How to Apply For a Job

By Our Special Correspondent

Probably nobody ever won a job solely through a simple scribbled letter of application. But a well written presentation of your qualifications and experience can help to point out your merits to an interested employer. What is more, when you’re competing for a job opening, a well-written presentation can create a strong impression that may prejudice the interviewer in your favour. You are, in fact, “selling your working capacity” to a prospective employer. Therefore, put yourself in the reader’s place and plan your approach.

According to a recent survey conducted on job preferences it has been revealed that the Civil Services, which used to be the number one preference of job seekers till very recently, stand second in priority. Of late private sector jobs are being preferred by young graduates and post-graduates. With growing industrialization, coupled with the liberal economic and foreign trade policies of the Government of India which is, in turn, attracting several multinational companies to enter the Indian market, there are ample job opportunities coming up for talented young graduates and post-graduates. Private sector jobs, besides offering heavy compensation packages and liberal perks, also promise rapid career growth for the right type of candidate.

These jobs are mostly advertised in leading newspapers and magazines like India Today, Business India among others. Candidates aspiring for such jobs have to respond to these advertisements along with their brief bio-data’s. Of late, it has also been observed that certain reputed companies are advertising “walk in interviews”. This is because these companies are no longer interested in scanning through long bio data’s to shortlist candidates because it is a time-consuming and expensive exercise. For such jobs, candidates are expected to carry a brief bio data’s along with them to the interview.

For the purposes of securing jobs in private sector organizations, among the most important communications you have to write include:

• Preparation of you bio-data;

• The letter to accompany your bio-data;

• The thank-you letter for the interview; and

• The letter of acceptance or rejection of the job offer.

PREPARATION OF YOUR BIO-DATA

The bio-data, which is also called the curriculum vitae or personal data sheet, is a factual presentation of yourself – your personal history, education, extra-curricular activities, work experience, honors and awards and references. Normally a bio-data sheet contains:

• Your name and address;

• Your date of birth;

• Your educational qualifications;

• Your extra-curricular activities;

• A resume of your working experiences; and

• References.

Changing trends

As employers these days have no time to scan through lengthy bio-data’s, it is necessary that your bio-data should be presented in a compact and easy-to-read form. Do not try to describe your history from birth or give a detailed description of your family background. Employers are not interested in your family background or your childhood affairs and achievements. Your bio-data should be brief, clear and accurate. It should present you in a favorable light, tell the most important things about you that a prospective employer might want to know; and it should do these things fully but with no padding. Accuracy of information is very essential and there should be no over-statement. Recently, one case has been reported where the Corporate Personnel Manager of a multinational organization had to quit only because he gave certain wrong information in his bio-data and was selected. When the facts were known to the company, after he had worked with them for more than two years, he was asked to resign. Therefore, accuracy of information is very essential in bio-data’s.

How should you begin?

The usual way is to make a draft first and list your ‘vital statistics’ – name, address, date and place of birth, etc. Now you are ready to list the relevant parts of your background (as a rule, lists, not sentences, is used in bio-data’s). These are to be listed in the following order:

(a)Education

At the point when you begin your career, education is your chief selling point. So you must list details of your education first. This part should have two sub-headings: academic qualifications and technical experience. Give only the highest qualification you have including the name of the college, university, division and distinctions, if any, along with the year of your graduation or post-graduation, as the case may be. In describing your technical background, you should list the courses that are relevant to the position for which you are applying.

(b)Extra-curricular activities

The next entry is your extra-curricular activities. However, employers these days are not interested in detailed explanations of the games you can play or like to play. Mention only if you had the distinction of representing your college team at the state level or if you had captained your college team. If you have no such special distinction, it is better to leave them out and avoid making your bio-data too long. Unless you are fresh from college, it is better not to mention these details.

(c)Resume of working experience

The next entry is a resume of your working experience. It is advisable to enter data relating to your experience in inverse chronological order, i.e. giving the most recent first and going backward in time to the beginning of your working life. The maximum details should be given of your present job. This is the logical approach because most employers like to see what you are doing now before seeing what you’ve done in the past. They are not interested in knowing what you did ten years ago. They want to know what you are doing now, what is your present job profile and responsibilities and whether the functions that you are performing in your present job match the job requirement they have for you to fulfil.

If you have no experience

Although your job experience may be quite limited or you may be fresh from college and applying for your first job, do not hesitate to take advantage of any entry you can make. For example, if you are a fresh graduate, mention the summer training courses you may have taken as a part of your college curriculum. Even though these jobs may not relate to the position for which you are now applying, they definitely tell something about you – that you have initiative and ambition that you accept responsibility that you have had some working experience despite your young age. This summer training or inplant exposure will show that you were dependable, for no employer would keep you for an entire summer if you were not.

If you have experience

It is worth spending quite a bit of thought on this part of the bio-data before you write the final draft of your resume of working experience. Your goal is to present yourself in the best possible light, playing up your strong points and playing down your weak ones. First list your designation and then the name of the organization in which you were employed. In preparing the job description, ask yourself: “what did I do in this job that is likely to impress the prospective employer?” Or you might ask yourself: “If I were hiring somebody for the job I want to get, what sort of experience would I look for?” Remember, your prospective employer needs you as much as you need him. Therefore, as has been said earlier, put yourself in the reader’s place and furnish the details required by him for taking a decision in your favour.

