How to write Effective Resumes & Cover Letters

Your resume is probably the most important document in any job search process. Most people think that because they have a qualification, skill and experience they can sell themselves to hiring managers and ignore the resume. What they do not realize is that a resume is the first document that will attract the hiring manager to consider to shortlist them for interview. Ignoring and neglecting to provide an effective resume will nullify your chances of been shortlisted. Hiring managers scan through hundreds of resume looking for the exact qualifications, skills and experience required to fill the vacancy. If your resume is badly written recruiters will find it difficult to select such candidates. It must be remembered that hiring managers are also under pressure to fill vacancies and will not have time to read every resume thoroughly to understand if potential candidates fulfils the exact requirements of the post. Why make it difficult for them to select your resume? The hiring managers will only scan and select a resume that present the most concise information with the relevant and informative text that will catch his eye. Your resume can open doors for you to be selected and hopefully shortlisted for the position you have applied for.

The content of your resume and how you have arranged your career history will improve your chances of getting into the interview. Anybody who reads your resume should be able to understand your resume without meeting you or reading your cover letter. Besides, that is what happens in real life – hiring managers peruse your resume long before you are called for interview. The final decision to finally call you for interview will ultimately rest on your resume. Your resume is the only key that will get you through the door of the company you wish to work for

Create a dynamic cover letter

The second step to actually getting a job interview is to create an attention-getting cover letter. Your cover letter is a piece of information that lets’ a potential employer know what your skills are and whether you would make a perfect fit for the available position. Your cover letter must be as detailed and informative as possible, without going beyond a one-page limit. Write a cover letter that will be attractive and draw as much attraction as possible. Remember getting noticed amongst hundreds of resume is the only way to get a job. Take time to compile a compelling cover letter that sells your skills.

Branding and Objective Statement

Many people think that cover letters are merely a concise summary of what is in your resume, or at least a list of signposts that point to what they’ll read about later. Effective cover letters however are more than that. They are a platform to sell your application, to brand yourself using differentiating attributes and strengths and merging these with your experience and skills. It helps you to clarify and communicate differences and specialties and how to use those qualities to guide your career. It also helps you to highlight your strengths, skills, passions and values and to separate yourself from your competitors. Use persuasive writing that creates a professional identity about yourself. Place your brand on top of the front page of your resume and cover letter like a catchy headline on the front page of a newspaper grabs the attention of the reader.
In the book, we provide you with examples of how can you craft a winning objective statement which can help your resume, and your accomplishments, stand out in a crowd. Typically, the objective statement is meant to provide a brief summary of the position you seek and the main skills you can offer an employer; the provided information forms a first impression with the reader.
Professional or Executive Summary
A professional or executive summary is similar to an objective statement, but it focuses more on what you offer a potential employer versus what you seek in a position. The summary also provides an opportunity to highlight your skills upfront. A professional summary is, in essence, an executive review of your career. If a recruiter or hiring manager reviewed your resume, what are the top three or four points you’d want to stand out? These highlights should serve as the basis of your statement.

Discuss your soft skills because employers desire candidates who can do more than just apply their trained skills to a job. Qualities such as teamwork, leadership, interpersonal and critical thinking skills are just as important. Make use of the professional summary area on your resume to highlight these less technical or taught attributes. A professional summary does not have to be “one size fits all.” Create a general professional summary that will be attractive to many types of employers. If you plan to target your search to a particular employer or position, create a customized summary that specifically addresses what you have to offer and how those qualities match what the company seeks in a new employee.

While your resume and cover letter form a first impression of your skills and accomplishments to a future employer, the important take-away is that you don’t always have to follow rigid practices in formatting a resume. Being creative in your approach to introducing your value to a new employer will often win you more call backs than sticking to an old-fashioned template. In this case, instead of limiting yourself by including only objective statements, ensure your resume stands out and provides a future employer a rich and clear view of your experience by using a professional summary.

If you can take time and write an executive summary of your strongest skills, you have the edge over other contenders who skip this important step.

