A resume is your calling for interview card when you apply for a job. Usually, your resume has to sell an employer on giving you an interview. Interviews get the job; resumes can only get an interview. Very often, personnel people will prototype the interview on the resume they have received from you. Thus, it is essential that you have a resume and that it be a good one.

 A resume should contain brief but sufficient

information to tell a prospective employer:

•  Who you are
•  What you can do
•  What you have done
• What type of job you would like to do
•  What you know

 Your resume is often the first contact an employer will have with you, so it is important that you present yourself to your best advantage. Your resume must look professional and read professionally.

The main things are

•  Make the profile catchy using good English language.
• You are fresher so they will look about the Internship done and at what place, company etc…
• Show even what plans you have for the next coming few years.
• Show them how strong you are in the field .
• Do some market research and then work on the posting of the profile.

Follow These Basic Standards tips

• Don’t overcrowd your resume; allow for plenty of white space.
• Keep your resume to one page whenever possible.
• Keep the number of fonts you use to a minimum — two at the most.
• Use a font that is easy to read. Times Roman works well.
• Do not justify the lines of type on your resume. Allow the right side of the page to “rag.”
• use one font face and size, type very simple, check spaces and caps and small , gaps etc…

 your resume is type in the following order

•  Personal
•  Education qualification
•  Project
• Area of interest ( your interested subject )
•  Achievements
•  Point for self
•  Hobbies

I think CV resume is quite simply a ‘ To call attention ‘ to sell youself to an employer. You should send a CV to an employer when they ask for one in a job to call attention, or when you are enquiring if any jobs are available. So the purpose of your CV is to make you attractive, interesting, worth considering to the company and so receive a job interview. An employer may have several hundred enquiries about a single job, he or she will only choose a few people who appear suitable for interview.

• List your responsibilities and achievements.
• Find the one word that best describes your role in that situation such as manage, co-ordinate, plan, advice etc.
• Begin your sentence with the past tense of the verb you decide to use for every responsibility.
• Add some figures and facts to your statement.

If you want to ad more sap to you resumes, you can consult some professional resume writing services personally or online. Resume Writing Services are quite popular, because these professional resume writers got generous talent on writing Executive resumes.

Most of the large employers freeze their recruitments towards the end of financial years in a bid to show better financial results. Even the critical positions are not filled and existing employees are asked to double up for the new requirements. Most of these positions suddenly open up after the new financial years is started.

But this time around the new positions are not only the held up positions but also the growth positions. That is why I am terming it as – Really Jobs are back folks!

Jobs are back? so what?

Jobs are back so tighten up your belts, but do not rush to the jobs. In my opinion the initial flood of offers will not be competitive for the job seekers. Best is that you play a wait and watch game for few months. Test the waters and if in the past one year or so you have not taken any interviews – take a few with lesser companies for few months.

For the experienced professionals the jump start in the salary will start from June end onwards. in about three months time the companies will realize the market situation and will come to the negotiating tables. That is when the experienced job seekers will be able to make most of the killing – say in second quarter of the year. The third quarter will be more competitive as gold rush will see many new candidates turning the tables. Candidates should try to land up into a new job during the second quarter.

If you are a entry level job seeker on non campus market – you may have some tough competition and unemployed’s from last two years are now well trained and roaring to jump on the jobs.

This time go prepared ..

This time when you go to job market – go prepared. Go prepared with a killer resume, go prepared with the skills to negotiate and go prepared to get inside your dream employer. There are many resume writing services who will be helpful. Take help of professional consultants to prepare yourself for your job search. Bud my advise is that this time go prepared to market to see the difference it makes.

Read on:

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Literally there are thousands of questions that you could be asked during an interview.The typical Question asked in the interview is “Why are you leaving your job?” or “Why did you leave your job?” These question takes lot of time for a candidate to reply. They face very difficulty to reply this question,but you should be bold enough to speak to the interviewer because everything before joining the job should be clearly which will be safe side for u. In some situation the candidate may be fired from the job or etc.

