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What Is Burnout…Really? Unfortunately, there hasn’t always been one centralized definition of burnout to point to. However, in May 2019, the World Health Organization announced the 11th revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), which includes an updated and much more detailed entry on burnout. Previously defined only as a “state of vital exhaustion,” it’s now classified as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” The WHO emphasizes that burnout is specifically work-related—it “should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life”—and is characterized by: A sense of exhaustion or depletion Mental distance from or negativity or cynicism about work Decreased effectiveness at work This new description echoes some common themes that most researchers and experts tend to agree on. “Burnout is when somebody just feels depleted from doing the task at hand,” says Alice Domar, Ph.D., Director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health. “It happens when the demands being put upon you exceed the resources you have. The tank is empty.” Domar points out that burnout is more than a bad day or a tough week—after all, every job has those. “Burnout tends to be when you just don’t have any good days, and it goes on for a long period of time,” she says. What Are the Signs of Burnout? Sure, you get the overall idea and understand that it’s something that persists for longer than a week or two. But it can still be challenging to turn the magnifying glass on yourself and recognize when you might be veering straight toward feeling burnt out at work. Take it from someone who’s been there before: I totally get it. So let’s try to make things as black and white as possible by looking at a few of the most common and prevalent symptoms of burnout. 1. You Can’t Get Excited About Work Anymore Domar explains that one of the telltale signs of burnout is a lack of interest or enthusiasm about what you’re doing. Even the projects that used to make you feel fulfilled now leave you feeling completely depleted. “They don’t get the same level of satisfaction,” says Domar of people who are experiencing burnout. “They don’t get the same thrill if it goes well.” In the worst-case scenario, this attitude of indifference can extend beyond your work and negatively impact your interest in various aspects of your life outside of the office. Put simply, if you’re struggling to muster up even a shred of enthusiasm for things that used to energize you, that’s a giant, waving red flag not just for burnout, but for depression. (If you think you might be depressed, talk to your doctor or mental health professional.) 2. You’ve Stopped Putting in the Effort That lack of excitement often leads directly to a negative and even apathetic attitude. “A lot of it is just not caring anymore,” Domar explains. “You think, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to work and I’m going to complete the tasks that are set in front of me. But I’m not going to put myself into it and I’m not going to go out of my way to improve it. I’m just going to do the bare minimum to get by.” She adds that people who struggle with burnout are often those who have reputations as high achievers, so these signs of burnout on the job are typically a stark contrast when compared with their normal approach to their work. 3. Your Performance Is Suffering As you might expect, this disinterest in daily tasks often leads to poorer performance—because people who are burnt out simply don’t care enough to do things well. Personally, this was one of the biggest warning signs that I was majorly struggling. I’m normally compulsive about double-checking my work and meeting deadlines. When my editors kept pointing out errors and I was letting submission dates slide by without a single care, I knew I had a far more significant issue on my hands. 4. You’re Totally Exhausted Fatigue and an overall feeling of exhaustion are commonly cited indicators of burnout, Domar explains. You’ll not only deal with a lack of energy physically, but you can also feel emotionally depleted and drained. So if getting yourself out of bed and to the office each day is a more demanding challenge than normal, you could be tiptoeing into burnout territory. 5. You’re Dealing With Physical Ailments Burnout doesn’t have a consistent physical manifestation for everyone. However, there are numerous physical complaints that have been reported with burnout, including: Insomnia Chest pain Headaches Increased illness Heart palpitations Shortness of breath Dizziness or fainting Gastrointestinal pain Of course, there could be a slew of other explanations for these sorts of aches, pains, and issues as well. But particularly if you’re experiencing them along with the emotional changes discussed above, they might serve as a physical indicator of your burnt-out state. You’re Burnt Out...What Now? Okay, so you recognize several (or even all) of these signs of burnout from work in yourself. Uhh...now what? What can you do to stop this train from speeding down the tracks—and eventually off the rails entirely? Oft-repeated advice would tell you to take some time off, and it’s true that a break can at least give you a bit of breathing room. But Domar explains that if a vacation is all you do, it’s really just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. “If you take a day or even a week off, you’re still coming back,” she says. “You’re still the same person and the job is the same job.” Instead of merely pressing pause and removing yourself from your situation, for the time being, you need to do something to actively change it. Domar says that really boils down to two things: Changing your attitude Changing your workload To change your attitude, you’ll want to learn to recognize negative habits and thought patterns and work to stop them when they happen. “For example, thinking, ‘I have to do this perfectly or I’ll be a failure.’ You challenge some of these thoughts and get away from that all-or-nothing thinking,” Domar says. Research suggests that perfectionism is closely linked with burnout. So recognizing and then removing some of these self-imposed pressures can help you breathe a little easier at work (and hopefully feel a little less stressed on a daily basis). The second change is to decrease your volume of work. Burnout can happen when you simply have too much on your plate, and in those cases what you really need to do is lighten your load. Approach your boss to have a conversation about the fact that you feel overworked and identify ways that you can manage a more reasonable workload moving forward. In my own situation, I finally (after a lot of convincing and cajoling from my loved ones) ended up dropping some of my clients to free up a little more time for myself. That action alone helped to decrease my anxiety, increase my energy levels, and help me feel at least a little bit like my old self again. Finally, to tie this all back to the “changing your attitude” aspect, it’s important that you also recognize those moments when you find yourself saying “yes” to an obligation—when you know you should really turn it down. Catch your tendency to overload yourself, and you’ll (hopefully) kick that bad habit to the curb and prevent this same situation in the future. Here’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way: Burnout is hard to recognize, and it doesn’t go away on its own. Nope, it doesn’t get better because you finally reached a new week or checked off another item on your to-do list. Identifying and then addressing burnout requires some conscious thought and effort (which, I know, is pretty much the last thing you want to think about when you’re already feeling worn down). However, one final thing I realized is that I was ultimately the only one who could do something about my situation—I needed to settle into my spot in the driver’s seat and take control over what wasn’t working for me in my career. #workstress #burnout

One of the most common refrains I hear from frustrated job seekers is that they spend tons of time applying to jobs, but never hear anything back. If you’re not getting the response you want in your job search—but have no idea what you’re doing wrong—it’s time to go back to the basics and make sure you’re not making the following classic mistakes. 1. You Don’t Have a Target Employer Strategy You may think that because you’re submitting application after application online, you are conducting an effective job search. Not true! Blindly applying to any and every position that you come across doesn’t usually yield good results. The most effective way to find the right job for you is to target your ideal employers—the companies that interest you, align with your passion and need your skills. Once you develop a list of dream companies, you can tailor your applications specifically to those organizations, which will give you a much better chance of getting noticed and landing the job. 2. Your Resume and Cover Letter Are NOT Targeted to the Employer Even if you have a targeted job-search strategy, a generic resume and cover letter can quickly stall your efforts. One glance at your resume will tell an employer if you wrote it specifically for the company or if you created a one-size-fits-all document that you emailed to every business on your list. Your search will be much more successful if you c ustomize your cover letter and resume to specifically address the company’s business problems and your capacity to solve them. 3. You’re Wasting the Top Third of Your Resume Because so many resumes are read online, through applicant tracking systems, or on mobile devices, the top third of your resume is prime marketing real estate. If a hiring manager does not i mmediately see a compelling reason in that portion, he or she will swipe to the next resume—meaning, “You’re out.” Start by keeping your personal information at the top short, sweet, and to the point. There’s no need to include a street address; simply list your name, one phone number, one email address, and your LinkedIn URL. That leaves you plenty of space to get to the meaty stuff within that top third. If you have an objective statement, remove it. Instead, either include a professional s ummary statement or dive right into your experience. 4. Your Resume Is Too Long When I see a resume that’s multiple pages long, it usually indicates that the job seeker hasn’t tailored his resume to the specific job—and instead, included everything but the kitchen sink. While you may think a longer resume allows you to show off more of your qualifications, in reality, it usually causes your reader to get bored, become confused about why you applied to the job, and then toss it aside. A resume is not your whole life story. You simply want to provide enough applicable information to score an interview. To do that, layout the most relevant aspects of your experience and why you’re qualified for that particular job. By doing that, you should be able to keep it to one page (or t wo, at the very most, if you have lots of meaty content that’s relevant to the job). 