7 Resume DOs and DON’Ts for OFWs

Ang guest post na ito ay mula sa co-founder at head ng WorkAbroad.ph website. Isi-share po ng ating guest author ang ilang very useful at informative tips sa paghahanda ng isang kagila-gilalas na resume. (Hindi po affiliated o related sa nasabing website ang The Pinoy Site.)

*******************************************************************

7 Resume DOs and DON’Ts for OFWs
by Jonathan Ong

Your resume says a lot about what you can or cannot do for a company, or whether you’re right for a particular position. Regardless if you’re applying for a job locally or in another country, you should thoroughly and carefully consider every detail included in your resume.

Some people think that a resume is only a basis of whether you have the potential to be called in for an interview, but according to international recruitment agency, Leslie Corporation, in an interview with news network, GMA 7, many Pinoys working abroad have been able to find jobs on the merits of their resumes alone.

While you may not get a chance to impress your potential employer in an interview, your resume should be impressive enough already to land you the job that you want.

Check out this practical list of dos and don’ts in creating an efficient and compelling resume:

1. Don’t lie in your resume.

This should be common sense although some people still need to be reminded about this. Don’t pretend to be anything that you are not. Don’t make up positions and achievements you’ve never had, as the employer will soon find out anyway.

Companies aren’t really looking for 10-page resumes, rather they’re looking for a set of skills and experiences that you may already have. Remember, quality of experience trumps quantity of companies worked for.

2. Don’t send the same resume for different job positions.

Customize your resume according to the job that you’re applying for. Highlight the experiences that will show how you can function effectively in the position that you’re hoping to get.

For example, if you’re applying for a public relations position in a hotel in the U.A.E., you should include your experiences in direct marketing and customer relations management.

3. Do know what your employers are searching for in a candidate.

Aside from the job description usually provided by head hunters in job listings online, the location of the company is a hint to what employers may be searching for in a candidate.

For example, companies based in the U.S. and U.K. are more concerned with the set of skills you’ve developed and jobs you’ve held in the past, more than your educational background and academic achievement; whereas these details add weight to your application for European and Asian-based companies.

You also need to know the global standards of qualification for your line of work. For instance, if you’re a nurse looking for work abroad, you need to have passed your NCLEX and IELTS examinations and have supporting documents to prove it, especially when you’re going to work for health facilities in non-English speaking countries.

4. Do use bullets when enumerating your skills and highlight relevant experiences.

Most of the time, the headhunter has to go through hundreds of applications every day. Therefore, highlighting your relevant skills and experiences in a bullet format makes it easier for them to gather all they need to know about you.

Quantify your accomplishments, such as how much you’ve contributed to the growth in sales for a period in your previous companies, or what significant changes you’ve introduced that improved the day-to-day operations.

However, keep it to a minimum of two lines per bullet. Keep it straightforward and easy to read.

5. Do optimize your resume with relevant keywords.

If you’re applying for a big company, the chances are that they’re using a program or an app to sort through hundreds of applications they receive every day.

You don’t have to go overboard with the keywords, just make sure that you include a couple of relevant ones and proofread your resume well for better results.

6. Don’t quote the job description in your cover letter.

Write a cover letter that clearly shows your intention for applying and what you can offer the company. Introduce yourself briefly in such a way that your character and personality will shine through.

Just as with any written pieces, make sure that your first paragraph will be compelling enough to make the employer continue reading. Don’t quote the job description provided, as this will reflect on your competence—or your lack thereof.

Make two versions of your cover letter and resume for companies located in non-English speaking countries, with one in English and another in their local language. This will show how committed you are to getting the job.

7. Do mind the content before submitting your resume.

You are what your resume says that you are, and some of these qualities are not seen in the words you’ve added, but in the way you have presented your resume. So, put an effort in creating the right impression on the employer.

Do a spell check, proofread your sentences, check your format, and edit it thoroughly to make sure that you’re getting the right message across the company you’re hoping to get into.

Keep the important details and eliminate the unnecessary ones, such as accomplishments or past jobs that have little or no relevance at all to the position you’re applying for.

Consider the culture, laws, and the belief system of the country where the company is located. Don’t include details about you that may be acceptable here but questionable in their culture, like political rallies and extreme advocacies.

Your best foot forward

Put your best foot forward, whether you’re applying for work here or abroad. Commit to creating a great resume that will best represent you and what you’re capable of.

Keep your resume neat and don’t do anything to it that will connote disrespect towards the employer, such as italicizing or underlining skills that you want to emphasize to them. Don’t worry if your list of work experiences is short, as employers consider potential, attitude, and trainability as well.

At the end of the day, what these companies only need to find out is how well you can handle the responsibility and if you can adjust to the culture—both inside and outside the workplace.

Author’s Bio

———————————————————————————————-
Jonathan is the Head Business Development of WorkAbroad.ph, a job listing website for OFWs. On his free time, he likes to read the news especially those that concerns OFWs.

He publishes articles that guide OFWs in their work abroad, from finding a job and adapting to diverse cultures, to stories about the ups and downs that OFWs go through in their life abroad.

———————————————————————————————