12Octproject@projectArticles by Lima Sehgal, Job Hunting Tips, Resume Writing, Resume Writing Tips

Placement Firms — The Key To Successful Job Hunting.

One of the most important aspects of successful job hunting is to have an authentic and reliable contact base of placement agencies that is relevant and useful.

96 percent of vacancies in the job market are not advertised. They are serviced through Placement Consultants. Consultants don’t advertise a vacancy if they have candidates available in their existing database.

As a job seeker you must be aware that unless you reach the Placement Consultants who are handling the kind of jobs you are targeting, the whole exercise of applying through them becomes a waste of time.

You need to contact suitable placement firms and get into their database so when they are looking for a suitable candidate with your profile, your resume is available.

Suitable placement consultants are those who are dealing with the type of jobs and companies that you are trying to target and are also are handling your preferences for postings in specific cities in India or Overseas.

Placement Consultants are valuable for jobseekers also because it is their job to find you a job. They provide valuable feedback on you weaknesses, your resume shortcomings and what to do to succeed in an interview with their client. Because if you get a job with their client they win as well.

This is why it is so important to have a comprehensive database of placement firms which specialize in different fields. This is exactly what the Jobnet’s Directory of Placement Firms does. It provides information on various specialised Placement Consultants in India and Overseas. It is provides an updated list of placement consultants in 52 cities in India & 26 countries with contact details & specializations in print as well as an online version.

The Jobnet’s Job Directory has been a trusted name amongst Jobseekers for 12 years. There are many reasons for this.

1) Job Hunting At Your Convenience.

You can go online anytime and have instant access to information that is updated regularly. The Jobnet’s Directory allows you to use it anytime to call or send emails to placement consultants. You can even download the Jobnet Directory on your computer. You can opt for either an online version or for a print edition with free online access.

Many Jobseekers have problems relating to jobhunting because they are at locations with no internet access. You may be blocked or have limited access to the internet at your office location. Or you may have privacy problems because you cannot jobhunt while sitting around other people who can see what you are doing.

The printed version of the Directory solves this problem and can be delivered to your house confidentially.

2) Find Placement Firms with their Industry / Job specializations

The Jobnet Directory gives with each Placement Firm information on what type of jobs, categories and industries they are servicing.

You should be contacting only the agencies who handle the type of companies you are looking out for or by the job function relevant to you. There is a provision for an online search and selection by specialization or industry which you can choose and you will get a list accordingly.

3) Find Placement Firms with their geographic specializations / the cities / countries they are handling

If you are looking for a job in a particular city, region or country then it is important to know the geographic specialization of a consultant. Some placement companies handle recruitment across India or some may be handling only a city or state.

Some may be doing recruitments worldwide while some may handle only a specific country or many countries. The directory mentions this specifically with each placement firm.

You can choose what suits you best in relation to your preference of the regions / cities / countries where you would like to work and only choose those consultants that handle your location preferences.

4) Placement Firms with “Terms of Service” for Jobseekers

Every Jobseeker needs to know if the services that a placement firm offers them is free or has charges involved so that they can exercise a choice.

The majority of placement firms offer free services for jobseekers. There are many who also have various charges and registration fees. With each Placement Firm in the Directory this is mentioned, so the jobseeker has a option to choose or reject a placement firm.

5) Placement Firms with their contact details

The Jobnet’s Directory gives addresses, telephone numbers, emails, websites etc to enable you to contact Placement Agencies directly.

These are updated details but there are times when a contact detail may change, so to counteract this problem, multiple contact details are given so that somehow or the other the jobseeker is able to reach and contact agencies. You can also contact us directly for updated information that you seek.

Updations for the directory are dynamic and ongoing. Anytime you access the Jobnet’s Directory online you will always get the latest updates on contact details.
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Successful job hunting is in your hands. How & where you apply matters. Choose your job sources and placement firms intelligently.

You can reach me on 09811017183 for more details.

Contact me for a feedback on your resume and an assessment on its suitability for applying to Placement Firms & Companies.
You can send your resume for a Free evaluation on my email limasehgal@gmail.com

12Octproject@projectArticles by Lima Sehgal, Job Hunting Tips, Resume Writing, Resume Writing Tips

Put The Sparkle In Your Resume!

