BC Project On Job Search Communication

A PROJECT OF
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
ON
Presented to
Prof. Hammad Shamimi
Presented by MBA (0) (C)

(INEFFABLES)
Muhammad Mohsin Ali
Abbas Sohail Mirza
Muhammad Shahbaz Iqbal
Abdul Rehman Kashif
Ahsan Gulzar
BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, we thank Almighty ALLAH;

whose blessings remain with us
throughout this phase.
Secondly, we would like to thank our

respected Prof. Hammad Shamimi; whose
guide has enabled us to achieve our
goal for completing this major
project. I also owe thanks to those
who contributed ideas and material
and lend a helping hand.

DEDICATION
We dedicate this project to our

PARENTS; whose prayers remain always
with us and due to whom we were able to
achieve this.
Description
In this project, we will discuss all the

aspects of a job search communication like
self analysis, market analysis, how to
write a good CV or resume and how to
write a cover letter.

Description Page No.
INTRODUCTION 1
CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2
SELF ANALYSIS 4
FREE CAREER AND JOB OPPORTUNITY
INFORMATION 5
JOB HUNTING IN TODAYS NEW WORLD 5
JOB SEARCH PROCESS 6
SIX STEP TO JOB SEARCH SUCCESS 7
METHODS OF JOB SEARCHING 16
JOB INTERVIEWS 18
HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV OR RESUME 20

THE WORDS ARE THE POWER 22
LIST OF RESUME POWER WORDS 23
WHAT IS A CV OR RESUME FOR 32
BEFORE YOU START 33
WHAT TO INCLUDE 33
HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER 39
A SHORT HISTORY OF COVER LETTER 39
WHAT ‘S THE SECRET TO A COMPELLING
COVER LETTER 42
THE TOP TEN STRATTEGIES FOR WRITING
WINNING COVER LETTER 44
EIGHT DEADLY COVER LETTER ERRORS 48
CONCLUSION 49

Job Search Communication

Introduction
You have taken one of the most important steps towards finding the
job you want through a system that I have personally used in my own
career. There is an expression…”the harder you work, the luckier you get”.
In the case of a job search, this is definitely true.
(Jason Adams)
Considering the intense and exceedingly competitive market in which

we compete in order to achieve a job that suits our personality and satisfies
our financial needs, has become the most important priority for individuals
at different stages of their professional life. The most desirable jobs are
rigorously competed for and having the required level of education and
relevant professional experience is not enough. In order to achieve a
satisfactory job you need to have some certain market skills and
capabilities and make use of a variety of techniques that are focused
below.
Career Goals and Objectives
In order to have a successful professional career it’s essential that an

individual from an early stage starts to develop and work on certain factors.
This requires of analyzing certain elements of the individual himself and of
the environment.
BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 1


Personality and interest:
A person should choose a field that complements his/her personality

and is in accordance with his interests. Having a career in the sector which
fits the individual’s personality and interests will motivate the individual
towards high levels of achievement, thus making it a vital factor for the
individual’s growth and success. While still in their educational careers
individuals should make use of aptitude, personality and IQ tests in order to
establish what field of work they are most suited for.
Abilities and Aptitude
Although many skills and abilities are learned and developed over
time but there are certain genetic elements that are unique to different
individuals. For example a child that from a young age has an aptitude for
math would be most likely to succeed in the fields of accounts or data
processing.
Specialized Education
In certain sectors apart from traditional education standards required

to attain a specific job, there are some specialized educations that increase
the chance of an individual’s to achieve a desired designation. These could
be for example a person attaining a PhD; this would give the individual
much more preference by potential employers over people who have not


acquired this level of education. A person with a Masters in Business
Administration would be more likely to get preference over a candidate that
has just acquired a Bachelors degree.
Selection of Education Institutions
Certain education Institutions that have maintained higher education

standards and reputation in the market have a greater impact on employer,
as candidates who have acquired education from such institutions are likely
to get preference over candidates that have education from lesser reputed
institutions.
Background and Society
Background and society has a great deal of impact on an individual’s

choice of profession. Certain professions in conservative societies are not
that favored and success in those sectors would be quite uncertain.


Self Analysis
What Do You Love? What Makes You Lose Track Of Time? What
Types Of People Do You Admire? What Types Of People Do You Like To
Be Around? What Do You Value? What Do You Want Your Life To Look
Like? What Is Your Dream Job? If You Had Many Lives, What Would You
Be?
Don’t put it off, do this exercise now. Define your dream job. Do you
want it to be creative, fun, allow you to meet new people, does it involve
travel, does it offer flexibility, money, career growth, and do you want it to
be in a specific environment i.e. a wilderness park. It’s your life; let your
imagination run wild.
In order to make the best career choice for you, it's important that
you have all the important facts about the occupations that interest you.
You should keep the following in mind when making your decision:
Nature of the Work

Working Conditions
Where will you most likely be employed
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Job Outlook
Earnings


