How to send your resume to land more interviews

• 2-minute read •
Congratulations! You’ve written your resume, and you’re ready to click send. Now, what?

Are you sure you’ve done everything you can to give your resume a fighting chance?

Having to figure out how to make a resume in the first place was the hard part. Sending your resume to a hiring manager may seem like the easiest step in the resume writing process. But it’s best to not trip at the finish line.

Here are a few tricks that you should try out before you click that send button.

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Tips To Face Job Interviews Confidently

We dread interviews and when we are scared, we bungle. Confidence and preparedness are the only two things that can help you keep cool and succeed at interviews. Here's how.
Most of us dread job interviews but it’s the key to a successful job. Hence it is important to approach interviews in the correct manner and with the right attitude, as that is the key to success.

Read More

Top Questions For Call Center Interviews

Appearing for an interview at a call center? Here are the most common interview questions that will help you land that great call center job.
Working at a call centre entails lot of perks and plenty of social interaction - with peers/business associates/clients. Most organisations even offer flexible shift timings, high tech workplace and tons of other benefits along with high pay packages, which the present generation workforce look for.

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Telephone Interviews

Telephone interviews are becoming an important part of the recruitment process. They are now used frequently by many organisations, as the first stage in selecting a candidate. 

Telephone interviews save time and cost relatively less
Employers conduct telephone interviews for a variety of reasons. They may have received hundreds of responses to a vacancy advertisement and do not want to go through a face-to-face interview with each applicant. A number of applicants may be residing in other cities, and the organisation wants to save on the time and cost involved in arranging in-depth interviews across the table for these applicants. The pile of resumes received can be significantly reduced by just conducting a short telephone interview and then short-listing the suitable applicants.

Employers, therefore, use the telephone interview as an initial screening interview. It is a short, cost-effective way of finding out the answers to the following questions about the applicant:

Is the applicant serious about the job and the organisation ? 

Has he/she made any effort to research the company/position or has just sent in his/her resume?

How good are his/her communication skills?

Why does he/she want to quit from his/her existing job?

Telephone interviews could be scheduled or unscheduled
There is no fixed system for when a telephone interview is held, unlike a face-to-face interview where the time, date and venue are scheduled well in advance. Some employers could inform you before-hand when they are likely to call. Others may just decide to pick up the phone and call you in the evening when they expect that you would be back from work. You also cannot be sure who is making the first call, whether the HR person or the recruiting agency. 

In this scenario, it makes sense to be prepared because you never know when you will receive the telephone call. In case you receive the call, without prior notice, at a bad time, when you are in the middle of some domestic chore, you could take down the person's name and telephone number and say you would call back after 5 minutes. Or, you could request the caller to hold on for a few seconds till you get your act together in terms of getting a paper/pencil and your documents ready. Otherwise, you may not be psychologically prepared and could be caught on the wrong foot from the word go.

If you are lucky, you may be informed of a date and time when the telephone interview will be held. This will may things easier for you in terms of being mentally prepared, having the relevant papers by your side, speaking suitably for the occasion etc. 

Through this article, we will provide guidelines on how you can prepare for a telephone interview - to improve your performance and increase your chances of being short-listed.
 
Try to get short-listed to the next stage of the face-to-face interview
What is your objective in a telephone interview? 

As the telephone interview is usually the initial screening interview that works as an elimination round, your objective is to get short-listed! Getting short-listed implies that you move on to the next round of the face-to-face interview. 

You need to, therefore, prepare for this telephone interview and not treat it as lightly as a casual call. However, do not let the significance unnerve you. It is important that you remain cool and confident throughout the duration of the telephone interview, as this will do wonders to your performance!

The interviewer wants to evaluate your communication skills
The primary concern of the interviewer, during a telephone interview, is to judge you by your communication skills. How well do you communicate on the telephone, where you cannot see your interviewer? Do you seem uncomfortable since you cannot see the interviewer's reactions? Do you sound confident, qualified, interested and enthusiastic despite the absence of non-verbal cues from the person at the other end? Or are you left stuttering and groping for words, distraught by occasional awkward silences during the telephone call?

These are issues that you need to keep in mind during the telephone interview. 

How can you improve the way you communicate on the telephone? Can you change the way you speak overnight just for an interview?

Think through your answers to improve the way you communicate on the telephone
Improving the way you communicate on the telephone is not just how you speak and your accent. What is crucial is what you say i.e. the content of your answers. You can definitely make a difference to your answers by a certain degree of smart preparation.

Your preparation should involve thinking through certain questions that you could be asked with regard to your resume, and how you could possibly answer them. This does not mean that you should memorise canned and standard answers, but just that you draw up a list of anticipated questions, and think through how you would answer them. You could jot down points for each answer or just write a few key words to clarify your thought flow. 