A good resume is one that gets you results. Most of us tend to forget the purpose of a CV. It is not supposed to be a record or an autobiography and certainly not a report.

A winning resume targets the specific type of company and jobs you are applying for. You have to “Present Yourself” as special to get a winning edge over others. A CV needs to point out a direction and lead the hiring person to say – “This person has what the company needs for the job – This person should be interviewed”.

A Winning resume is best defined as a communication missile.
Follow these guidelines while making your CV…to get successful results in your job hunt.

1) Winning Resumes are Precise
The mistake that most jobseekers tend to make is they treat their CV like a career biography. They give details on everything they are doing and handling during their career. They go into detailing on how good they are by explaining their qualities, for example- hard work or team management. They give facts and figures on awards they have won.

Mentioning everything that you have done in great detail makes a CV boring to read and very difficult to find the information that the hirer is looking for.
CVs should be 1-2 pages long and definitely not exceed 3 pages.
Keep your description of job functions brief and relevant to what you are handling for that particular company.

2) Winning Resumes are Factual
Most jobseekers explain in great detail all the job functions they are handling. Most of it is usually unnecessary. Most Job functions are standard- for example most sales people sell a product or a service. So there is no need to say “I handle sales and product promotion”, instead what has to be told is what you sell, how you sell and where you sell.

Getting factual about your responsibilities makes it easier to present your expertise. For example – I handle employee administration means nothing to a person reading it. But I manage 20 employees or 3000 employees’ gives a better picture. Or I handle production means nothing- But production of steel, medicines, chocolates? That gives the picture.
The facts do not have to be impressive in any way. They are needed to give an actual picture about the job functions you handle. It shows the real work you do.

3) Winning Resumes are focused on achievements
Self praise is poor taste in CV writing. Emphasizing on how great you are means nothing unless you can prove it. Every achievement has to be backed with facts and figures. Avoid saying – I greatly increased sales during my tenure instead, say -Increased sales by 45%, or 3 lakhs.

Achievements are not only about the great things done for which the company promoted or awarded you. It is also about the things that you introduced or about how you did a job that you were supposed to do in an efficient manner which resulted in a benefit for the company.

4) Winning Resumes are logically laid out
Remember the Formula- Current Job First and First Job Last.
Companies are interested in knowing what you are doing now, your level of seniority, your recent activities and achievements.

Usually there is a tendency to read a bit at the beginning of a resume and skip the rest if the resume is not relevant. So make sure that all the important facts that you want to show is well presented at the top and in the front page.

5) Winning Resumes are visually easy to read and grammatically correct.
All points should be bulleted. Long, scrolling data is difficult to read. There must be spaces where required. It should not be jammed with data and must have visual breaks. That is possible by choosing a good design format.

Check for accuracy in content, spelling and grammar. This is very important. It shows that you care for a good presentation and impression and that you possess the intelligence to use the grammar & spell check facility on your computer. It also projects attention to detail.

Remember your CV must be formal, yet attractive. Stay clear of all fancy graphics and loud colors. A good International format will give you an edge over other competing CVs.

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Sometimes it is difficult view your resume as other people see it when you apply for a job.
Send your resume to me for a FREE Feedback and Evaluation on my email limasehgal@gmail.com
If you require any assistance in preparing an effective and professional CV in a good international format you can call me on 07838840865.

20Junproject@projectJob Hunting Tips, Jobnet Articles

Your Business Resume

Anil Mahajan

During the protectionist times of 45 years there was short supply syndrome ruling the market. I remember my father booked a bajaj scooter for me when I was 6 years old so that I get it after a waiting period of 18 years hopefully before my marriage. But, with capitalism spreading itself under the garb of liberalization, competition is taking strong roots. Every service, including political parties, has the tendency of becoming a Commodity.

And it is imperative for a commodity to move up the value added chain towards branding…

In the job market, the first brunt of liberalization was borne by candidates. To outwit the competition, companies suddenly realized they need the best professionals to remain on top or sufficiently away from the bottom. Kumbhakarana awakened.

The Biodata became dead. The Resume took over. Family background or royal lineage took a back seat. Skills suddenly were in demand.

For presentation style & effective copywriting, resume writers entered the market.