Free Career and Job Opportunity
Information
These days, there are plenty of places where you can get information
related to careers and job search. You are often only a click away from
obtaining details of specific fields in your area of interest.
One of the problems in the past with job assessment and

reevaluation is that once you knew what you wanted to do and where you
wanted to go, you ran out of places to look.
Today, this is very different. With access to the Internet you will find
tons of information. As a matter of fact, you may very well experience
information overload if you don’t know how to narrow down your search.
Job hunting in Today’s New World
In one of the biggest job markets in the world, the U.S.

unemployment rate is high. Companies have become conservative in
recruiting and hiring in general as well as within specific sectors and
industries. In the airline industry, for example, job growth is weak. In law
enforcement, it’s stronger. Some financial firms are desperately looking for
seasoned professionals while others are downsizing. Fields such as
pharmaceuticals, nursing, and assisted living, that market to aging
populations, are either enjoying growth or planning for it as 76 million Baby
Boomers approach retirement age. On the other hand, the group that
demographers call the “Baby Echo” (Boomers’ children) is off to college in


droves. Once these graduates enter the workforce, it may well trigger
growth in industries more dependent on the spending habits of those in
their twenties.
Nevertheless, opportunity does exist in the workplace—just not where

it has traditionally been! New jobs are being created as start-ups launch
and prelaunch, as required skills shift from industry to industry and within
sectors, and as growing numbers of workers retire. The good news is that
what you must do to conduct an effective job search has not changed.
What have changed is how you must do it and how much of it you must do.
Here are several essential guidelines for managing the successful job
search in today’s challenging, new world.
The Job Search Process:
I need a job or a better job & I need a company to notice me and for
them to call me isn’t that it in a nutshell? Nothing else matters! The process
today is simply getting noticed enough to have a company go to the next
stage.
- Your cover letter = first level of interest
- Your resume = your obvious qualifications
- Your job interview = the final step, your hire ability!


SIX Steps to Job Search Success
Step1 - How Many People Do You Know That Hate Their Job?
How many people do you know that hate their job, but have been
doing it for YEARS? Do you know why? Because finding a better job is
hard work. People would actually rather stay where they are and be
miserable, than take the time to find something better.
Its understood that life happens and that many of the reasons that
people give for not changing jobs are valid, but its also a fact that just by
changing a few things in your life, you can carve out the time needed to
make your life better. If you follow the 6 suggestions and ideas in this
section, you will get where you want to go a lot faster.
1-First and foremost, get your personal life in order as best
you can.
Before you start looking for a new job, be sure that your personal life
is “in order” and be prepared to accept what it takes to find a new job. You
are going to need a lot of quality time and support at home in order to find
the job you want.


2 - Set a target amount of time you will spend on your job
search each week and stick to it.
As with so many other things in life, you get out of it as much as you
put into it. I’ve seen books entitled, 20 Minutes to a Better Resume, and so
on. I’m sorry, but if you really want a great cover letter and resume, you
have to spend a lot more than 20 minutes to make it right. Even 30 minutes
to one hour a day is better than nothing.
3 - Begin gathering facts, figures and accomplishments about
your career to date.
Start with such things as dates of employment, job titles and

responsibilities, salary progression, major achievements, special skills that
make you unique, educational background, including any courses you’ve
taken since college or high school. Be sure to include any training your
company has provided or courses they have paid for. Get it all down on
paper because you’ll need it to write your resume, cover letter and on
interviews.
4 - Create your own personal portfolio.
A good portfolio will visually demonstrate and support your abilities

during an interview. Anything that is not proprietary, confidential or property
of previous employers should be kept in your portfolio. This works
particularly well for artists, marketing personnel, architects, designers, etc.


Some of the things you might want to include in your portfolio could be
catalogs, brochures, letters of success and anything else you have created
– ads, PR, reports, patents, products, etc. Successful “before and after”
campaigns work particularly well.
5 - Create a list of companies that you think you’d like to work
for.
Get the address, phone number and the name of the CEO/President
if possible. You can get this information from the ads you cut out from the
newspaper or from your local Chamber of Commerce (they usually have a
list of member companies that might be helpful).
6 - Get organized and be ready for the months ahead with
these final 6 suggestions
1. Get a personal/private cell phone if you can so you are not making
phone calls from your work office. Make sure to take off all those cute
greetings too. Get a home answering machine and again – change the
message to be more professional.
2. Appearance counts! Make sure that you have the right clothes to
go on interviews. This doesn’t necessarily mean formal suits. Your
wardrobe should match the industry you are in and the job that you
seeking.