This will eventually help you in the actual telephone interview by reducing the time taken to answer questions, will ensure that the answers are brief and to the point, will reduce unnecessary gaps and long silences at your end. In addition, it will also indicate to the interviewer that you are a thinking person with clear career plans and are seriously interested in the position at the employer organisation. 

If you get caught off guard because you had not thought through a list of anticipated questions, your answers would tend to be long, lacking focus and you would come across as a confused individual, which is definitely not what you want the interviewer to perceive.

Some of the questions that you can anticipate are:

Summary of your career/previous work experience

Short and long term career goals

Where do you see yourself 5/10/15 years from now?

Why do you want to quit your current job?

Why have you applied to this organisation?

Why do you want to work for this organisation?

How are your skills, qualifications, and experience suitable for this job?

What do you know about the job that you have applied for?

Tell us something about yourself

Find a solution to a problem situation at work

For any questions relating to how you would handle a problem or crisis situation at work, remember to use an analytical and structured format for your answer i.e. problem definition-solution-implications.

Keep your answers short and to the point
Avoid verbosity and lengthy detailed explanations in your answers. Stick to what you have been asked. Do not get into a long preamble before you get to the actual answer. This will show clarity of thought and can be achieved by your preparation. 

For example, to answer the question-"Tell us about yourself"- you may have a lot of information to give but you will need to prioritise. You could either describe yourself in a few adjectives to cover your strengths and weaknesses, or you could give a brief outline of your current employment and your career objectives etc. What you say should be prepared before hand so that it ensures that your answer is short and to the point. 

Your telephone interview could vary from a duration of 5-10 minutes to half an hour or longer. Prepare answers to as many questions that you can think of because there is no fixed duration for the telephone call. The longer the interview takes does not necessarily mean a good interview, similarly a short interview does not necessarily mean a bad interview over the phone. It depends on what your answers were and how you delivered them over the phone. Just remember to keep your answers crisp, concise and focussed.

Speak clearly and slowly
Regarding your style of delivering your answers, try and speak clearly and slowly. Be articulate. You have to rely on the interviewer's listening skills to evaluate what you say, so do not take any chances in messing up at your end. You have to be sure that the interviewer has heard and understood what you say, so initially you may need to be careful about the pace at which you speak. However, do not concentrate on it so much that you forget what you were talking about! 

Your voice should sound pleasant, friendly and enthusiastic
Since the interviewer cannot see you, your tone of voice is important in making an impression on him. Try to sound enthusiastic. Smile even though you cannot be seen, because you will be surprised how smiling can improve the way you sound on the telephone! It will automatically give your voice a friendly tone!

In most interviews on the telephone, there may be only one interviewer at the other end. However, in some cases, the interview may be a conference call where a number of interviewers fire questions one after the other. Sounds unnerving, but don't lose heart! Just follow the basics- Speak to each person in the same pleasant way, as you are not aware of the hierarchy at this stage! Answer the person who asks the question and follow this for each further question. If you can catch the names of the interviewers if they introduce themselves, try and remember them or quickly jot them down so you can address the individuals personally. This is not absolutely necessary- if you do it right it will work for you, but if you mix up the names and voices of the interviewers, it can be extremely embarassing! Use this tactic only if you are good with matching names to voices over the phone!

Be positive in what you say
You should approach your answers in a positive way i.e. do not criticise your former employer or give a negative picture of why you want to leave your current job. You are obviously looking for a change because you are unhappy with your existing job, but you can still be diplomatic about the reasons why! 

Give the real reasons, but put it across in a positive way e.g. why you feel the need to move on in your career etc. And if you are looking for a change because you cannot get along with your present boss, there is no guarantee that you will get a better boss in your new job! Be sure why you are changing jobs- delving deeper into your career plans will give you more convincing reasons for why you want to quit your existing job. 

Ask questions to show interest in the job you have applied for
To avoid just a one-sided conversation on the telephone, where you just speak when spoken to, if there is an opportunity, you could ask the interviewer certain questions about the organisation or the job that you are being interviewed for. 

For example, you could clarify the responsibilities that your job will entail, the number of people working in the group/department or team that you will be joining. You could also ask what your immediate priority would be if recruited, in terms of a problem that the organisation is currently facing in that area, or any project that you may need to initiate as soon as you join.

This will just go to show that you are a serious candidate for the position, and that you are really interested in the job.

Try and avoid initiating any salary talk unless the interviewer brings it up. Salary negotiations are better discussed at a later date. Right now it is more important that you convince the interviewers to short-list you for the next stage in the selection process, rather than worry about the salary you will be getting! 