Brand building became important to job seekers too. Unfortunately, a plethora of obnoxious & purposeless websites on jobs started. 2-minute resumes (frying of a thorough professional in 2-minutes flat/ crash-course fad for definite death) entered the market & became passé’ in English & paasse’ in Punjabi. 2-minute resumes created more problems than they solved. Dude or baby CV writers or fresher / trainees started writing resumes of senior professionals from the backdrop & anonymity offered by big jobsites. This kind of wierdo performances or screwing of a professional’s profile & all essentially money making gimmicks/ fly-by-night initiatives taken by big jobsites created a bitter taste in the job market.

Capitalism is ruthless & spells death to those who are not able to promote themselves. The internet has made competition tough for everybody. If you are a placement consultant you have rest of the world to ward off or you will be in a soup. If you are a call center company, the candidate is the interviewer too & you have to be appealing & attractive enough to cajole him to send his resume to you. Before the candidate sends his resume to you, it is you, the company, who has to prepare a corporate Business Resume with power words & send it to candidates by actually publishing it in the “Ascent” pullout of “The Times of India” or host it in the form of a Flash or DHTML based beautiful company website. This website whether it belongs to a company, a placement consultant or a contractor is meticulously made & hosted as a Business Resume / online portfolio.

So, cheer up, dear candidate, you are not alone in making a resume. When the company is spending so much of its time in making a great resume to promote itself to all the prospective employees like you as the BEST EMPLOYER, it is natural that you should get your resume prepared by a equally good copywriter as a Great marketing tool.

Now why in hell this Business Resume Talk? (Hell! I am NOT a Placement Consultant…NOR a Housekeeping Contractor…NOR a BPO Company- I don’t need a business resume!)

But you do. A Business Resume can be aptly called a Portfolio. A portfolio lets you dazzle potential clients (prospective employers) with your capabilities and achievements by providing shining or glorious examples of your work. A portfolio’s contents depend on your industry, but may include examples of your work, references, testimonials, a client list, media or press clippings, awards and other evidence of your professional accomplishments. Like the portfolio for a model it should show a leg or a bit of flesh but the flesh should be sizzling enough to get an assignment for the model or called for discussion by the filmmaker. Only a great leg is shown.

The rules of the game are simple. If you have great assets, FLAUNT them. You have to be beautiful & bold too to show the entire world that you are beautiful. Localize the places where you are well endowed & showcase them. Tell the entire world in no uncertain words that you are a great head or a great leg or a headhunter or whatever.

It is relief that Job seekers need one & only one kind of resume targeted at companies, unlike companies. Placement consultants need 2 different types of Business Resume- one for the prospective client companies & the second one targeted at job seekers cajoling them to send their resume. Similarly, companies need more than 3 kinds of Business resume. One targeted at job seekers, another targeted at prospective consumers (marketing people call business resume as corporate marketing materials. These include brochures, business cards, letterhead, Web sites and demos etc.) & One targeted at prospective investors in Dalal street or elsewhere or banks.

We have much so much to discuss on this issue. Watch out for the next issue.

19Junproject@projectJob Hunting Tips, Jobnet Articles

Be Healthy – Climb up Stairs!

Health experts urge taking steps as a painless way to add activity to daily life.
One of the world’s best exercise devices is free, easy to use, and readily available—in fact, you probably have dozens in your home and workplace.
They’re stairs, and lifting your body against gravity to climb them is one of the best exercises you can do for your heart, muscles, and bones. In a “no time for exercise” age, the steps all around us provide an ever-present way to fit physical activity into daily life.

Yet most people avoid them. In a recent study, Given the choice between riding an escalator or climbing an adjacent flight of stairs, 95 percent of the people observed chose the path of least physical effort. This finding confirmed conclusions of a classic study by Yale University obesity expert Kelly Brownell.
“Most people don’t realize how little physical activity they actually get,” he says, “and how important it is to use every opportunity they have to be active.”
Lifestyle activity—such as choosing stairs over elevators—is increasingly being urged by public-health experts, who point to mounting evidence that small amounts of exercise accumulated throughout the day can provide significant health benefits. For example, the Harvard Alumni Health Study in USA examined the lifestyle habits of more than 11,000 men and found that those who climbed at least 20 floors per week had about a 20 percent lower risk of stroke and of death from all causes during the study period, according to I-Min Lee, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

For those who want a more intense workout, continuous stair climbing can be an effective way to build lower body strength and cardiovascular endurance. One of the most popular exercise trends of the last decade, step aerobics, is based on going up and down a step for 30 to 60 minutes. And one of the most popular exercise machines during that same time period, the stair climber, relies on this same motion.

