best in Bangkok |
"I receive CVs accompanied by university transcripts and grade point averages," says. award-winning Canadian entrepreneur John Stevens of Best in Bangkok. "Such grades are often arbitrary in a working environment. They give nothing practical away.
"I want to know what that person has done and what use it is to me. I am a businessman after all and I can’t afford to make character judgements on academic results that are often misleading. Grades communicate ability to work well with books but not people or business. "
Even among Thai managers, however, exquisite academic qualifications aren’t always enough to secure a job. According to Intira Sriyanong, Recruitment Manager for the Post Publishing Public Company Limited, being overqualified may actually go against a candidate.
"A candidate’s high level of educational attainment in relation to the position applied for raises a number of questions. Firstly, why are they applying and secondly are they just going to use the job as a stepping stone to something better in a short amount of time," says Intira.
"Many candidates use us to gain experience. It’s frustrating but just the way life is in a large company and we work hard to minimise its occurrence." Companies want to hire and keep good employees and will be highly selective to achieve this.
Targeting
Intira agrees with Stevens in that experience needs to relate to the position applied for. "Relevancy is the key when sorting though CVs. We can receive over 100 applications per position and we need to be selective. There’s a definite art to the selection process and I look for certain details first. The recruitment department is the first hurdle and applicants need to impress from the word go."
 George Dunford, project manager at WebControl |
Sending the identical resume for every application is a sure way toward quick elimination. Says George Dunford, project manager at WebControl, "we spend around 20 seconds scanning each CV and eliminate the majority just because they are sent indiscriminately to different companies in the hope of a reply. It demonstrates lack of due care and attention.
"We want people to show that they have thought about what they are doing and which job and company they are applying to. Messy layout and silly spelling errors indicates a lackadaisical approach to work. I need to see people that care about what they do, because if I employ them they will have to demonstrate commitment to the company and the work that they do."
Once again, Intira agrees. "In one cover letter I received," she says by way of example, "it stated that the candidate was replying to an advert seen in another English language newspaper. We had never placed an advertisement with them. It’s errors like these that make you question a candidate’s ability to carry out simple tasks and pay attention to detail. Let’s just say she wasn’t invited in for an interview."
Clearly, someone who has used their initiative, checked the company’s web site for publicity reports and publications and designed their CV using this information will stand out above someone who has a standard ‘one size fits all’ CV.
This is known as ‘targeting’ your CV, making your qualifications, skills, and experience fit with the job description. ‘Targeting’ requires a thoughtful approach using fresh material to result in a customised resume.
Employment History
Employees are a long-term investment and the success of a company depends heavily on their constructive input. A CV needs to demonstrate commitment, past, present and future. A CV littered with short periods of employment will speak volumes about you and your career choices. It may indicate indecisiveness and your potential to waste a company’s time and investment.
You aren’t expected to dedicate your whole life to a company but you should be aware of how your varied employment history may be judged by an employer. "I look for a positive progression in a person’s employment history," says Colin Brown, Managing Director of KPS Systems Ltd.
"People’s employment position should never go down," he explains. "A sideways or upward movement is favoured. It shows that a person is dynamic and willing to take on challenges. I will always question a step down and look upon it negatively."
Dunford agrees and underlines further the importance of a clear career path. "A statement of goals and objectives corresponding to the vacant position indicates a willing candidate with common sense. I want to see that the candidate really wants to work for the company and if he or she has what it takes to make themselves a success. We have no time for time-wasters but you’d be surprised how many of them there are out there."
Applicants who have done a fair bit of job hopping in their career should be aware of how their employment history may be perceived. Thus, be selective in those jobs you do list and those which you don’t. During the interview you can elaborate upon your history providing valid justifications for each job move. And students and graduates who have not yet made move into the big wide world of work should be aware of the dangers of switching jobs too frequently.
Team Player
Employees don’t work in isolation. They are part of a larger network or team. Working relations are a fine balance and need to be handled with utmost care. One bad hire could disrupt relations or create unwanted tensions among staff. Thus employers need to know how well you are likely to function with others and your CV will need to demonstrate your ‘colleague’ potentiality.
Here’s where the ‘Interests and Activities’ section comes in useful. Unusual hobbies and interests can make you stand out and act as talking points in the interview. Of course, if you really have to struggle to think of anything you do in your free time then it is better to leave this section out instead of wasting valuable space.
If this is the case, then spruce up other sections to make yourself sound more interesting. Civic and volunteer duties too are worth a mention because they demonstrate your community mindedness. Nice people usually do nice things.
It’s also important to point out your skills. Don’t take your abilities for granted and fail to include them on your CV. Language skills, computer literacy and other hidden talents are all worth a mention and add colour to your ‘life story’. You may not rate yourself as highly skilled but compared to others you may appear to excel. You’d be amazed at how many people lack basic skills and the common sense to learn them.
At least two references should ideally be included and they need to be chosen with care. Aim to impress. Large companies create a preferable impression and trust. Ensure first, however, that the referees you have chosen are willing to provide a glowing statement for you.
Finally, honesty is usually the best policy as exaggerations often have the nasty habit of coming back to haunt. Tiny white lies are all well and good if they have a fragment of truth to them. But be warned: saying you have a particular skill when you don’t is a dangerous move and could have devastating consequences. And, above all, avoid bending the truth beyond recognition.
terryfrd@ksc15.th.com |