Keep important papers accessible near the telephone
Since you may receive your telephone call without warning, it would help if you kept important papers within easy reach of the telephone. As you cannot be seen, you could quickly glance at the papers for any assistance that you may need in answering questions that you had not anticipated. Keep papers such as your resume, the cover letter and any other information that you may have researched on the employer such as company size, market share, turnover, job responsibilities etc., easily accessible near the telephone.

Also keep a paper and pen or pencil handy to jot down any points or names that you may need to, during the course of the telephone interview.

You can use the fact that you cannot be seen to your advantage in terms of referring to your prepared points or resume to assist you in your answers. However, please do not be in a situation, where you have a friend or relative prompting you as this could turn out to be disastrous. It could even may you hesitate or stumble over words while answering questions and could get you thoroughly confused! It is best to be cool and think on your feet to answer surprise questions. Your preparation should have taken care of other questions and answers so that you did not need to refer to anything anyway! 

Ensure that there are no distractions such as the blaring noise of the TV set or anything else at home, while the interview is going on.

Follow these guidelines and then look forward to a good telephone interview!
Apply Now - Resume or CV with Job Post Title
Email: jobs@aarenconsultants.in

Dressing up for interviews

Do you want to walk into the room and ZAP...make sure they are impressed! Enough has been written about dressing right for an interview. Dressing conservatively, yet maintaining your innate style is the right mix.

Do you want to walk into the room and ZAP...make sure they are impressed!

Enough has been written about dressing right for an interview. By now you probably know that dressing conservatively; yet maintaining your innate style is the right mix for getting that perfect look on the D-day. However, many are often at a loss on how to achieve this. While you needn’t be a trend setter, you must definitely spend some time on planning beforehand what you will wear as you face the sharks.

Remember that even before you open your mouth to enthral them with your wisdom, your looks have already given them a cue to your personality and they are probably half way there to hiring you or writing you off. Dumbfounded with this revelation? Most psychologists say that 50-55% of the impression a person will make the first time, depends on the clothes he wears. Practically speaking, if the clothes you wear have so much potential, why not let them do the initial talking. If you are well dressed, you will find yourself relaxing while your confidence zooms up further at their admiring glances.

There are some basic rules for men and women to follow while dressing for an interview:

Wear well tailored clothes that are not too tight or revealing and convey taste and elegance.
Pay special attention to grooming your hair in a neat out-of-the-way style.
Keep nails short and clean with light varnish for women.
Avoid dangling eye-catching ornaments and tattoos.
Smell fresh and clean. A light perfume will do.

Alright, now let’s take a closer look how different sectors have their own style quotients and how you will be able to match those:

Human Resources/ Government/ NGOs

You need to project that you are trustworthy, honest and have people management skills. Dress conservatively in well coordinated colours that make you look cool and comfortable. You can also include handlooms or handcrafted shoes and purses in their attire.

Hospitality

An elegant well groomed image is very critical here. Fine tune your looks to the hilt here in well cut clothes that drape well. You will be scrutinized from the top of your neat head to the tips of your well polished shoes. Remember to wear your smile along with a subtle perfume or cologne.

Advertising or Design

The job calls for exhibiting your creative quotient, but it’s best not to go overboard. Dress in smart casuals but keep out distracting details like chunky jewellery or shiny belt buckles. Try to hit that right mix of creativity and professionalism.

Finance and Law

Although you needn’t dress like a penguin in a stiff coat, black is still a colour that cannot go wrong here. Project yourself as analytical, precise and very businesslike and go for the full business attire complete with a tie and pinstripes. Patent leather shoes with matching briefcase or folder would complete the look.

Higher positions

When being interviewed for a higher position, remember you need to project authority, dependability and competence in your field. Power dressing is called for and you need to wear excellent quality clothes in dark colours, well contrasted with light shades. It is best to choose branded clothes that stand out for their superior cut and styling.

If this list does not impress you, explore possibilities to find out what exactly suits your body type and personality before you zero down on how to dress for an interview. Dress in something that you can carry with style and never forget to wear that smile.
Apply Now - Resume or CV with Job Post Title
Email: jobs@aarenconsultants.in

How to handle interviews without getting stressed

Facing an interview is often stressful. Here are some ways to help you reduce the stress of facing interviews. This can be done by proper preparation and following these tips during the interview and after.

A recent poll on shine.com reveals that more than 60% people are scared of facing an interview. For many, interview is synonymous with stress; you first get stressed over not getting an interview call and then stress about its preparation. Worse is, when at the time of the interview - you either freeze with panic or chatter aimlessly, losing your train of thought.

Here are some valuable tips to help you handle the interview process in a stress free way.

Pre-interview tips:

Practice mock interviews with family/friends or in front of the mirror, so that the actual interview doesn’t scare you.