5. You Expect Others to Do the Math Do you talk about your work in terms of tasks or accomplishments? In many resumes and cover letters, job seekers use sentences that describe activities, rather than outcomes. Explaining a task sounds like this: “In my current job, I oversaw the project to automate time cards.” Now, I’m sure that’s good stuff. But if you don’t tell a potential manager what it means to him or her, it won’t mean anything . You have to do the math for the potential employer and specifically show how you’ll create value for the company. To do this, ask yourself: What was the outcome I achieved, and how is the organization better as a result? For instance, you could adjust that previous line to: “When I led the project to automate time cards, we were able to reduce the payroll processing time by 20%, saving the company $15,000 per quarter. Now that’s a powerful accomplishment. 6. You Don’t Take LinkedIn Seriously Imagine that you’re in charge of hiring a candidate for an important position, and you’ve narrowed it down to two strong applicants. You look up both on LinkedIn. One has a profile packed with accomplishments, a great personal story, tons of connections, and samples of her work. The other has a couple of connections, no photos, and little to no content. Who would you choose? Companies are increasingly using LinkedIn as a component in their hiring practices—meaning that your profile is often the first place employers go to check you out. If you don’t already have a profile, sign up for LinkedIn now—then make its usage as effective as possible. 7. Your Social Media Presence Scares Employers Away Hiring is a big risk for employers, so they aim to use gather as much evidence as possible to either validate their choice or eliminate the bad applicants. A whopping majority—93%—of h iring managers go online to research a candidate before they offer him or her a job. Worse, 55% have changed their minds about a candidate after getting a negative impression of him or her from social media. So, clean up your social media. Comb through all your social profiles and ensure you’re comfortable with your privacy settings—i.e., what potential employers can see. Remove anything that could be perceived as offensive, including badmouthing former employers. No company wants to hire a "problem". And if your social media content makes you look like a l awsuit waiting to happen, you’re a problem. If you don’t pay close attention to these details, you could be losing opportunities to snag your perfect job. Nail the basics, and you’ll be on your way to securing an interview and getting hired.

My favorite definition of culture comes from Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy’s book Corporate Culture: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, in which they define it as “the way we do things around here.” Years ago, my cousin, came out for the holidays. He asked how we could really be serious and get work done while wearing fleece and sneakers. I told him we worked long and hard and therefore had to be as comfortable as possible: Didn’t he find wearing a suit a distraction? Culture ranges from how people dress and talk to leadership and reward structures. We all know that culture fit matters—you’ll be happier and more successful (as will your supervisor) if there’s a good match. Thankfully, there are specific interview questions you can ask to find out whether a company is right for you that will give you much more information than the standard, “What’s your culture like?” Of course, you won’t use all of the questions below with every interviewer, so pick the ones that are most important to you. If you’re deciding between multiple offers, ask the same questions across organizations so you can compare responses. Figure Out How the Company Engages and Supports Employees With these questions, your goal is to see how engaged employees are and whether they feel like they have a good “deal” with their employer. That includes growth opportunities and support—even when projects don’t meet desired outcomes. Companies who really live their values integrate them into their talent management processes. You’ll see those values showing up in everyday behaviors and important decisions, not just displayed on the walls and coffee mugs. Here are five questions you can ask to get a better sense of company values and employee engagement: What makes you proud to work at this company? How does the organization support your professional development and career growth? Is risk-taking encouraged, and what happens when people fail? What role do company values play in hiring and performance reviews? What’s one thing you would change about the company if you could? Figure Out How the Company Deals With Conflict and Politics Conflict is everywhere—and that can be a good thing! Healthy conflict allows employees to share and resolve multiple viewpoints. When people consistently avoid conflict, differences fester and may lead to resentment. On the other hand, high-performing teams have a productive