Athletes have been running up and down stadium steps as part of training for years.

This kind of intense stair climbing may be inadvisable for people with knee problems, such as arthritis, as well as those with heart or lung disorders, notes Perry Esterson, a physical therapist and athletic trainer with Physiotherapy Associates in northern Virginia. But taking the stairs in daily life is a great way for most people to boost their fitness and strengthen the muscles that support the knee.

“The thickest cartilage in the body is behind the patella (kneecap), so it’s designed to withstand a lot of stress,” he says. “And the more you go up and down the stairs, the stronger you’ll become and the easier that activity will be.”
So, next time you have a choice, climb up those stairs.

19Junproject@projectJob Hunting Tips

An Amazing Opportunity to Work Abroad & Discover Yourself

AIESEC is the worlds largest student run organization with a network of 25,000 students in over 87 countries across the world.The Indian operations are spread over 11 major cities with the Head Office in Mumbai. Nationally, our Board of Advisors includes Mr. Ratan Tata, Mr. Adi Godrej, Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Mr. MS Banga, Mr. Bobby Parekh & Mr. Deepak Parekh

AIESEC runs an OUTGOING exchange program where students and young professionals from around the world are offered short-term internships for duration of 2 to 18 months across our network of 87 countries & territories.
This program is available to all graduates below 29 years of age & focuses on cultural exchange & understanding as well as giving the Trainee enhanced job & life skills by working in a foreign, competitive environment, These traineeships though not permanent placements sometimes do translate into long term jobs after a successful traineeship. . These are PAID internships and the stipend is enough to cover all expenses incurred in the foreign country.

The question might arise – WHY AN INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP?

Well the answer is rather simple. There is a certain amount of stereotyping which working in one particular culture / work environment over a period of time can develop.
The opportunity to extend yourself, work in a culture and environment which is initially alien to you but slowly grows on you and helps you become more flexible & adaptive in your daily life ,Helps you emerge as a stronger person ready to face all life’s challenges is an opportunity which wont be offered to you everyday.
These internships range from fields as diverse as Management, Technical, Developmental and Educational.
Management internships usually revolve around marketing, HR, training and public relations based job roles.
The highest supply of Marketing Traineeships is from Poland and Germany.

Says Pranay Manocha who went on an internship to The US.
“Sometimes, life gives us great opportunities. I guess I was pretty quick to grab hold of this internship opportunity. The experiences I have had here in the US and at PwC will be with me for the rest of my life. I have seen another culture, another country, and another way of life. I will take that home with me, and share my experiences.

To work along side with professionals from different countries who are all part of the global empire of PriceWaterhouseCoopers was an honor for me because of the fact that it helped me grow professionally and I was able to learn how business is conducted on the other side of the planet. I have come across some incredible people during my stay over there. Seen so many things that I would not have had a chance to see. Been to music concerts with Big name bands and Artists playing in packed stadiums. Made some very good friends who I will be in touch for a long time to come. This internship has opened a window of opportunities for me. I guess I cannot say more…Thanks guys. You made it possible for me”

Technical Internships are also a major segment for us and these job roles revolve around software design, web designing.
The highest supply of technical internships is from South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia etc), Poland and countries like Tunisia.

Says Udit

“It was my brief, yet deep, relationship to AIESEC that opened the door to learning. These experiences have definitely contributed to the knowledge I have gained, not only in one small part of the world, but of myself is what will provide me with the necessary tools to become a decision maker and a change agent to the society I live in back in India.”

The upcoming fields nowadays are developmental & educational traineeships.
Developmental traineeships involve working in Non Governmental organizations on a variety of issues for e.g. AIDS, Child Labor etc. This is a very attractive option for people with a slightly developmental bent of mind. So all Sociology, Psychology students you know where to apply.
Educational Traineeships as the name suggests are revolving around teaching job roles in schools and institutes around the world.
The demand for educational interns is very high at the moment and the possibility of getting matched to an internship in this sector in very good.