Describing your present job

As mentioned before, your prospective employer is more interested in your present job. Therefore, this entry should contain more details which are relevant and could attract your prospective employer. In preparing the job description of your present job, keep in mind the following points:

• Indicate any unusual responsibility you have been given in your present company.

• Give examples of having helped the company grow.

• Show how you saved money for the company or increased sales or overcame any problems faced by the company.

• Indicate if you were promoted rapidly and received any other form of recognition that shows your ability. For example, if your salary increased substantially within a short span, you should give this in terms of percentage to highlight your achievement more effectively.

In describing the job you held prior to your most recent one, try to avoid repeating duties that you have already mentioned. An employer is likely to favour an applicant who has had some diversity of experience in related areas, giving him greater flexibility.

Why are you looking for a change?

this is something very important and needs to be very carefully listed in your bio-data. When explaining why you are looking for a new job, or why you left your previous job, consider whether it is to your advantage to do so. If you left your previous job because of “personality clashes” or “too much late sitting”, do not say so. To a prospective employer this indicates that you may be a troublemaker or work-shirker. Similarly, never mention that you have no security in your present job or you fear losing the job. This shows that you have no confidence. Think hard and you will probably be able to come up with some other reason, such as a company reorganization leaving your position uncertain. Note the following example:

EXAMPLE:

Supervising a sales team of 40 men selling consumer durables. Responsible for recruitment, training and the establishment and fulfillment of sale targets. During this period, region’s sale rose to an average of 25 per cent annually, compared to earlier rise of 10-12 per cent. While satisfied with the compensation package and the job, the family ownership prevents rising any higher.

Another way is to say that you are looking for a more challenging opportunity and more exposure to your field of specialization so that you can prove your worth.

References

Every good bio-data contains at least two or three references. Vary yours, selecting a teacher or professor who has known you well, a former employer if possible or any other important person who is well known. If the person named as a reference has an official title, include it; it identifies that person and helps a prospective employer evaluate his or her recommendation. Above all, be certain that all names are spelt correctly and that all addresses are verified.

Salary drawn and salary expected

Here you have to be very careful. Some authorities suggest that this information should be given in the bio-data form as some employers like to have this information. However, others suggest that it is better not to mention this information in your bio-data. The reason for this is that if you indicate the salary you expect and it is less than the company is willing to pay, you are selling yourself short. On the other hand, if it is more than the employer is willing to pay, you are automatically disqualifying yourself before you have a chance to have an interview and show your worth to your prospective employer. If you are found good enough and he wants you strongly enough, he may be willing to pay even a higher salary than what you expected. In view of this justification, it is recommended to leave the salary option open for the negotiation during the final interview. Therefore, it is better just to say: “Salary expected – Negotiable”.

MECHANICS OF A GOOD BIO-DATA

Let us now look at some factors relating to the mechanics of the bio-data. Obviously, you want your bio-data to make an excellent appearance. Therefore, you must arrange it for attractiveness as well as easy reading. If you make effective use of display techniques, you will enhance the readability of the information you are giving. Once you have listed all the vital information discussed above and prepared the draft of your bio-data, keep in the mind the following points for final writing or typing of your bio-data:

Type and size of paper

Always write or type your bio-data on good quality, water-marked, rag-content bond paper (which is slightly heavy or thick). It has a clean crisp feel and your writing or typing stands out more clearly. Furthermore – and you will agree that this is important – it is easiest to make neat corrections on paper of good quality.

As far as the size of the paper is concerned, it is recommended to use standard size business paper sheet measuring about 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches. Smaller size papers get lost among the files, while extra-large sheets peep out of the files.

Leave sufficient margin space

Keep in mind the rule about leaving adequate margins to provide an attractive amount of while area on all the four sides of the sheet. Ensure that your left-hand margin is slightly more than your right-hand, top and bottom margins. This is to facilitate punching holes for filing purposes.

Number of sheets

Firstly, never use both sides of the paper for writing your bio-data. It is better to make the bio-date as brief as possible so that it can be accommodated in one page or maximum two pages. As explained earlier, employers have no time to scan through long bio-datas.

Make headings and sub-headings easy to read

Write or type your main headings in capital letters, either centered or at the left margin. Minor headings or sub-headings can then be in lower case or smaller letters and underlined.

Some don’ts

1. Your religion

There is absolutely no need to mention your religion, unless you are applying for a job in an institution run by a particular community. Companies and organisations as such are not concerned with your religion.

1. Your family background

Employers are not interested in knowing the achievements of your parents or other relatives. You are “selling” your own working capability and not that of your family members.

1. Dependents/family members

Some job seekers try to show that they have dependent parents or other family members and, therefore, they deserve the job. This may negatively influence your selection as your prospective employer might fear that due to your large family, you may not be able to devote your attention fully to the organization. However, if you are married. You must mention it along with the number of children.

1. Preference for place of living

For senior positions you should always be mobile. Your preference to stay near your home town or near your family may be considered a weak point. It is better to avoid such details in your application.

1. Job security

For an efficient person there is job security in every organization. Therefore, never give an indication in your bio-data or application that your present job is not secure or you have any fears of losing it.

1. Travelling

In case you do not like much travelling and your present job involves a lot of travelling, do not indicate this as a reason for leaving the present job. This will not be viewed positively by your prospective employer.

1. Late sitting

Never mention in your application that your present job involves a lot of late sitting. This will not give a good impression.