approach to disagreement and problem solving, so that everyone feels heard. Additionally, strong leaders are open to innovation. The best managers share real-time feedback—be it positive or constructive. A lack of two-way feedback may be a sign of conflict avoidance. Here are five questions you can ask to gain a clearer understanding of conflict and politics at a given company: What causes conflict, and how is the conflict resolved? How would you describe “organizational politics” at the company? How are decisions made when there’s disagreement and stakes are high? When and how do people like to give and receive feedback? Titles aside, who in the organization has the power to gets things done? Figure Out What the Day-to-Day Work Environment is Like Naturally, you want to join a company that recognizes people’s achievements, celebrates success, and cares about its employees and the community. And if you’re hoping to work remotely or find a job that fits your schedule, you should definitely probe the organization’s flexibility during the interview process. Choose a place where people have fun, feel valued, and where the environment fits your needs. Here are five questions you can ask to gain more insight into the work environment: What are some of the ways the company celebrates success? How do you as a manager—or, if more appropriate, how does your manager—support and motivate your team? What kind of flexible work arrangements do people have? Do you have a matching gifts program or sponsor local volunteer events? If you have a specific need, ask about it. For example, “I take my kids to school on Wednesdays, is it OK if I come in late once a week?” (Note: Save a question like this for a final interview. If it’s the very first question you ask—before questions like these—it could count against you.) Remember, every company has a unique value system, approach to conflicts and internal politics, and working environment. If someone tells you otherwise, be suspicious! While the only way to know what a company is really like is to experience it first hand, investing time upfront and learning as much as you can help minimize surprises.

If you are not thrilled with your current work situation, chances are you have probably discussed your options with family or friends. You may have even confided in your co-workers. But there’s probably one person you haven’t run it by your boss. Whether you’re unhappy in your present position or simply seeking new challenges, you may be wondering if sharing your feelings with your immediate supervisor would be more helpful or harmful. What should you do? Tell your boss you’re job hunting or keep it on the low-down? You may never know, but here are a few things to consider. Evaluate Your Relationship Before doing something you may regret, take some time to evaluate the nature of your relationship with your boss. If you have a supportive boss, the professional speaker and career strategist say you can let him or her know you’re looking for more or different responsibilities, and together you can explore every possible opportunity internally. Most often, it’s in the company’s best interest to try to retain a valuable employee, and while your boss may be sorry to lose you on the team, he or she may help you move within the organization. But if months pass and nothing comes of it, or if you’ve been given a few promises that don’t pan out, it won’t come as a surprise to your superior if you end up leaving. Engaging in the conversation takes the conflict out of the situation. It shows you don’t want to leave, you’ve tried to stay but it just isn’t happening. When your boss learns that one of his/her top employees is interested in switching careers, initially he/she may be upset but ultimately may even help you find your way in the new endeavor. A supportive manager can also be helpful if you think you could be on the cusp of receiving an offer and need a reference. Believing your supervisor would give her a good recommendation, let him know you were looking to move on early in her job search. You may be in the process of applying for other positions and want to be upfront about what you are doing. You may feel that your boss would be an appropriate reference for some of the openings you were applying for, and so keeping him/her informed in the early stages in case it got to the point where I needed to provide his information, maybe a good idea. If your boss is understanding of your decision, his/her behavior towards you will not change, as you continue to work at the same pace. Beware the Pitfalls While it may work out in that instance, you may probably want to take it on a case-by-case basis before disclosing a possible departure down the road. In one situation, you may feel it was the appropriate move, but in the future it would depend on the company and your relationship with your manager.” Unless you have a good relationship with your boss, it does not advocate sharing the news. When one gentleman was thinking about leaving his job in marketing, he chose not to tell anyone until he’d returned the signed offer letter for his new role. You may not want people thinking that just because you were looking for something new that meant you were not going to do the best job possible while you were still working there. You may have an expected or sudden opportunity and have no idea how long it might be before you have