Here are other things you need to note regarding your resume and cover letter;
• Prove that you are the right person for the job. In one sentence tell the employer what you can do.
• Tailor your resume and cover letter to suit the advert you're replying to.
• Delete the all details that are not relevant to the job you're applying for.
• Show the employer how your skills will help him. Emphasize your suitability by repeating keywords appropriate for the job you're applying for.
• Describe what your achievements have taught you. Quantify your achievements with numbers, volumes and values.
• Create an instant impact. Use action words to describe your achievements e.g. "increased", "achieved", "succeeded”, “developed”. Avoid words like "assisted", and "participated in". Instead use words like: "co-wrote", "co-designed", "as a member of the team".
• Focus on the needs of the employer.
• Add a "PS" to your cover letter. Use it to highlight the key benefit for the employer when he recruits you.
The reason a "PS" is so effective is, after reading your cover letter; most recruiters go straight to the signature and the name to see who sent the letter to them. They won't be able to avoid a clear "PS" with an irresistible promise.
Your cover letter has to sell you and your skills faster than a TV advertisement. Most interviewers decide to chuck your resume or invite you to an interview within one minute of reading your cover letter. So to land that job fast, grab the hiring manager's attention straight away with a compelling cover letter.

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Succession Planning Helps to Cultivate Talent

While organisations know about the value of succession planning as a tool to sustain their business models and to retain talent, many organisations still end up needing to find outside talent to fill senior positions. Lack of proper and thought out succession planning is one of the biggest challenges facing organisations. The other reason is job-hopping that put succession planning into disarray for many organisations. Circumstances change more than anticipated and whatever talent was previously identified is no longer adequate. Effective succession management is the result of cultivating the talent to populate a succession plan that works when actually applied. For this reason, it is essential that the effort is invested in cultivating talent and not merely in populating plans. The plans will be weak if the actual cultivating or growth of talented people is not strong. Organisations need to make an effort to actively cultivate talent to ensure that future talent gaps are avoided. In most organisations the immediate talent requirements cannot be adequately met from within. This creates a time demand operationally on line managers and the human resources teams supporting them to constantly be focused on external recruitment, which can be very time consuming. In addition, external placements require intensive induction and training for their new organisation and take time to become productive. Recruitment agencies offer more flexibility and can help organisations when they are pressed for time. It is time that recruiters were placed in a relationship more central to the succession planning process rather than on the margins. Most organisations leave recruiters entirely out of the succession planning process, bringing them in only at the last moment to fill urgent positions. Recruiters can help in the succession planning by; contributing to the overall talent plan and projections on a variety of possible staffing scenarios and create and maintain flexible talent pools. In a typical organisation, the cultivation period to grow talent to a first-line supervisory or specialist levels roughly takes three to five years, depending on the sector and excluding any prior formal qualifications required. So the failure to have readily available internal talent to meet current requirements is a failure of the leadership of the organisation to have identified talent with the potential to cultivate and prepare this talent for future requirements. Organisations then find themselves with limited staff and they are even less likely to begin the cultivation process. In this way the vicious cycle is perpetuated. Another concern is that the morale of employees can be affected when outside appointments are made. Organisations should strive to source and select entry-level staff that has the potential to move up the ranks of the organisation and use them as a key talent pool from where talent can be grown and cultivated.

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Job Search Fundamentals

One of the important things job seekers need to know about job search is to learn the fundamentals. Learning the fundamentals will serve you well in your job search and in understanding what employers are looking for in new employees.
Here are tips to learn and know as you research and prepare for your job hunting.
Recruitment
Hiring Managers uses various recruitment tools to attract people to the organisation. The recruitment can be done internally or externally. Different methods of recruitment are used such as newspapers, radio, internet, recruitment agencies etc.
Selection
Steps in selection process
• Screening
All applications are screened to ascertain whether they meet the requirements of the specific vacancy. The ultimate goal is to select the right person for the right job in the right position. The procedure followed is weighting or comparing the applicant’s resume against the job description and the inherent requirements of the job.
• Pre-employment testing
Candidates for certain posts can also be required to undergo aptitude tests.
• Interviews
The most suitable candidates are invited for interviews.
The main purpose of the interview is to check whether the resume is a true reflection of all the qualities and qualifications of the candidate, and whether the candidate is a perfect fit for the position. Successful candidates are informed where and when to report for work.