3. Try to find a quite place in your home that you can devote to your
job hunting effort. A home office is ideal if you have one.
4. Change your e-mail address to something appropriate. Your

SugarPie@hotmail.com address may have been cute while you were
dating, but it doesn’t make for a good first impression and certainly doesn’t
present the professional image you want to project.
5. Start thinking about who you will use for references. You’ll need to
find people you can trust. Start gathering their names, addresses, phone
numbers and e-mail addresses now. Don’t forget to call and let your
references know that someone might be calling them in the near future.
6. An organized desk will be your best friend, especially if you get an

unexpected call from a hiring manager. You’ll also need to set up a system
of tracking who you send resumes to and what job you was applying for.
Remember, in the end, no one owes you a job. It truly is your responsibility
to find a job. Sure, there are recruiters, friends, etc. but the bottom line is
that you can’t and shouldn’t depend on a single source or way of finding the
job you want.
Step 2- Job-Hunting? - The Best Story Always Wins
There’s an old joke about two men hunting in the jungle. Suddenly,
they come upon a man-eating tiger that hasn’t eaten for days. The hunters
both start running with the tiger in hot pursuit. As they are running, one


hunter says to the other. “You know, we’ll never be able to outrun this
tiger.” To which the other hunter replies, “I don’t have to outrun the tiger; I
only have to outrun you.”
The point of the story is that, yes, there will be many other candidates
in the stack of 500 cover letters and resumes that the hiring manager will
receive for just one ad and many will have more experience and better
qualifications than you. You just need to be sure that your cover letter and
resume shows off your strengths and experience better than the other guy.
And if you follow the ideas in this section, they will!
Job-hunting is like the sales profession. It always comes down to…he

who has the best “story” wins.
What does it mean to have the “best story”?
Let us define a “story”. A great story essentially means that to the

employer, you have “The Right Stuff”. A great story evolves from a well
thought out job hunting system where all pieces of the “campaign” are
closely aligned. It requires thought, logic, and study and of course
practices. It’s a theme that continually shows up in anything and everything
you write or say.


Step 3- Four Easy Ways to Become a Job-Search “Commando”
According to current Department of Labor statistics, today’s college

graduates will, on average, have 8 to 10 jobs and as many as 3 careers in
their lifetime. In addition, with downsizing, rightsizing, layoffs, mergers and
acquisitions, etc. your job skills and job-hunting skills need to be constantly
updated and refined.
Problem solvers get jobs!

Broadcast letters uncover positions in the “hidden” job market.
Answering blind ads lessens your competition.
The best time to answer an ad?
Step 4 - Cover Letter versus Resume – Which Is More
Important?
Some people say that the resume is THE most important part of the
job
Changing process, while others say it’s the cover letter and even others
say it’s the interview. The truth is that they are all right and wrong!
It’s like asking …what is more important in a car, the brake pedal, and the
gas pedal or the steering wheel. Obviously you need all three to get you
from point A to point B.


Step 5- Five Key Points to Keep in Mind When Writing Your
Resume
Resumes and cover letters that get acted upon are those that
demonstrate the writer’s potential to solve an employer’s problem.
Companies like resumes that demonstrate what you can do for them…that
you are a problem-solver. Put yourself in the shoes of the hiring
manager/screener and you’ll understand why a good cover letter and
resume MUST make you stand out and therefore is so important. To make
a point, let’s make some “worst case” scenario assumptions about the
hiring manager reading your cover letter and resume for the first time.
Keep these 5 points in mind when writing your cover letter and resume.
1. You want to make it as easy as possible for the hiring manager to

get a sense of you in just a few seconds.
2. Your cover letter and resume have to be exciting, dynamic and be

EXACTLY what the screener/hiring manager is look for.
3. You need an easy-to-read format that can be scanned quickly and

easily, so be sure that your letter and message is clear, succinct and direct.
4. Your cover letter should have a lot of white space and use bullet
points, with short effective phrases that are easy to read quickly.


5. The experience and accomplishments in your resume are only
relevant to the hiring manager if he/she thinks it can address the issues
and problems important to their company.
Step 6 - Job Interviews Are Predictable – So be Prepared
For the most part, 80% of what goes on in an interview is routine and
predictable. There are hundreds of books out there on what to ask and
what you’ll be asked. In addition to the standard questions, you need to
decide what questions you are most afraid the interviewer will ask you so
you can prepare and practice answers to those questions now.
A common interview agenda looks something like this:

1. Introduction in the lobby
2. Walking to the interview room
3. Small talk
4. The interviewer may give you a brief description of the position/overview

of the company (depends on the interviewer)
5. The interview then asks:

• Tell me about yourself
• Job highlights/work experience
• Achievements


• Strengths and weaknesses
• Maybe education
• Maybe outside interests – community service
6. The interviewer may ask you if you have any questions
7. The interviewer should let you know a little more about where they are in
the interviewing process and advise you of what their next steps are.