been offered something that made leaving worthwhile. In the meantime, you may not want to be passed over for interesting projects or looked at as the employee who couldn’t wait to jump ship. Don’t Tell By Showing If you opt not to tell your boss you’re thinking about making a move, be sure not to do anything that could easily tip your hand. In short: Don’t use your company’s internet to look for a new job (many employers track usage), and if you need to make or take a call, do it on your cell phone from outside the building. Conduct the bulk of your job hunt off hours. Further, don’t advertise that you’re looking on social media, which could quickly alert higher-ups to the fact that you’re hoping to leave. Potential employers may also scan your profile and consider your lack of discretion a trait they’d prefer to avoid in a new hire. Deciding to tell your boss that you are searching for another job in the UAE is an incredibly personal and definitely a case-by-case decision. Weigh your options carefully, talk to a trusted friend or colleague first, and, no matter what you decide, keep bringing your A-game to the office until the day you leave. Whether you disclose that you’re leaving or not, how you handle your last few weeks or months can do a lot (good or bad) for your professional reputation.

If you are a fresh university graduate, the education section in your CV Format will probably shape your career. Here are some CV Tips to tailor-make your CV for education qualifications. Also, ensure that your CV IS NOT TOO LONG and correct it N OW . Very often, you may find yourself at crossroads meaning you may want to choose a different career path. I am an engineer by qualification, tested my skills in IT, moved into sales and marketing, and now have gained a lot of experience in recruitment and executive search. Quite a lot of testing waters. I did not know much at that time but now I cannot think of moving because I really enjoy what I do. Sure, have wasted or invested time doing other roles, but then I use what I learned even now. So don't worry, if you have changed education fields. I'd probably say it is a big advantage. If you have missed the importance of writing a CV HEADLINE, then you can read it  H ERE or if you want to catch up on  C AREER SYNOPSIS  or  W ORK EXPERIENCE , I am confident you will get a lot of insights. If you have been applying for jobs and your CV is getting rejected or you are not getting a response, then here's probably why? Some important points when preparing the education section of your CV 1. EDUCATION is second most important to work experience If you are a fresh graduate, your qualifications, training, projects will be most important. Keep studying and learning even when you are 50. There is no replacement for knowledge. 2. Keep Education in REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL Your most recent qualification comes first. You don’t need to share your marks or grades, but mentioning “Honors”, if applicable, adds loads of value. Your post-graduation or graduation + Major subject + University name + City/Country is important. 3. SKIP the Graduation Dates? Maybe NOT Mentioning graduation dates may be important to understand what learning or training you have done since then. Lack of further education shows a lack of initiative to keep learning. Though some recruiters may feel that mentioning graduation dates may not be essential, I may tend to differ. 4. Highlight Your education ACCOMPLISHMENTS If you are an “honors” student or a top 10 student, then don’t forget to BRAG about it in your CV. If not, then no need to share your marks, grades, or GPA. If you are a fresh honors graduate, then it would be wise to tag it on top of your CV headline. E.g “Top Finance Graduate with Honors” OR “Leading Marketing Specialist and Honors Graduate”. Any learning, training, or education even if it online must be added to your CV. Do not feel that online learning is less important than attending classes. Online learning is better than no learning and shows your interest to keep developing. Every course and seminar needs a mention. You have the edge over someone who has procrastinated. This sums up the education section. We will next cover " Brag about Training and Development "

Last week in our CV Tips series we covered the EDUCATION section. Those who have missed this topic can read it here . Other modules completed so far Writing a Winning CV Headline – Read the complete blog Career Synopsis AND Core Competencies gives your CV an edge – Read the complete blog The Influence of Work Experience on Your CV – Read the complete blog This week we learn more about TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT, and ACHIEVEMENTS Highlight Your Skills You must ensure that every skill you have learned to accomplish a job is stressed upon at least once. It may even be a good practice to mention how long have you worked on that skill. For example 4 years of HTML and 2 Adobe Creative Suite and 6 years in JD Edwards and IT Policies.  