Look at me

A few days ago I received an email from a headhunter based in London who specialises in international placement and they have offices in most of the big cities. It was only yesterday that I decided to reply to her email and included my contact number as well as preferred time to chat.

An hour later (which was 9am UK time), I got a phone call from her.

Now, this reminded me of a question posed by someone which I intend to answer hopefully through this post. How to get yourself noticed in an ocean, assuming you are targeting a bigger market?

When you are a graduate and competing against thousands, you need to have something unique to set you apart. If you happen to come from a reputable university, you might have an edge. It will be nicer if you consistently achieve good pointers or awards such as dean’s list. It will be brilliant if you happen to do all that while doing volunteer work, working part-time or actively participating in clubs. Err, the sensible clubs of course and not any hidden (dark) societies. Maybe Twilight fans are exempted.

Never assume things are so trivial or unimportant that you leave them out from your resume. Those that you think sound simple or silly may actually get you noticed, although it is best if you discuss it with someone just to make sure you are on the right track.

For example, a few months ago I reviewed a CV of a young graduate. It was boring! I mean, she had all the academic excellence (awards, honours etc) but there was nothing catchy. I asked why she didn’t put her modelling experience as she did quite a fair bit while studying. She didn’t want to appear as if she wasn’t serious in her studies. Like DUH! Obviously she did really well in her exams.

So I asked her to include it but rephrase in a manner where the reader could see that she benefited from the experience. In addition, I told her to include a few other activities which she did while doing her undergrad.

Anyway, she landed herself a few interviews and from glancing across the desk, she saw all of them highlighted her modelling stint. They were more interested in her glamorous short-lived career and asked why she didn’t pursue that. It made her noticed in a room of hopeful candidates. Imagine if she left that out.

Of course it was equally important on the way she handled the question i.e. why not be a supermodel and earn lots of money. Suffice to say she got herself a few job offers and thanked me for insisting her to include ‘trivial’ points on her resume.

I can’t give you the right answer to get to where you want. One has to be creative to get noticed. Most companies have online CV submission and there are plenty of good jobseekers’ websites where you can register yourself and find something suitable in your field of interest.

And sometimes you just need a little bit of luck. After all, it is a big pool out there. *winks*

*Ms B is feeling excited as the the cable guys are coming today to fix (or install) tv reception and phone connection. She hopes they show up unlike the furniture guys who were supposed to deliver the young lady's study desk two days ago.*