Methods of Job Searching
When you are looking for a job what you must understand that no one
owes you a job. It is your responsibility to find a suitable job. There are
certain strong sources such as friends and recruitment companies but you
should not rely on one single source for locating potential jobs. There are a
variety of ways which you can make use for job Searching.
Newspaper Adds
Develop a habit of scanning local newspapers. Even though

companies publish job offerings at specific times of the year but periodically
they advertise for jobs. Developing and maintaining this habit is quite
beneficial as you will not miss out any opportunities that are formally
advertised.
Internet
The use internet is vital for success, with the ever increasing trend of
the internet replacing traditional methods of business operations, having a
regular access to the internet is quite important. Through the internet you
can be informed of numerous job advertisements from various companies
only a click away. The internet provides a whole access to different
recruitment companies and you can simply leave your resume online.


Recruitment companies
These companies offer their specialties of finding suitable jobs for

candidates. This method is quite convenient and also very effective as
these companies are collaborated with numerous organizations and are
among the first to know about new job offerings. The problem with them is
that there is a lot of competition you will have to go through with to succeed
in getting a successful job.
Connections with other people
Having connections with other people is of vital importance. Many

potential jobs are in the knowledge of the people working within
organizations long time before they are advertised by the company
officially. For maintaining steady relationships with people you need make
use of networking. Networking is making informal and formal contacts with
a variety of people. They can be people you meet socially or people you
specifically want to develop a relationship with due to their position in an
organization that might become useful to you. Networking is by far the most
important method of locating a potential job. About sixty one percent of
people find jobs through networking. Networking also helps you to get
references, these are most important for your job success. Through
references you get an edge over other candidates and a referral generates
80 percent more results than a cold call.


Job Interviews – Prepare well for it
Do your research about the company’s age, services, products,

competitors, cultures & Values so you have enough information to respond
to any question about the company you are applying in.
80% of what goes on in an interview is routine and predictable. In

addition to the standard questions, you need to decide what questions you
are most afraid the interviewer will ask you so you can prepare and practice
answers to those questions.
Preparing for the interview is essential as it helps individual gain

confidence and gets an edge over their competing candidates.
A common interview agenda looks something like this:
1. Introduction in the lobby
2. Walking to the interview room
3. Small talk
4. The interview then asks:

• Tell me about yourself
• What are your strengths?
• Job highlights/work experience


• Achievements
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Maybe education
• Maybe outside interests – community service
5. There may be Behavior Based Interviewing
6. The interviewer may ask you if you have any questions
Successful interview Tips
• Be well prepared
• Be formally dressed
• Make sure you send the right signals
• Maintain a good body posture
• Be polite
• Be attentive and patient
• Don’t get confused with a range of questions


How to write a good CV or resume:
Introduction
Everyone in the business world knows that having a good, strong

resume can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting a
job. You will need to have a resume that is crafted professionally and that
will reflect you, your job abilities, and your experience.
Having a good looking resume is so important when you are

searching for a job that it should be your number one priority. There are all
sorts of ways you can go about crafting a resume that works, but there is
no magic formula for a resume that will work all the time.
What is a Resume
The resume is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experiences
so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the
employer's workplace. Your resume has to sell you in short order.
WRITING A CV RESUME
If you are looking for a job, then it is very important that you
understand how to offer yourself in the best way to an employer. This is
done by writing a 'CV' (curriculum vitae - Latin for 'life story'), called in some
countries a 'resume'.


Different countries may have different requirements and styles for CV

resumes. So you must follow the correct practice for your culture and
country. However, we will try to give you important principles and advice.
Writing a CV / Resume can be a daunting prospect, especially if your

confidence has been dented, or you haven’t written a CV / Resume before,
or at least for a long time.
The CV / Resume are a document (paper or electronic) that conveys

your skills and experience in a way that compels the reader to interview
you.
Build a CV / Resume by presenting your information in the order that

grabs the reader’s attention quickly.
You have carefully interpreted the job specification or advert, and

listed what you feel they are looking for in order of importance.
In the case of a speculate approach to a company, you still need to

research about the company to understand their objectives, interpret this
into the skills they may be looking for.


The Words are The Power
Resume Power Words / Resume Action Words / Resume Action

Verbs – whatever you want to call these words…
Your personality and personal motivation reports will give you words
and phrases that you can cut and paste straight into your CV / Resume.
But by all means look below to see it there are other words that you
like.
This is where the magic happens!
These Resume Verbs sprinkled liberally throughout your CV /

Resume will add…
Action
Emotion
Gravitas
Power
One of these Power Words will replace 2/3/or 4 other words in a

sentence, instantly making you concise and compelling.