This is your chance to talk about your experience and your career goals, not to badmouth a former boss or give a laundry list of reasons for your exit. Instead, focus on what you learned in your previous position and how you are ready to use those skills in a new position.

You may have left your previous job about anykind of reason but it is important not to convey  emotions in an interview situation as potential employers can see this sort of attitude as a sign of potential disloyalty. It is always important to give the most positive response possible.It is important that you try to express positive feelings. It is equally important not to apologise for the situation as this can be seen as a sign of weakness.

Here are some sample answers to the interview question “Why did you leave your job?

• The company was cutting back and, unfortunately, my job was one of   those eliminated.
• There isn’t room for growth with my current employer and I’m ready to move on to a new challenge.
• I am seeking a position with a stable company with room for growth and opportunity for advancement.
• I’m looking for a bigger challenge and to grow my career and I couldn’t job hunt part time while working.
• I was laid-off from my last position when our department was eliminated due to corporate restructuring.
• I’m relocating to this area due to family circumstances and left my previous position in order to make the move.
• I am interested in a new challenge and an opportunity to use my technical skills and experience in a different capacity than I have in the past.
• I recently received my degree and I want to utilize my educational background in my next position.
• I found myself bored with the work and looking for more challenges.
• I am interested in a job with more responsibility, and I am very ready for a new challenge.
• After several years in my last position, I’m looking for an company where I can contribute and grow in a team-oriented  environment.
• I was commuting to the city and spending a significant amount of time each day on travel. I would prefer to be closer to home.

“Recession” is the reason for everything that is happening to me!

Are you among those who think like this? If you think like this then you need to rethink about your thinking.

It has become fashionable to blame recession for everything that is going wrong. I lost my job because of recession. I have to work extra because of recession. My sales is down because of recession. Blaming everything on recession is an easy excuse.

But is that truth? Yes we accept that there are some who are genuinely affected by recession – but there are more than that who just got the “recession bug” and complain about recession in everything  they do and assign the reason of their failure on recession.

Remember – it is easy for anyone to do good in the good times – those who have got stuff – do good even in bad times. The real test of how good you are is not in the times of extreme growth but it is in the times when the going is tough.

So if you are a good salesman – do not blame recession for drop in your sales revenue. Go out and sell! Do not sit assuming that due to recession there are no buyers.

If you are a good production manager – do not stop producing as nobody is buying. May be look for the ways to reduce the product’s production cost and pass on the benefit to buyers – al lower price they may buy!

If you are a good IT manager – look for ways to improve information efficiency and make your organization competitive in the changed scenario.

What else is mark of a real professional. If you keep sitting, doing nothing you will keep getting the same results – no action – no results.

As a job seeker even if you lost your job – do not get overwhelmed by the figures of unemployment – they are just statistics and they are there because we are making them. Keep trying to find the opportunity – never stopping your effort – and you will get the results. Meanwhile try for alternative occupations in the time you have and make the most of it.

Key is to ACT and do not make recession as an excuse for inaction!

A well made resume, which identifies your goals, academic background, skills, experience (if any), and activities, is just as critical for the internship search as it will be for your job search after you complete your education. A resume or CV which is for internship may not be very different from the one that you will use for a job application – both in intent and content. However, you may include some information for the internship resume which you may not in your final resume for the job search.

Structure of an internship resume:

• Objective of Internship: Write your objective for internship (customize for internship you are applying)
• Skills: Write your skill set (relavant to internship you are applying)
• Relevant experience: Write your experience relevant for internship. This may be part time experience or other projects. Explain in detail.
• Other experience: List the other experience (not related to internship being applied for). Be brief as this is not so relevant.
• Education: (Reverse Chronological – include present course up to last semester)
• Awards and Honors: (List any awards, honors, scholarships)
• Extra curricular activities
• References: Give some academic and if possible related industry references
• Contact Information: (Name, Address, Phone, Email)

Some Tips for writing internship resume:

• Tailor your resume for internship your are applying
• Write tailored cover letter or email
• Use ‘Reverse Chronological’ for education and experience
• Keep the contact details latest (don’t miss that one call)
• Propose your project while being flexible to change it if organization demands
• Keep it short – 1 page resume and 5 line cover letter
• Be prepared with your “Elevator Speech”

If you modify your resume based on tips above you will soon get the positive feedback from employers.

