The sections of a resume and their characteristics

1) Heading. The top third of the resume is the heading. It contains your name, phone numbers, address, and other details such as your occupation, titles, and so on. Headings can also contain a goals and objectives subsection and a highlights subsection.

2) Highlights (summary section) occurs just below the heading and just above the main experience and education sections. This is an increasingly popular section in resumes. Resume specialists believe that the eye makes first contact with a page somewhere one-fourth to one-third of the way down the page — not at the very top.

3) Objectives, goals – also found in some resumes. It is a section just under the heading in which you describe what your key goals or objectives are.

4) Body. In a one-page resume, the body is the middle portion, taking up a half or more of the total space of the resume. In this section, you present the details of your work, education, and military experience. This information is arranged in reverse chronological order. In the body section, you also include your accomplishments, for example, publications, certifications, equipment you are familiar with, and so on.

5) Amplifications page. - On the first page of this resume, the writer divides the presentation into experience and education sections and takes a chronological approach to each. On the second page, he only provides company names, job titles, dates, and discussion of duties.

Following experience, you should list your special SKILLS. These include your language skills, computer abilities, and any other talent that are relevant to your statement of intent. When describing your language abilities you should be honest about the level of your knowledge: “fluent English”, “native Russian”, “intermediate German” and “beginning French” are the ways to describe your language abilities.

6) Conclusion. In the final third or quarter of the resume, you can present other related information on your background. For example, you can list activities, professional associations, memberships, hobbies, and interests. At the bottom of the resume, people often put "REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST" and the date of preparation of the resume.

 

18) Why do we need letters of recommendation?

Sometimes a letter of recommendation can add that little extra appeal when applying for a new job. Especially if the letter of recommendation provides a good review on the qualifications that the new employer is looking for.

 

19) What’s the role of a cover letter? What are the principles for writing a successful Cover letter?

The role of the application letter is to draw a clear connection between the job you are seeking and your qualifications listed in the resume. To put it another way, the letter matches the requirements of the job with your qualifications, emphasising how you are right for that job.

Your letter, therefore, will have to be well written and designed to attract attention in a positive way in order to receive a favorable response.

Your cover letter should communicate something personal about you along with information that is specific for the division, organization or company to which the letter is being sent. This lets the reader know that you have spent some time researching the organization and writing a personal letter.

The cover letter should be one page in length and addressed to a specific individual in charge of the department or unit in which you want to work or to human resources department.

 

20) What are the sections in a successful cover letter?

Introductory paragraph. It sets everything up — the tone, focus, as well as your most important qualification. A better idea is to do something like the following:

- State the purpose of the letter — to inquire about an employment opportunity.

- Indicate the source of your information about the job — newspaper advertisement, a personal contact, or another.

- State one eye-catching, attention-getting thing about yourself in relation to the job or to the employer that will cause the reader to want to continue.

Main body paragraphs. State why you are interested in the position, the company, its products or services, and, above all, indicate what you can do for the employer. You should enable the reader see the match between your qualifications and the requirements for the job.

There are two common ways to present this information:

- Functional approach — This one presents education in one section, and work experience in the other. If there was military experience, that might go in another section. Whichever of these sections contains your "best stuff" should come first, after the introduction.

- Thematic approach — This one divides experience and education into groups such as "management," "technical," "financial," and so on and then discusses your work and education related to them in separate paragraphs.

Cover letter highlights just those aspects of your background that make the connection with the job you are seeking.

Closing paragraph. In the last paragraph of the application letter, you can indicate how the prospective employer can get in touch with you and when the best times for an interview are. This is the place to urge that prospective employer to contact you to arrange an interview.

 

21) What shouldn’t you say explaining why you left the left the previous positions? How to explain why you are applying for the position?

If you have had more than one job, you could explain why you left each position. But you should never use explanations such as leaving for more money, better fringe benefits, advantages besides salary, e.g. better pension, health scheme, social facilities, car, or conditions. You should also not state you were bored with the work you were doing, after all, you accepted the job; and never criticize the firm you worked for, the products or services they offered, or staff you worked with.

All companies will want to know why you applying for a particular position. This not only means explaining why you want the job but why you think your particular skills and experience would be valuable to the firm. You should say:

- I’m interested in the position you offer as I know my previous experience and academic background would be valuable in this area.

- I’m sure I would be successful in this position as I have now gained the experience and skills