List of Resume Power Words / Resume Action Verbs
The following alphabetical list of Resume Verbs / Resume Action

Words is a great resource.
Use these words to transform your CV / Resume into a concise,

authoritative and truly compelling marketing tool for you.
A:
Abated, abbreviated, abolished, abridged, absolved, absorbed,

accelerated, accentuated, accommodated, accomplished, accounted for,
accrued, accumulated, achieved, acquired, acted, adapted, adopted,
added, addressed, adjusted, administered, advanced, advertised, advised,
advocated, affirmed, aided, alerted, aligned, allayed, alleviated, allocated,
allotted, altered, amassed, amended, analyzed, answered, anticipated,
appeased, applied, appointed, appraised, approached, appropriated,
approved, arbitrated, arranged, articulated, ascertained, aspired,
assembled, assessed, assigned, assimilated, assisted, assured, attained,
attended, audited, augmented, authored, authorized, automated, averted,
avoided, awarded


B:
Balanced, began, benchmarked, benefited, bid, billed, blended,

blocked, bolstered, boosted, bought, branded, bridged, broadened,
brought, budgeted, built
C:
Calculated, calibrated, capitalized, captured, cared for, carried,

carved, categorized, catalogued, caught, cautioned, cemented, certified,
chaired, challenged, championed, changed, charged, charted, checked,
chose, chronicled, circulated, circumvented, cited, clarified, classified,
cleaned, cleared, closed, coached, coded, collaborated, collated, collected,
combined, commanded, commended, commenced, commissioned,
communicated, compared, compiled, complemented, completed, complied,
composed, compounded, computed, conceived, concentrated,
conceptualized, condensed, conducted, conferred, configured, confirmed,
confronted, connected, conserved, considered, consolidated, constructed,
consulted, consummated, contacted, continued, contracted, contributed,
controlled, converted, conveyed, convinced, cooperated, coordinated,
copied, corrected, corresponded, counseled, created, critiqued, cultivated,
customized, cut


D:
Dealt, debated, debugged, decided, decoded, decreased, dedicated,

defined, delegated, delineated, delivered, demonstrated, deployed, derived,
described, designated, designed, detailed, detected, determined,
developed, devised, diagnosed, differentiated, diffused, directed,
disbursed, discovered, discussed, dispatched, dispensed, displayed,
disposed, disproved, dissected, disseminated, dissolved, distinguished,
distributed, diversified, diverted, divested, divided, documented, doubled,
drafted, dramatized, drew up, drove
E:
Earned, eased, economized, edited, educated, effected, elaborated,

elected, elevated, elicited, eliminated, embraced, emphasized, empowered,
enabled, encouraged, ended, enforced, engaged, engineered, enhanced,
enlisted, enriched, enrolled, ensured, entered, entertained, enticed,
equipped, established, estimated, evaluated, examined, exceeded,
executed, exercised, exhibited, expanded, expedited, experienced,
experimented, explained, explored, expressed, extended, extracted
F:
Fabricated, facilitated, factored, familiarized, fashioned, fielded, filed,

filled, finalized, financed, fine tuned, finished, fixed, focused, followed,
forecasted, forged, formalized, formed, formulated, fortified, forwarded,


fostered, fought, found, founded, framed, fulfilled, functioned as, funded,
furnished, furthered


G:
Gained, garnered, gathered, gauged, gave, generated, governed,

graduated, grasped, greeted, grew, grouped, guaranteed, guided
H:
Halted, halved, handled, headed, heightened, held, helped, hired,

honed, hosted, hypnotized, hypothesized
I:
Identified, ignited, illustrated, implemented, imported, improved,

improvised, incited, included, incorporated, increased, indicated,
individualized, indoctrinated, induced, influenced, informed, infused,
initiated, innovated, inspected, inspired, installed, instilled, instituted,
instructed, insured, integrated, intensified, interacted, interceded,
interpreted, intervened, interviewed, invented, inventoried, invested,
investigated, invigorated, invited, involved, isolated, issued, itemized
J:
Joined, judged, justified


L:
Launched, learned, lectured, led, lessened, leveraged, licensed,

lifted, limited, linked, liquidated, listened, litigated, loaded, located, logged
M:
Made, maintained, managed, mandated, maneuvered, manipulated,

manufactured, mapped, marked, marketed, mastered, maximized,
measured, mediated, memorized, mentored, merged, merited, met,
minimized, mobilized, modeled, moderated, modified, molded, monitored,
monopolized, motivated, mounted, moved, multiplied
N:
Named, narrated, navigated, negotiated, netted, neutralized,

nominated, normalized, notified, nurtured
O:
Observed, obtained, offered, officiated, offset, opened, operated,

optimized, orchestrated, ordered, organized, oriented, originated,
outdistanced, outlined, outperformed, overcame, overhauled, oversaw,
owned