Best wishes for your internship!

Shall you say say … “Yes!” OR “No”

We recommend to always say “Yes”. Why? Asking questions shows that you are interested in the job. This also gives you another chance to show how knowledgeable you are about the position and the industry. Last but not least, it lets you highlight why you are the right candidate for this job – you have done till now using answers and now you have do the same with your questions.

What questions to ask to an interviewer?
You obviously have to be prepared before. You have to choose your questions carefully,  depending on who is on the other side of table. Note that an excellent question for a recruiter might be inappropriate for an executive. Depending on the level and function of the person you have to chose the question.

What you should never ask?
There are certain questions you should never ask (if asked for asking a question) no matter whom you’re meeting. Do not ask about salary, vacation, Benefits (like retirement benefits) or anything that may look as if you are more interested in the compensation than the company.

Here are some questions depending on the person you are meeting

Questions to ask Recruiter / HR Manager
The recruiter’s job to identify and shortlist strong candidates and take them through the hiring process.  They can give you an overview of the company and the department as a whole. But they may not help you with nitty gritty of the job. So save very specific questions about the job for the hiring manager. The recruiter is also the best person to answer questions about the hiring process. So the appropriate questions to as the recruiter are:

• What is the kind of the company culture you have?
• What type of employees do well in your company?
• Please tell me more about the interview process?
• Please tell me more about the joining formalities required.

Questions to ask Hiring Manager (Who will be your future boss)
Hiring manager will be the one who is most likely to supervise you if you get the job. They are the most knowledgeable people about the role and what it demands. So if you are meeting Hiring Manager you ask the specific questions about the job, responsibilities and challenges. So the appropriate questions to as the hiring manager are:

• How would you describe what candidate you are looking for?
• What are the key skills required for the job?
• What’s a typical career path at the company for someone in this role?
• (You can ask about the specefic questions related to project, job – like technology etc)

Questions to ask Senior managers and executives
Senior managers and executives are some of the most knowledgeable about the latest happenings in their industry. They work and think at a higher level so do not ask them
about specifics about the job. instead you focus your questions on the future of the
company and the industry. Taling to Senior managers and executives is a chance for you to to show off your industry knowledge. Here are some questions to ask a senior manager or executives:

• How do you think this industry will shape in the next decade?
• What do you think gives this company an edge over its competitors?
• What’s the company’s biggest challenge? How is it planning to meet that challenge?

Questions to ask Coworker
Some companies have practice of interviews with a potential coworker. A potential colleague may be most open about the job, its challenges and the work environment. However, don not expect inside information and do not even ask for it. Some questions for potential coworker are:

• What’s a typical day like in the department?
• How would you describe the work environment at the company?
• What’s the most enjoyable part of your job? What’s the most challenging part?

We have kept the above questions relatively generic so that they fit for all situations. However you may need to re phrase the questions for your domain and industry.

Audit 1: Apples or Oranges – does your resume differentiates you?
When you are making your resume you have to make sure your resume stands out from the rest. Your resume should be of the type that is attractive to the eyes and ensures that the person evaluating it will want to read what is inside. Steroeotypes are out – creativity is in.

Audit 2: Are you hitting the dot or you are in circles?
There are two types of shooters – good shooters and bad shooters. Good are those who fire less bullets but hit the dot in middle. Bad one’s are those who waste the bullets in the circles around the dot. Have you written a resume which is too long and not to the point or concise. If yes it will be irrelevant to the person who will be evaluating. Note that your employer’s time is critical and you must realize that they have limited time to evaluate each resume. If your resume is showing your value in short and concise manner (short time for your employer) you  have made yourself shortlisted for an interview.

