Should you get your resume written by professional resume writing services? The importance of a resume cannot be undermined when you are gearing yourself for applying for a job. The competition is so fierce that every job that is advertised gets more thousands and thousands of applications. In such a situation, it becomes a difficult task for the recruiters to conduct an interview to screen the candidates.

It is here that your resume plays and important role. A lot of applications are rejected at the resume-screening exercise itself because they just don’t look like what a good resume should.

This is a much better and viable solution to preliminary screening for the recruiters. They then need to interview only the ones whose resume has been short-listed. This would then mean that you need to have a catchy resume which would catch the attention of the screeners when they are screening through the thousands of applications that they have received.

What is the definition of a catchy resume and how will you write one? If you are looking for a dictionary definition of a catchy resume then I am sure you would not find one. Also the definition of a catchy resume might change with the nature of the person who is screening the CVs. Does this mean that there is no set standard or, guideline to write a good resume? Absolutely not. There are quite a few guidelines that could help you write a good resume.

The next question would be – Would you be able to write one? Yes, of course you would be. But then why do you need to spend your time and energy on something which would still be an experimenting for you. The easiest and best option hence is to get your resume written by professional writers who know the standards of a good resume and have written thousands of such resume.

Hiring a professional resume writing service is hence not a bad option at all. There are very good and industry top resume writers like the people at employment boost who can get this work done for you. They have extremely talented copywriters who write these resume for you after considerable amount of research of what content in your resume would sell well.

Employment boost has more than 15 years of experience in the field of resume writing and has written thousands of resumes. This gives them the benefit of understanding which resume sells and thus tailoring your resume according to the position that you are applying for.

When you hire professional resume writers, it is always good if you get some extra support from them. Not all resume writers would give you this support unlike Employment boost. Employment boost does not rely on a robot to read through your requirement and then just write a resume for you. They ensure that they work with you in person. In addition to resume writing services, they also offer job placement assistance as well.

It is a good idea to hire a professional resume writing service to write the resume for you. But at the same time you should also ensure that you are getting it done from the right pe0ple. Doing a bit a research about the company offering such services is always good.

In this part of the interviewing tips series, we are going to touch upon the most important part in any interview. This aspect is what plays a major role in deciding your fate in an interview. This aspect is the “Non-verbal Communication” in an interview.

Many a times we ignore this part and focus so much on the other aspects of an interview that we feel so confident that we are going to make it, that we actually become over-confident. This over-confidence influences this aspect to an extent that the interviewer gets to know that we are over-confident and then the result is a rejection.

The first contact that a candidate has with the interviewer is when he enters the room and shakes hands with the interviewer. This is the beginning of the non-verbal communication that the interviewee will have with the interviewer. If your handshake is not appropriate then you have lost the first battle and the interviewer gets a chance to make an impression about you. Throughout the remaining part of the interview, the questions that are being put to you and the way your responses are being judged is decided primarily by this first impression.

What are the few things that you should keep in mind when you shake hands?

• Ensure that you lock your palms with that of the other person and then shake your hands. This shows that you are confident and positive.
• Do not just catch the other persons hands by your fingers and then leave it quickly as if in a hurry. This is the sign of an under-confident and pessimistic person.
• Always lock your palms with the other person in a straight position., i.e. the inside of your palm should be facing your left side and should be in a 90° position to the ground. This posture is a sign of your attitude.

Follow these basic rules when you shake hands with the interviewer and you have set the tone for a smooth interview.

Photograph courtesy g-hat used under Creatives Common license.

What is the cost of a smile? We often do not realize what a smile could do to somebody’s day. Though it doesn’t cost you a thing to smile, we are reluctant to this one gesture.

That day was frustrating for me. I was already late to office and I had a very bad road rage verbal altercation with another driver and was cursing everyone I found on my way as I drove into the basement parking in my office. I knew the day would be a terrible one for me. As I reached near the door of the lift lobby, I saw the security-guard sitting there. With a gloomy face I leaned forward to open the door and suddenly, I heard a voice say, “Good Morning, Sir. How are you?”. As I turned towards the security guard, I found a pleasant and smiling face looking at me. The smile was contagious. Suddenly there was a smile on my face too and I replied, “I am good. How are you?”. He replied, “Excellent, sir. I am enjoying the day here”. There was a sudden rush of enthusiasm into me and I felt happy and wonderful. That day was unexpectedly good for me.

What made the difference? It was the smile that the gentlemen passed at me. He did not loose anything, but he made my day.

I had once read somewhere about the 90-10 principle. It said that,

90% of the things that are going to happen around you and that is going to influence you are beyond your control. But 10% of what is going to happen is very much within your control. And this 10% is what determines how 90% of your day will be.

It sounded strange to me. The principle was somewhat similar to the Pareto principle, but how can percentages define a behavior, I wondered. But experience proved that the principle was right. When your daughter spills coffee over you in the morning, a slight change in your approach meant that you don’t shout at her. Rather you calmly walk into your room and change your clothes and tell your daughter, “It is OK”. This small change in behavior would mean that neither your day, nor your daughter’s day (for that matter even your wife’s day) starts on a bad note and there is pleasant smiles all around.

Check how this small change can bring about a lot of important and major changes in your day. This is the influence of the 10%. The 90-10 principle really works.