P:
Paced, packaged, packed, pared, participated, partnered, passed,

perceived, perfected, performed, persuaded, photographed, piloted,
pinpointed, pioneered, placed, planned, played, praised, predicted,
prepared, prescribed, presented, preserved, presided, prevailed,
prevented, printed, prioritized, processed, procured, produced, profiled,
programmed, progressed, projected, promoted, proofread, proposed,
protected, proved, provided, pruned, publicized, purchased, pursued
Q:
Quadrupled, qualified, quantified, queried, questioned, quoted
R:
Raised, ranked, rated, reached, read, realigned, realized, rearranged,

reasoned, rebuilt, received, recognized, recommended, reconciled,
reconstructed, recorded, recovered, recruited, rectified, redesigned,
redirected, reduced, re-engineered, referred, refocused, registered,
regulated, rehabilitated, reinforced, reiterated, related, released, relied,
relieved, remained, remodeled, rendered, renegotiated, renewed,
reorganized, repaired, replaced, replied, replicated, reported, represented,
reproduced, requested, researched, reserved, resolved, responded,
restored, restructured, retained, retooled, retrieved, returned, revamped,


reversed, reviewed, revised, revitalized, revolutionized, rewarded, risked,
rotated, routed
S:
Safeguarded, salvaged, saved, scanned, scheduled, screened,

sculptured, searched, secured, seized, selected, sent, separated,
sequenced, served, serviced, set up, settled, shaped, shared, sharpened,
shipped, shortened, showed, signed, simplified, simulated, sketched,
slashed, smoothed, solicited, sold, solidified, solved, sorted, sourced,
sparked, spearheaded, specialized, specified, speculated, spent, spoke,
sponsored, spurred, staffed, standardized, started, steered, stimulated,
streamlined, strengthened, stretched, structured, studied, submitted,
succeeded, suggested, summarized, supervised, supplied, supported,
surpassed, surveyed, swayed, swept, symbolized, synthesized, systemized
T:
Tabulated, tackled, talked, tallied, targeted, tasted, taught, teamed,

tempered, tended, terminated, tested, testified, tied, took, topped, totaled,
traced, tracked, trained, transcribed, transformed, transitioned, translated,
transmitted, traveled, treated, trimmed, tripled, troubleshot, turned, tutored,
typed


U:
Uncovered, underlined, underscored, undertook, underwrote,

unearthed, unified, united, updated, upgraded, upheld, urged, used, utilized
V:
Validated, valued, vaulted, verbalized, verified, viewed, visualized,

voiced, volunteered
W:
Weathered, weighed, widened, withstood, won, worked, wove, wrote
Y:
Yielded


WHAT IS A CV OR RESUME FOR?
A CV resume is quite simply an 'advert' to sell yourself to an

employer. You should send a CV to an employer when they ask for one in
a job advert, or when you are enquiring if any jobs are available. So the
purpose of your CV is to make you attractive, interesting, worth considering
to the company and so receive a job interview.
Therefore, your CV must be as good as you can make it. So

yours must be easy to read, short and attractive.
There are two communication principles to remember:
*'Keep it simple,
*'If they didn't hear it, you didn't say it'.
So, when you have written a first attempt at your CV, get someone
else to look at it, and tell you how to make it better. Ask your friends, your
tutors or teachers, your career office, family friends in business. What you
have written may seem simple and obvious to you, but not to an
employer! Go through it again and again with a red pen, making it shorter,
more readable, and more understandable!


Before you start
Sit down with a piece of paper. Look at the job(s) that you are
applying for. Consider how your skills, education, and experience compare
with the skills that the job requires. How much information do you have
about the job description? Sometimes employers do not give enough
information. Ask for more detail if needed. Spend time researching detail
about the job(s) that interest you and information about the employer - their
structure, products, successes, and approach - from:
WHAT TO INCLUDE
Personal details
Name, home address, college address, phone number, email

address, date of birth.
Do you have your own web homepage? Include it (if it's good!).
If your name does not obviously show if you are male or female,
include this!


Education
Give places of education where you have studied - most recent

education first. Include subject options taken in each year of your
course. Include any special project, thesis, or dissertation work.
Pre-college courses (high school, etc.) should then be included,

including grades. Subjects taken and passed just before college will
be of most interest. Earlier courses, taken at say age 15-16, may not
need much detail.
Work experience
List your most recent experience first. Give the name of your
employer, job title, and very important, what you actually did and
achieved in that job. Part-time work should be included.
Interests
They will be particularly interested in activities where you have

leadership or responsibility, or which involve you in relating to others
in a team. A one-person interest, such as stamp-collecting, may be of
less interest to them, unless it connects with the work you wish to do.
Give only enough detail to explain. (If you were captain of a sports


team, they do not want to know the exact date you started, how many
games you played, and how many wins you had! They will ask at the
interview, if they are interested.) If you have published any articles,
jointly or by yourself, give details.
Skills
Ability in other languages, computing experience, or possession of a

driving License should be included.
References

Usually give two names - one from your place of study, and one from
any work situation you have had. Or if this does not apply, then an
older family friend who has known you for some time. Make sure that
referees are willing to give you a reference. Give their day and
evening phone numbers if possible.
Length
Maybe all you need to say will fit onto one sheet of A4. But do not
crowd it - you will probably need two sheets. Do not normally go


longer than this. Put page numbers at the bottom of the pages - a
little detail that may impress.