Induction Programme
Once a suitable candidate has been selected, it’s time for the organisation to put the new recruit through the induction programme. An induction is a formal way of introducing a new employee to his new job environment.
Information which the newcomer requires can be divided into two categories;
• Job related information which describes what the job entails and how it is to be done.
• General information that includes a great deal of information concerning the organisation as a whole.
An induction programme serves:
• To acquaint new employees with job procedure
• To acquaint new employees with business goals
• To establish relationships with co-workers
• To create a sense of belonging amongst employees
• To inform new employees about their rights
• To identify basic job responsibilities
Induction programme include all information which newcomers will need to do the job. There are different induction programme packages for different groups of employees.

Career Path
There are two types of career path, horizontal and vertical career path.
Horizontal career path:
• Horizontal career path should be followed by people who are new in the work environment.
• Horizontal career path should also be considered should a business be new and does not have a fixed career path.
• Once you are employed in a new Organisation you should make career path predictions for one to two years into the future.
• You must know and be prepared that you will be moving sideways instead of upwards
• This means that you will be working in different positions while you are acquiring experience.
• You might also move to a lower level position for your qualifications, just as long as you can gain valuable experience.
• Do not join an organisation and view it as a lifetime employment.
• You should join an organisation to get opportunities to develop new skills, which will make you more employable and diverse.
Vertical career path:
• When planning for a vertical career path you should have acquired some skills, knowledge and experience.
• You have to continue growing your skills and accepting more responsibilities in order to reach your target position.
• Your career path will depend on the present and future demands of the organisation you work for.
• If the organisation is expanding and growing then there is the opportunity for you to follow the vertical career path.
• Your personal career goals need to be clearly laid down – such as becoming the Director of HR in 5 years.
• You also need to have plan ‘B’ should things not go according to plan.
• Remember to have time frames for each goal.
With the career path in place, you will be more career focused and be striving to fulfil your goals.

Advantages and disadvantages of internal promotion/recruitment
Advantages:
• Current employees already know the rules, regulations and culture of the organisation.
• Employees have understanding of how the organisation operates and do not need an induction programme.
• The organisation knows employees and have detailed records from previous supervisors
• Offering opportunities to internal employees may boost the morale of the staff members.
• Allowing employees to move vertically and horizontally within the organisation could reduce the possibility of her looking for another job.
• A positive image is created in the organisation
Disadvantages:
• No new or fresh ideas are brought into the organisation
• The job advertised may require skills not currently available within the organisation
• Promotion of an internal employee could cause resentment amongst other employees, who may feel they deserve the post more than the promoted employee.
• The number of applicants from which to choose may be too high or limited.
• It is possible to promote less qualified employees than those from outside of the organisation, in order to comply with the internal recruitment policy or the Employment Equity Act.
• Most internal applicants have been stagnant in their posts for so long and will not positively contribute any new ideas.
• Harden negative attitudes of internal employees cannot be changed by promotion.
• Lazy employees cannot suddenly change into ‘star’ employees because they have been promoted.
• Contagious negative habits and behaviour by one negative employee can easily be passed on to other divisions.

Advantages and disadvantages of external promotion/recruitment
Advantages:
 A wide choice of candidates could attract skilled applicants and put the organisation in a better position.
 Where recruitment agency has been used, candidates might have passed the initial screening done by recruitment agency and save the organisation time and money.
 Organisations that use employment agencies are more often guaranteed to receive only the best and skilled applicants.
Disadvantages:
 Recruitment agencies do not always understand the culture of the organisation and inherent requirements of the post.
 New recruits more often need to be trained.
 It could cost the organisation a lot of money to screen a large number of candidates.
 Advertising in the print media attract a large number of unsuitable applicants particularly for low level positions.

Once you’re hired, prepare to learn. If there are some specific skills that you need to brush up on, and your organisation provides opportunity for you to get sent out to seminars and conferences grab it. If they are open to letting you learn the different department’s operations, volunteer yourself. The more you know the better are the opportunities that open for you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is better to ask questions than to make costly mistakes. Understand the culture of the organisation and try to adapt and conform as quickly as possible. Finally, master your craft by performing your work in an excellent way. Remember that if you are great at your job, then you are a prized commodity.
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