Skills like MS Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint)  tend to be ordinary and probably worth a skip or only one mention. I may elaborate if advanced level like using Macros in Excel. ​ Create a Training and Skills Subsection You may consider creating a Computer or IT-based Skillset listing your computer literacy or Language Skills listing the native or fluent languages, the working proficiency language, and the learning or basic language skills. Similarly, this section can have an Awards and Achievement subsection too or you may create a new heading for your accomplishments and recognition. ​ Add a Professional Interest Section Competitive Sports, Reading business magazines, health-related work, and news articles or trekking, etc can be including and speaks a lot about who you are. Definitely do not even think of mentioning stamp collections, watching movies in your CV. ​ Be Careful About Controversial Interests While religious causes and beliefs are very you, it could be a point of disagreement even the reader is of another faith. I would recommend making it more humanitarian than religious. Take into account that you also have to understand that the reason why you prepare a CV is for it to be read, understood, and agreed upon by the reader ​ Brag About Your Awards Awards and Accolades deserve to be highlighted and specified in an impactful one sentence, e.g. “Earned company-sponsored family holiday for being the company’s top sales performer four quarters in a row.” OR “Completed a marathon in the 2019 UAE Marathon Challenge” That's all for this week. Next week join me as we learn more about HOW TO MAKE USE OF SHORT TERM JOBS AND GAPS IN YOUR CV

If you have missed our series of CV Tips you can read them in the same sequence as below How to Write a Winning CV Headline - Read here Using Career Synopsis and Core Competencies - Read Here The Influence of Work Experience in Your CV - Read Here Education is Critical in Your CV - Read Here Your CV Must Brag about your Training - Read Here Use of Short Term Jobs in Your CV - Read Here How Long should my CV be? - Read Here Professional CV formatting is one of the most important ingredients for creating a professional CV. If your CV is not properly formatted, then you might lose a golden opportunity for a great job. Use a Simple CV Professional CV Format The most basic principle of good CV formatting is to keep it SIMPLE. Use basic but modern fonts, like Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, or Century Gothic. A font size between 10 and 12 with consistent spacing between words and lines goes down well with its reader. You may use a different font and a 2 font size larger than the rest of our text for your name. Your resume headline/sub-header, and the companies for which you’ve worked must be highlighted, but keep it simple and keep it consistent. Use of GRAPHICS Be thoughtful and careful about the usage of infographics, images, icons, videos (digital CV or link), or presentations (digital CV or link). While these are very effective and grab the reader's attention, you should give good thought to planning its usage. Creative professionals such as graphic designers must use their professional expertise in their CV design. Remember your CV is who you are, professionally and personally. A word of caution, ATS systems struggle to read images, charts, diagrams and colors and getting the data in your CV passed through these robotic systems can be a a nightmare. Use graphs or charts when you personally hand over your CV to the the interviewer. KEYWORD Utilisation in CV Formatting Your CV is for the reader and must be designed for the reader. Changing words to better optimize your CV for ATS searches (which is in almost every case) is common and highly recommended. e.g for a sales CV words like “targets, ”presentations”, ”negotiation”, ”sales”, etc are a must. Similarly for digital marketing, CVs words like “SEO”, ”backlinks”, ”links”, ”content”, ”SEM”, “analytics” are mandatory, since the recruiter will use words most similar to what they are looking for. Use industry/product /service/education-specific words, each, at least a few times. Highlight Your Contact Information Your home address is not required, but your city of location, mobile number, email address, social media profiles (if you want to) are essential. E.g LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter handle, etc. These must be in close prominence to your name at the top of the first page at least. You do not want to miss an interview call because HR could not find your mobile number or email. Other Key Formatting Points DO NOT center align Any of Your Text (except maybe your Name and contact details on the first page) Keep Everything the Same FONT and SIZE. Your Name can be a couple of points larger. You can BOLD, your company name and position. Use CAPS very sparingly. Maximize BULLET POINTS. Work experience can be 8-12 bullet points with each point on one line (strongly recommended) or a maximum of 2 lines. Choose your words carefully Use consistent SPACING between every line, between every job, and between every section. Use DIGITs when writing numbers. SPELL CHECK is mandatory. You do not want someone to correct your spellings. I recommend using GRAMMARLY, a free spelling, and grammar tool to help you with every word and every sentence you write. Get Help From a Professional It is getting more common to approach professionals to help design and prepare your CV. While most candidates and job seekers have always prepared their own CV, due to a high volume of lack of response, or rejections, the operand mode is shifting towards professional CV writers who deal with hiring managers to prepare your CV. You can have your CV professionally prepared by experts.