Know your resume thoroughly. Be prepared for questions on work experience, job responsibilities and personal attributes. Be ready to prove your credentials with examples.

Research thoroughly on the company and industry. Find out the latest news and happenings of the company you are interviewing for and also be aware of trends of that industry. Also be ready with a few questions you would like to ask the interviewer, at the end of the interview.

Plan your attire in advance. If you are confused about what to wear, stick to the conservative. For more check, dressing up for interviews

Visualise yourself brimming with confidence and success in the interview. Practice succeeding in your imagination and you'll soon be doing it in reality.

If you are unwell or not at your best, it is better to re-schedule your interview.

Facing the interview tips:

Timing is important: Don't take on undue stress before a big interview. Arrive just 5 - 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Arriving early makes you worry more and arriving late may find you racing, your heart pounding from the last-minute dash. Ten minutes early is enough to help you catch your breath and acclimatise you.

Relax: Only if you are relaxed, can you exude confidence. Show that you're calm, composed and in command during the interview. Breathe deeply and slowly; sit straight without crossing your arms or legs. Your hands and jaws should be relaxed with no clenching.

Speak slowly but clearly and pause for breath. Do not run with your answers, making them look like a practiced speech. Be clear, take appropriate pauses, have a pleasant countenance and don’t look grim or too serious.

Facing a tough question: Don’t flub or grapple for words. Pause, but don’t panic. Not everything can go as per your plan. Tackle tough questions after taking a deep breath and focus on what is being asked. In case you have absolutely no idea of the answer, be honest to state that and move on.

Post-interview tips:

Thank the interviewers and follow up properly.

Get feedback. Even if you do not clear the interview, ask the interviewer for his or her overall impression and take his feedback. Then you can approach your next meeting with greater confidence.

Prepare, practise and do positive visualisation to succeed in making your dream a reality.
Apply Now - Resume or CV with Job Post Title
Email: jobs@aarenconsultants.in

Tips to face job interviews confidently

We dread interviews and when we are scared, we bungle. Confidence and preparedness are the only two things that can help you keep cool and succeed at interviews. Here's how.

Most of us dread job interviews but it’s the key to a successful job. Hence it is important to approach interviews in the correct manner and with the right attitude, as that is the key to success.

These tips will help you to stay calm and focused instead of being a nervous wreck. Follow these to remain cool and confident in your interview and so achieve success.

Go prepared: Find out about the company’s vision, goal, products, the work culture and the management from the website. Then from the job description, analyse how suitable you are as a candidate. You can’t be prepared for all questions as there will be some googlies and bouncers hurled at you. But there are some common interview questions and if you’re prepared for them, half the battle is won. You’ll be less tongue-tied and appear more confident if you’re ready with the response. You can check out what the interviewer wants to know for the same.

Be thorough with your CV: You should be familiar with whatever is mentioned in the CV. Read it thoroughly so that you’re not stumped by any question regarding your past employment and education.

Act confident: Even if you don’t feel confident, act as one emanating confidence. Your body language should be accurate and you should be making a positive impact during the interview. Sit straight on the chair and look into the eyes of the interviewer. Remember, you’ve nothing to lose and go with that mind-set. This causes less palpable stress.

Sleep well: A good night’s sleep is essential to stay fresh in body and mind. Never leave the preparation planning for the last minute. Be ready with your interview dress and keep your shoes polished. Women should clip their nails and remove nail paint if it’s uneven at places and smoothen it well in advance. Never eat late or have an extra drink the night before the interview as that might leave you with a hangover. Try to remain calm and happy to be successful.

Be on time: Travelling to the interview can be stressful, especially if you’ve to commute a long distance. Try and do a trial run a day in advance so that you know how long it takes to reach there. Thus, you can plan as per your schedule and convenience. Remember, arriving late for whatever reasons is totally inexcusable.

Take deep breaths: If you’ve been made to wait in the reception, have a glass of water and take some deep breaths so that your voice is regulated and you don’t seem shaky. Also, prepare for some small talk, like what you would be saying about yourself, etc. This is essentially to break the ice and you’re at ease instead of sounding like a diffident person.

Prefer mornings to the second half: Mostly you wouldn’t be given an option, but in case you are, take the morning slot to an afternoon one. Though it doesn’t always matter but you’re fresh in the morning and after you’re through, you can plan the rest of the day accordingly. If the interview's scheduled in the the second half, you carry the baggage of the schedules and plans for the entire day as well as the interview stress and come across as jaded.

Lastly, it goes without saying, be relaxed and don't worry too much. The job interview is for both parties, ie. both for you and the employer to decide on the respective suitabilities; so go with an open mind and try to be calm.
Apply Now - Resume or CV with Job Post Title
Email: jobs@aarenconsultants.in