Audit 3: Is your resume general or is custom made for the job?
Do you have one resume that fits all? If yes you may be in trouble. A ‘one size fits all’ or ‘Readymade’ resume is not the best way to create the right impression on your employer. You have to make sure your resume is listing related work experience you have had in relation to the job you are applying for. So keep different versions of their CV for different job opening purposes and ensure that your resume is appropriate for the job you are applying. Some even argue that employers know that you have spruced up the resume – but they like the effort you have taken to tailor.

So next time you are applying for a job ask yourself these three “Resume Audit Questions”. For more tips and secrets to for your career success at work, click on links below of related articles. Careercola.com has only one objective – “to ensure that you manage your career successfully”.

Do’s and don’ts of professional resume writing

Keep it to the point: Keep it brief, concise and relevant. Do not turn your resume into a tedious list of key responsibility areas. Many people even use their company jargon in writing a resume – avoid that. Instead tell the prospective employer how you made a difference to your last job. You can provide specific examples of how the company you work for gained from your performance. You can also highlight any goals which you achieved ahead of time, or any special cost-cutting measures spearheaded by your department.

Your resume should answer the questions like – What special expertise did you bring to your current job? Highlight of any special praise, certificates of achievement presented to you or your department. What were the problems or challenges that you or the organisation faced? and what did you do to overcome the problems?

Not too short, Not too long: We recommend the complete length of your CV should not be more than 2 pages. Do not use long sentences and old-fashioned language. Instead use Bullet Points and modern formal language. Be specific and direct. Explain in a few crisp sentences what you do now, and what you aim to do in your new job.

Do not overuse personal pronouns: It is your CV and hence will be about you. But try to avoid using I, me, my in the CV too often and preferablly be avoided.

Relate your skills and abilities to your job history: Your resume should record your career progression. In the process you must link the skills to jobs done. Also highlight the skills that you now have and will be usefull to the job you are applying for.

Professional resume layout:
Here is the recommended resume layout:

• Profile summary: Start with a profile section (detailing the scope of your experience, skill sets, key responsibility areas) in summary
• Employment History in reverse chronological order (emphasizing achievements in the recent 5-10 years)
• Education again in reverse chronological order (this might be moved to the top for fresh graduates)
• Other topics such as professional affiliations, community activities, technical expertise, and languages spoken
• Personal details should be at the end. However hobbies & other personal interests should only be included if they relate to the positions you’re interested in.

What to keep in mid while writing resume

Keywords: With most of the companies, recruiters and job portals companies using technology to store resumes, it has become important for a job seeker to include relevant industry keywords to be found in an applicant search. Do not make a separate section for keywords but you must use them throughout the resume. A good way to determine keywords is to search the leading job portals and read job descriptions for positions that interest you. Form here you can note the industry buzzwords and incorporate them into your resume.

References: Referees are people in responsible positions who refer you for the job and sometimes are the key to get a job. Always keep at least two good referees lined up but do not list them in the resume unless you are asked for them. You can write “reference available on request” in your resume.

Review your resume: Get your resume reviewed wither by some professionals or by your friends. And based on the feedback evaluate and make changes. Poor grammar and misspelled words may cause a potential employer to question your attention to detail and the quality of your work. Ensure that there are no Grammar & spelling mistakes. A thourough review will ensure that your resume is free from any errors.

• Average salary hike in India in 2009 will be 8.2% (the highest in the Asia Pacific region hoever first time in six years that India is likely to see single-digit salary increases)
• Projected salary hike is lower than the increase of 13.3% seen in 2008
• The hike higher than China (8%) USA (3.2%) and Japan (2.3%)
• Sectors expected to see the highest raises are FMCG, durables and telecom.
• Healthcare is sector that is doing well globally and in India. In 2008, hospitals had awarded the lowest salary increases but have been placed among the top five sectors for 2009.

With inflation well below 5.5%, an average increase of 8.2% can be considered as a good raise.