Style
There are two main styles of CV, with variations within them.
Chronological
Information is included under general headings - education, work

experience etc., with the most recent events first.
Skills based
You think through the necessary skills needed for the job you are
applying for. Then you list all your personal details under these skill
headings. This is called 'targeting your CV', and is becoming more
common, at least in UK. But it is harder to do. So take advice on
whether it is OK in your country and culture, and how to do it best.
Optional extras

It can be good to start with a Personal Profile/Objective statement.

This is a two or three sentence overview of your skills, qualities,
hopes, and plans. It should encourage the employer to read the rest.


You could add a photo of yourself - either scanned in by computer, or
stuck on. But make sure it is a good one. Get a friend (or a working
photographer) to take a good portrait.
Presentation
You may vary the style according to the type of job, and what is
accepted in your country and culture. So a big company would
normally expect a formal CV on white paper. But, just perhaps, a CV
applying for a television production job, or graphic designer, could be
less formal - colored paper, unusual design, etc!


How to write a cover letter:
A Short History of Cover Letters and Their Evolution
Cover letters began to evolve several decades ago. In their original

form, they were known as transmittal letters—brief letters indicating that the
writer was transmitting a resume. Over the course of time, transmittal
letters evolved into cover letters—letters that “covered” the resume and
introduced the job seeker. Today, cover letters have again transformed
themselves and can be much more accurately described as career
marketing letters—letters that are designed to market the job seeker,
highlight notable qualifications and career successes, and generate an
invitation for a personal interview.
The Importance of Cover Letters in Your Winning Job Search
Campaign
You might be wondering whether you need to use a cover letter at all.
The answer to that question is simple and straightforward: Every job seeker
must have a cover letter. There are virtually no exceptions to this rule,
unless a particular company or recruiter has instructed you to forward just a
resume, without a cover letter.


There is no doubt that a great cover letter can make the difference in
whether you get noticed or passed over. A great cover letter can be a
powerful marketing tool that does all of the following:
Positions you above the competition.

Sells your qualifications and your successes.
Demonstrates your knowledge, experience, and expertise.
Creates excitement, enthusiasm, and action (and thus, an interview).
What is it about your cover letter that can do all of this? Is it the words
that you write? Is it the style or the tone of your cover letter? Is it the visual
presentation? Is it the color of paper that you choose and the type style that
you use? Is it the specific achievements that you highlight? The years of
experience you have? Your educational credentials? Yes—to all of the
above!
The real you come out in your cover letter, it's an introduction and in
that simple introduction you have to make that Real You stand out. We
already assume that your resume qualifies you, but with a better cover
letter as your introduction, the rest just doesn't matter. If they don't get past
the cover letter, your qualifications, as great as they may be, just won't get
the recognition they deserve. That's as simple as I can put it.
Resumes need to be good, whether they are functional or

chronological. But at the end of the day, they don't get tweaked too much.
Altered slightly to best fit the job at hand yes, but that is stills only a minor


alteration. After all your resumes a blueprint at best, where you've been,
what you've achieved, core competency. There is only so much you can
tweak in that area. But your cover letter now, is the real challenge. It needs
to be altered for every possible career opportunity. Anything less is a
template cover letter!
Your cover letter always need to be tweaked exactly right for every
job you apply for. These days the template cover letter is absolutely dead.
They will never stand out, as everyone else is sending exactly the same
thing, that's what templates are, a sort of cookie cutter approach. And trust
me, recruiters have seen thousands of letters, a stand out letter is rare and
does just that, it really stands out when you write from the heart, a genuine,
sincere and real person behind the word, gets noticed every time.
Remember the process. A recruiter reads your cover letter, when it's
interesting enough, they want to read your resume, where you detail your
already qualified status and thus a job interview is arranged. But that
process is all about your cover letter first!


What’s the secret to a compelling cover letter?
According to Jimmy Sweeney an ex copywriter who has become an

expert in writing highly effective cover and follow up letters there are
actually 11 secrets of a highly effective cover letter:
1. One page max. Two-page cover letters are the kiss of job-search
death!
2. Start your letter with an attention grabbing headline.
3. Let your cover letter ‘breathe.’ The more white space the better.
4. Three paragraphs max. More than this and it appears to be a ‘tough

read.’
5. Use bullet points and numbered lists when appropriate. This allows for
easy scanning.
6. Start the first sentence of each paragraph with bold-faced type. It

highlights the start of each paragraph inviting the person to read further.
Works beautifully.
7. Paragraphs should contain no more than four to five sentences each,

but Jimmy highly recommends just three well-written sentences per
paragraph.
8. After you’ve finished your letter, print it out to see that it’s easy on the
eyes and ‘invites’ you to read more. Remember: Less is more!


9. No overly big words, friendly and fast paced are what you’re after.
10. ASK for the interview. This is critical you must ask for the interview.
11. Add a postscript (P.S.) after your signature. This is Jimmy’s marketing
expertise shinning through. Postscripts are always read, and are proven
winners.


