Lets communicate! Week 2- 5th March 2010

Oh, here comes our communication module. The module that needed lots of self-confidence as we present ourselves among our peers and also the trainers. Not to mention the occasional video recordings and surprise photographers that records our activity in the class. 

Embarrassing? A little. 

Fun? Definitely! 

Excited? YES!

The first tutorial was presented by trainers Miss Norliza and Miss Nor Farahiyah on Effective Resume and Impressive Cover Letter. My personal experience with job hunting: about 15 or more companies I had sent my resume and cover letter to: No replies except for 2 interviews. I tried my best to excel in those interviews. Curious to know the results? Follow on my blog where i will be discussing about interviews in Interview Techniques by Mr. Farizal and Tara Ooi in the coming posts. 

What I've learned:

• 45seconds (or less) to fame. Yes, that much of time to catch your employer's attention and interest. Employers just scan through so make sure it is a 'KISS' (keep it short and simple). Too much information can be a burden and with only 45 seconds, they wouldn't read that far!
• Excellent resume design. No, not that template or auto-resume-generator-just-key-in-your-details type of thing. Resume writing requires lots of customization and editing. Tailor it so that it not only suits your personality but also your employer's tastes and what they want. 
• Customize, customize, customize! If possible, no generic resume, please! Learn about the employers company background and the 'values' they practice. To defeat an enemy, you must learn everything about them! (The Art Of War, Sun Tzu, 6th Century BC).

Trying to get that first interview is like war! it is the rough and harsh reality that we are fighting against so many other graduates and job-seekers. We were trained to create an effective resume (in a group) and presented it to the class. It was then peer reviewed and feedback were given to us. 

Kudos to Miss Norliza and Nor Farahiyah for the awesome tutorial given. It was a great experience to learn it hands on, not just by reading articles on the internet about resumes (there are tons of it out there and it can be confusing at times). This is the first time I had a good look on what an effective resume would be and how important it is, not just my qualification and experience but the idea of communicating it  to earn my first interview.