To read more about this on Hewitt website – click here

• Employees at the junior manager, professional and supervisor levels are expected to receive the highest increases.
• About 16% of companies in India are considering retrenchments
• More than 60% are still hiring
• Nine out of every 10 companies still giving promotions
• Only 0.83% of companies are resorting to salary cuts

Now compare this to USA – 55% of companies in the US, 30.6% in China, 32% in Australia, 20% in Thailand and 17% in Japan are considering laying off their employees to cut costs in the face of economic recession

How Indian companies are facing recession

• In India, most companies face the downturn by drastically cutting down on luxuries and discretionary expenses such as non-billable travel and entertainment, with greater focus on prudence and productivity with the intent is to avoid layoffs.
• They are redeploying human resources and making largescale realignments to the organization

Here are three tips for getting the best out of a recruitment agency:

Treat Recruiter as employer
Treat Recruiter as employer means you should underastand that recruiters work for their clients (unless you are paying them – which is not the case). So treat the first interaction with a recruitment agent as your first round interview. After all you have to impress the recruiter so that they recommend you to prospective employer. Also a great impression on a recruitment consultant will help you in getting marked as a “good” candidate and you may be called more often than others for any future requirements.

Build long term relationship with your recruiter
You have to look at this interaction in long term perspective. So try to build rapport with your recruiter. Give them answers to all questions they are asking. Also ask as many questions you have about the prospective position. Give them all the information on thetype of job that you want. Keep interacting with the consultant on a regular interval.

Do not hide any career related issue with your recruiter
Do not hide any career related issue with your recruiter. remember although they work for clients – it is their interest also to get you placed as they get fee only after you are placed and joined. So never hide any facts from your recruiter as it will help them in proposing you for just the right position.

So next time you are out searching for jobs – keep these tips in mind. They are really effective if followed.

I. BUSINESS RELATED GD TOPICS

1. The future of IT industry
2. Why outsourcing works?
3. With the increasing use of IT in daily life, machines are controlling man.
4. IT helps social integration
5. Increasing use of computers is de-humanizing society.
6. Computer Viruses are good
7. International trade barriers work.
8. Affirmative action draws people to work they never considered before.
9. Bribery is good for Business
10. Minimum Wage – Why should we have a minimum wage or why not?
11. Recycling – Sort out how to make money with recycling.

II. SPORTS RELATED GD TOPICS

1. What is wrong with our sports?

III. SOCIAL GD TOPICS

1. Should euthanasia be legalized?
2. Capital punishment should be abolished.
3. Cloning of human beings should be allowed.
4. Is pocket money enough for the youth of today?
5. Love cannot be confined to Valentine’s Day.
6. A women’s place is at home.
7. Parents don’t understand children.
8. Are we raising a society of burnt out children?
9. Should we have job reservation in the private sector?
10. Beauty pageants are a waste of time and should be banned.
11. Is women empowerment a myth?
12. Film awards are a farce and should be stopped.
13. Brain drain vs brain in the drain.
14. The media should be more socially responsible.
15. The pros and cons of having a credit card.
16. Why drinking and driving is dangerous to yourself and others.
17. Passive smoking is equally harmful.
18. Sustainable urban living without the use of excessive natural resources must be our future.
19. Online dating chats have nothing to do with a search for a soul mate.
20. Most people support embryonic stem cell research.
21. Life imprisonment is a good alternative to capital punishment.
22. What is wrong with child labor?
23. Why Hippocratic Oath
24. Film actors buy cheap publicity from controversies?

IV. POLITICS RELATED GD TOPICS

1. Politics is the root cause of all problems in our country
2. Politics of criminals vs criminalization of politics.
3. For true democracy to happen, it must first happen within all political parties.
4. Women’s reservation in Politics
5. How we can handle terrorism?
6. Do we need stronger laws to curtail terrorism?
7. The new face of terrorism
8. Conspiracy is a very common form of political behavior.
9. The pros and cons of a female President.