The Top TEN Strategies for Writing Winning
Cover Letters
1. Make it easy for someone to understand “who” you are. Are you a
sales representative, actuary, nurse, college professor, chemical engineer,
restaurant manager, customer service agent, or architect? Be sure to
clearly communicate that information at the beginning of your cover letter.
Don’t make someone read three paragraphs to find this critical information.
No one is going to take the time and energy to figure it out!
2. Use a unique and professional format when writing and typing your
cover letters. Don’t fall into the trap of using cover letter formats that have
been used for years and now appear worn out. Make your letters visually
attractive and distinctive not the overused “standard” formats. Take a look
at all the samples in this book to see how creative yet professional you can
be in writing the text and designing the presentation.
3. Highlight your most relevant qualifications. Use your cover letters to

highlight your skills, experiences, qualifications, honors, awards, and
credentials that are directly relevant to the company’s needs and the type
of position and/or career path you are pursuing.
4. Shine a spotlight on your most relevant achievements. Be certain to

highlight your career successes, results, and accomplishments that will be
most meaningful to the letter’s intended audience.


5. Include information that you know about the company or the
position for which you are applying. If you know any particulars about
the company to which you are writing (for example, core issues,
challenges, market opportunities, products, services, staffing changes, or
management changes), be sure to address those items in your cover letter.
What’s more, relate specifically how your experience can meet the
company’s needs and provide solutions to its challenges.
6. Explain why you want to work for this company in particular. Do you
want to work for the company because of its reputation, financial standing,
products, services, personnel, location, or market potential? Why this
company? Everyone likes a good “pat on the back” for a job well done.
Companies are no different. Tell them what they’re doing right that caught
your attention.
7. be sure that your cover letters are neat, clean, and well presented.
Remember, cover letters are business documents, not advertising
materials. They should be attractive and relatively conservative, not “over-
designed.”
8. Double-check, triple-check, and then have someone else check

your letter to be sure that it is error-free! Remember, people don’t meet
you; they meet a piece of paper. And that piece of paper—your cover
letter—reflects the quality and caliber of the work you will do on their
behalf. Even the smallest of errors is unacceptable.


9. Keep your cover letters short! Cover letters are not essays. We
recommend a one-page letter in nearly all circumstances.
10. Always remind yourself why you are writing each cover letter and
be sure to ask for the interview! Remember, securing an interview is
your number-one objective for each cover letter that you write.


Eight Deadly Cover Letter Errors


Conclusion
The biggest challenge in the current market to find the adequate job
that suits your personality, financial needs and lifestyle. In this reports we
have summarized the ways that a person can prepare before hand and
make use of specific methods that will help the individual adopt a job that
best suits his profile. We have explained secrets of winning resumes and
cover letters that become a key factor in locating and acquiring a
successful job. We have explained the do and don’ts while locating and
applying for a desired job. This repots outlines all the factors that lead to
effectively locating a job and the adequate techniques and methods that
are needs to get that job.

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A PROJECT OF

Presented by MBA (0) (C)

Abbas Sohail Mirza

Muhammad Shahbaz Iqbal

Abdul Rehman Kashif

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

First of all, we thank Almighty ALLAH;

Secondly, we would like to thank our

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

We dedicate this project to our

In this project, we will discuss all the

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2

FREE CAREER AND JOB OPPORTUNITY

JOB HUNTING IN TODAYS NEW WORLD 5

JOB SEARCH PROCESS 6

SIX STEP TO JOB SEARCH SUCCESS 7

METHODS OF JOB SEARCHING 16

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV OR RESUME 20

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

LIST OF RESUME POWER WORDS 23

WHAT IS A CV OR RESUME FOR 32

BEFORE YOU START 33

HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER 39

A SHORT HISTORY OF COVER LETTER 39

WHAT ‘S THE SECRET TO A COMPELLING

THE TOP TEN STRATTEGIES FOR WRITING

WINNING COVER LETTER 44

EIGHT DEADLY COVER LETTER ERRORS 48

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS

Considering the intense and exceedingly competitive market in which

Career Goals and Objectives

In order to have a successful professional career it’s essential that an

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 1

Personality and interest:

A person should choose a field that complements his/her personality

Abilities and Aptitude

In certain sectors apart from traditional education standards required

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 2

Selection of Education Institutions

Certain education Institutions that have maintained higher education

Background and Society

Background and society has a great deal of impact on an individual’s

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 3

Nature of the Work

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 4

One of the problems in the past with job assessment and

Job hunting in Today’s New World

In one of the biggest job markets in the world, the U.S.

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 5

Nevertheless, opportunity does exist in the workplace—just not where

The Job Search Process:

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 6

1-First and foremost, get your personal life in order as best

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 7

search each week and stick to it.

3 - Begin gathering facts, figures and accomplishments about

your career to date.

Start with such things as dates of employment, job titles and

4 - Create your own personal portfolio.

A good portfolio will visually demonstrate and support your abilities

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD CAMPUS 8