BY PANG JINGYI
A close-to-5-hours workshop was indeed worth it for a person who is kind of clueless in terms of personal branding, like myself. I am sure many people ask themselves these few questions when they are planning to write their resume: What qualities do I write on my resume; How do I write them without sounding too arrogant; and most importantly, how do I impress my potential employer with my resume?
Studies show that a resume on average only has 30 seconds to impress! In other words, to stand out amongst the hundreds of applications, you must have a strategy. Fret not, there are some guidelines on how you should write your resume effectively:
1. Have a target
The resume should be written in the context of the company and the job position you are applying for. Before writing your resume, take a look at the company’s website to find out the key attributes they want in their applicants. More importantly, it also serves as a platform for you to find out if the working environment there suits you.
2. Paying attention to the nitty-gritty
Errors to do with spelling, punctuation and grammar should be wiped away from your resume! One way to prevent these mistakes would be to proof-read your resume again and again, and it is important as committing these minor mistakes make it seem like you have done your resume haphazardly – which won’t give a good impression, will it?
3. Short and simple is key
One major takeaway from this segment of the workshop was that “Simple is powerful; Less is more.” The ability to condense your prominent skills and abilities into a one-paged resume tells a lot about how you prioritise these achievements. To be able to stand out, it is essential to define the values you have acquired from the activities or events that you are involved in: many other people undertook the same type of leadership/event as you – it is the set of values that differentiate you from them.
Then again, language plays a great role too! Our career consultant, Mr Leo Tan, has kindly shared with us a systematic approach in writing our resume: by using the C-A-R, which stands for Competencies, Actions, and Results.
Thereafter, we moved onto the second segment of the workshop after a scrumptious dinner – how we can build connections using a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is similar to Facebook, except the fact that it is mostly utilised for professional purposes – to share ideas, to scout for job opportunities, or to promote corporate events. Being a newbie in LinkedIn, the sharing session by Mr Tan was definitely useful as he discussed how LinkedIn has helped him gain more connections and friends, which is crucial for his job as a career consultant.
Our dearest CY1101 Assistant Professors – Prof. Shao and Prof. Felipe have also kindly shared with us some tips on the prestigious Ph.D. scholarships in USA and Europe respectively. One main thing to take note for the application of overseas Ph.D. scholarships would definitely be the deadlines, so it would be recommended for those who are interested to start planning early! Again, a haphazardly done application would not reflect well on yourself, and do plan for time to go for university tours and open houses to understand more about the cultures of these schools and their curriculum.
To end off, spend some time thinking about what you are special in – what attributes set you apart from the other candidates?
Special thanks to Mr Leo Tan, Prof. Shao, and Prof. Felipe for their sharings, and last but not least, thanks to the Holistic Development Committee for organising this workshop!