V. CAMPUS RELATED GD TOPICS

1. Should use of mobile phones be banned on campus?
2. Should college students wear uniforms?
3. Should politics be allowed on campus?
4. We should shift to Open Book Policy for examinations.
5. Our education system should be revamped.
6. Need for a more practical education?
7. Education in the wired world?
8. Why we need better technology for education?
9. Should colleges distribute condoms?
10. School Violence – What are the real causes of violence and bullying in Schools?

VI. ETHICS RELATED GD TOPICS

1. Is honesty the best policy for our citizen
2. Profit is a bad word in business.
3. Ethics and business do not co-exist.
4. Advertising is all glitter and no truth.

VII. ABSTRACT GD TOPICS

1. The Sun always rises in the East.
2. The color of the cat is not a matter of concern as long as it catches mice.
3. Green is better than red.
4. Life is like a box of chocolates.
5. What a man thinks is what he is.
6. How do you know what you know unless you see what you know.
7. Direct mail is a special form of junk mail.
8. The Nostradamus Code are correct
9. Breast Implants

VIII. INTERNATIONAL GD TOPICS

1. The U.N. is mainly based on diplomacy and enhancing relationships.
2. Iraq – What are the best exit strategies?

Do you have more topics to add? Share them here by writing in comments.

Google Docs: You can upload your document to Google Docs (docs.google.com) and publish it online for everyone to see. Now share the link with everyone you wanted to share through email. This link will remain same even if you have changed the document.

Google Sites: You can easily create (without any technical knowledge – yes even the 4th graders in schools these days can do) a site with your personl profile on Google sites (sites.google.com). Site obviously give you more options as you can have multiple pages, and attach multiple documents. These are ideal to create your detailed profile where you can share your project experience. Google Sites (like Google docs) can be published and shared with everyone. So again just share the link once and people can keep track of you.

Create a blog: Blogs are not only for celebrities or expert publishers. You can also create your professional blog (professional profile) using free blogging tools like WordPress (www.wordpress.com) or Blogger (www.blogger.com). Ideal choice would be WordPress as it allows you to create pages. A blog will be an appropriate choice to show your understaing and work to prospective employers on an ongoing basis. Most suitable for technical professionals, artists, consultants etc.

Create a video resume: Have a camcorder or webcam? Well dress up and create a professional video resume of about five minutes and host it online. You can host it for free on Youtube (www.yourtube.com) or Screencast (www.screencast.com). You can directly share the link with employers or embed the video into your blog.

So you can go ahead and create a profile online. Be an early adopter and create a diffrentiation for yourself by going onlife first. We would love to hear your comments with links to your online resumes here on this post.

Make yourself irreplaceable: Be very clear about what you responsibilities are, and make sure you are meeting them.

Pick up additional responsibilities / Go beyond: Make sure your supervisors and colleagues are aware of your capabilities. Continue to build your skills. Look for opportunities at your company and elsewhere. Look for ways to go beyond what you’ve been told to do. Volunteer for additional tasks (bu be careful do not ask for more than you can handle. Create an impression of task master who gets the job done well.

Don’t seem paranoid or anxious: Keep working at your current output level, and try to focus on getting the job done. Even as businesses trim around the edges, some departments are at lesser layoff risk, and there won’t necessarily be cuts across the board. Workers that contribute directly to revenue may be safer. For example, a telemarketer selling product usually stays around.

Find related jobs within organization / Improve your skill set: If your role is likely to go – find related jobs within organization. For example new project development has stopped – try moving to support of old projects. If your your skills obsolete? Take extra
classes to brush up the latest skills. If career improvement seminars are offered at work, attend them. You want to show your employer that you are still viable in the workplace, and that you have the necessary training to continue doing a good job.

Come up and suggest ways to cut costs: If you see areas of waste at your company immediately recommend ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. Do not ask for huge investments in your projects so keep the suggestions to low investment options.

Suggest ways to increase revenue: If you can see a potential new revenue stream that requires a low (preferably zero) investment, recommend it. Companies appreciate an employee who is innovative and consider them more valuable. Idea here is to strech resources rater than to consume resources.