THE PROCESS –
You can apply online at http://www.aiesec.net/students
You can browse the available sample internships here & then apply under AIESEC in Delhi IIT.
After this application is received we will contact you for assessments & guide you through every step of the process towards a successful internship.

21Mayproject@projectArticles by Lima Sehgal, Humor, Job Hunting Tips

Dad’s Job seeking Hind-sights?

Wisdom about job hunting technologies, like most wisdom, is about hindsight.

Should it be so?

Enough of philosophy. Let’s get to the facts!

What exactly is the innovative methodology prevalent amongst Indian job seekers today?

One discovers that it is quite the same as Dad’s.
Our approach to the problem is too singular. We have no systematic guidance for imparting survival skills to our kids. We are so embarrassed about our own inadequacies relating to effective job hunting that we would rather leave it to a host of vocational and educational experts who don’t have a clue on what kind of fangs, claws, and incisors are needed.

We cling to the archaic – even our expressions haven’t changed with time. We still talk about getting into a job rather than absorbing the reality of changing jobs throughout a lifetime.

It’s time we realized that when children fall off their cribs, they hurt their bums, but falling off the roller coaster is totally a different deal.

The parameters of survival in the corporate jungle requires much more than the “Learn While you Earn” attitude we so proudly propagate.

I am not a pessimist, or even a youth enthusiast, but it does turn my stomach when I see how we churn out millions every year from an educational system without an iota of education on job hunting skills.

21Mayproject@projectArticles by Lima Sehgal, Humor, Job Hunting Tips

Indian 5-Star Gourmet Job Hunting

Putting cooking ingredients on a platter does not create gourmet.

Given today’s job market conditions, it may be wiser to dump the chef.

Too many help services, with too little help. The resume blasters, spot lighters, locators, the career fairs, customized career designers and other such services that promise deep sea hunting and fishing in the Tsunamic oceans of the job market…

Job seekers agree that, ultimately, what counts is zeroing in on the interview and, of course, being invited to it.

It is surprising that in spite of the growth of placement firms over the past decade, the Indian job seeker is still ignorant on how to use them effectively. Either, one chooses to indiscriminately to send a CV to all, or else choose to shortlist the one or two our best friend recommends.

What works is not the right pickings of placement firms, but an effective understanding of the workings of the placement industry — vis-a-vis 1) their clients (e.g. why it may be necessary to apply to a placement firm in Bangalore or Mumbai if we are keen on a posting in Delhi) 2) their vendors (e.g. why placement firms are hesitant to use resumes that come through the blaster services of job websites).

So, how about a home cooked meal cooked in your own pressure cooker?

21Mayproject@projectArticles by Lima Sehgal, Humor, Job Hunting Tips

Education and Job Hunting

Perhaps it is time to address the problem about why education does not include job hunting methodologies.

Why do we allow educational institutions to limit the vision of job hunting to who they can invite to their campus? What about all the rest of their crowd who do not make it at first go in the job hunting season – Those who did not find a job because they do not know how?

Finding jobs through the effective use of placement firms remains a backdoor methodology. When most private sector jobs are processed thru them how can they be relegated to the status of witchdoctors not invited to the doctorate banquet?

Perhaps the first most crucial step is to convey the fact that jobs do not find you because you are the best, but jobs are got because you know how to.

Much like explaining electricity to a caveman, but it has to be done.

18Mayproject@projectJob Hunting Tips

The Resume vs. the LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn Profile upside

• Your LinkedIn profile is a tool to helping employers and recruiters find you on the Internet.
• Linkedin is used by many recruiters to source talent, and for you it is a great forum for networking and getting in touch with potential employers.
• It’s an informal way of telling people what you’re capable of without much detailing.
• It also gives potential recruiters an idea of the extent and nature of your networking.

LinkedIn Profile downside

• It is a document in a public domain, lacking in privacy and therefore restrictive in its detailing.
• Not all HR managers go onto LinkedIn for the sourcing needs.
• In the job hunting process, a LinkedIn profile is just one of the means for reaching out to a prospective employer.
• HR will always need a proper resume for moving ahead with your candidature.

Your resume contains a lot of information of a private nature that you do not wish to broadcast to the world.
So, in the end, a LinkedIn profile can never replace a well written and laid out resume in the process of job hunting