Increase your visibility: In any recession – the first people fired are those with
a negative impression. The next to go are those that are unnoticed and therefore can be released. So the writing on wall is to get noticed in a positive way. How? Here are some tips – Make sure you reach on time to work and preferably work extra hours. You limit your vacation period. Make extra contribution to work, and ensure that it is noticed by management. Without being too bold, make sure that your boss is aware of what you are contributing to the bottom line of the company.

Have a positive attitude: This is no time to complain constantly. You need to be constructive enough to make the workplace better. Do not complain excessively or gossip informally. If you have a reputation as a complainer or morale-killer, may be you can lose your job. Employers in bad times try to get rid of people who pull the team backwards.

Despite all these suggestions no one can guarantee you that you will be retaining your job in economic recession. You can try but no matter how hard you try sometimes there may be a chance of bad news for you. So it is good to be prepared (in case?). Update your resume, get hooked to few recruiters. Network with your old bosses, coworkers, and business
contacts. You will get better results if you are prepared ahead of time. “Dig your well before you are thirsty”.

Some people seems to have mastered the art salary negotiation. They seems to get the salary scales that they exactly want. What do they different while negotiating their salary? How did they achieved the salary negotiation points they wanted?

Do you know that there are several techniques that need to be mastered to get paid the salary that you deserve? Good people are hard to find and employers are often prepared to go above what they were originally going to pay for the right talent.

The first and foremost step of Salary Negotiation is understanding that when you are offered a job, the success of the negotiation depends on how much you yourself valued your experience.

Rather than feeling grateful that you have been offered a job, your belief in yourself, your abilities, your intrinsic value, your market value and your potential will enable you to change your mindset. In fact you need to feel that the company with whom you are negotiating should be grateful that I wanted to work for them.

A belief in your value will go a long way in increasing your salary levels. You may leave a few offers initially – but in long run your salary level will go more than your peers who think otherwise.

So next time you are in job market and negotiating salary – do not sell yourself undervalued. Ask for what you believe in – and see the magic.

Do I need to send a cover letter? Is there someone who reads it?

Well – yes. There still are recruiters who read the cover letters. And why not be more conservative when applying for job. Work in a traditional manner and send a resume with cover letter.

What I should include in cover letter? How a resume cover letter is drafted?

A cover letter has five parts: Your address, Address of Employer, Subject & Reference, Body, and End. Here we will briefly discuss on each of these parts of a resume cover letter.

The resume cover letter begins with your address, telephone number and email at the top. Your contact information upfront is very of import and will be quick reference to employer to contact you.

The cover letter should have a clear mention of Subject and Reference. This saves the time and the person who is reading it will like it if the letter is with clear subject and reference. Subject can be like “Exploring the career opportunities with company_name in position_name” and reference should be the source from where you have come to know about the position.

Next you need to write the address of the individual whom you are addressing. Write a name only if you know whom you are applying. Use neutral words unless you are sure (like use Ms. Instead of Mrs). If the name of individual is not known address to the position – like “HR Manager”.

The body starts with salutation. If you are not sure who will be reading this make sure you use “Sir or Madam”. If know it is better to write a personalized letter salutation like “Dear Ms. Thomas”

The body can be divided into three parts – first paragraph shows your inclination to work for the company you are applying for. The second para should state briefly your qualifications for the position and why they shoud meet you over an interview. This is your opportunity to impress, write best about yourself, and give the reader the information they need to be convinced about your candidature for the said position. The third para should devote on your intention to apply for said position and an action message for the reader.

The letter should end with greetings followed by your name and signature at the bottom. The greetings should be personal as far as possible. Make sure you sign all letter personally.

What points I should keep in mind while formatting my letter?

Us a font which is not very big or very small. Preferably same in resume and cover letter. Use a conservative business font like Times New Roman, Ariel or Verdana. The text should be justified to make letter look even. Print the cover letter on a white paper in black ink.

A cover letter will show your personality to the employer. Make sure you use this tool in the best way.