In the last blog of our CV Tips Series, we covered the Training, Development, and Achievements in your CV. For those, you have missed this can read it here . Other modules completed so far Writing a Winning CV Headline – Read the complete blog Using Core Competencies, to give your CV an edge – Read the complete blog The Influence of Work Experience on Your CV – Read the complete blog Education is critical in your CV Format – Read the complete blog Brag about Training, Development, and Achievement - Read the complete blog This sums up the education section. In this blog, we learn more about How to Make Use of Temporary Jobs and Gaps in Your CV It is very important for me to stress that a progressive career is very important when your CV is being reviewed and needs to beat the competition for jobs. Work experience and constant learning are the best way and you will see its importance as we understand more about the effect of gaps and short-term roles in your career. Do Not Include Very Short Jobs If you have been employed in a job for one or two months and chose to leave for a better opportunity, then it is best not to include it in your CV. You can disclose the same if it comes up in an interview and you need to talk about the role. Temporary jobs are not the best especially if you are looking for a long career since the interviewer is going to feel that you are going to leave them as soon as you get a better opportunity. They want loyalty and performance Covering Gaps in Your CV The experience you may have gained in a short-term role can be shown as training and development or learning under a separate section. Some recruiters feel that you need not be specific about months and years but stick to the year of employment. E.g. 2018 – 2020 but I feel it may arouse suspicion. Then again it may warrant a call and give you the opportunity to explain more about how much you have achieved and contributed and not focus on the dates. Best to be honest and transparent always. Note : Remember, “lying” or “misrepresenting” your CV is when you have not done a certain responsibility or completed a qualification and saying you have done, whereas presentation is more to chose what you want to share and what not as long as you have done it. Explain Temporary Jobs More Precisely You may find that your CV shows a constant change every one or two years. This may not always go down well with the interviewer unless you are so good that companies chase you and ready to offer you what you want. You may otherwise want to mention the reason for the move and immediately below your employment dates/job title. E.g. My position was made redundant or was not paid a salary for 2 months, the company forced me to relocate to XYZ country. Explain Unavoidable Career Breaks Sometimes career breaks have to be taken based on choices, e.g mothers who have to take a career break when their precious newborn arrives, or burnout and stress due to intensive work over several years or a career break to study further. A long break to find the right job may not be the best idea and often seems detrimental to your career prospects. I have seen so many candidates wait for a perfect job and land up unemployed for even up to a year and finally forces to take up a role which they had rejected a few months earlier. Learn New Courses Between Jobs The moment you lose your job or have chosen to take a break, your CV is going to have a career gap maybe just a short one. We do not know how soon you will get your next job unless you have already signed an employment offer. Use this time wisely – learn a new skill, join an online course or classroom-based training, do freelance work if required, attend networking events, rethink your options too. There is quite a lot you can do until you find the right job. Do not leave open gaps. You do not want your CV to have gaps and short durations like in the below example. ABC Company Recruitment Consultant January 2018 to May 2019 XYZ Company Recruitment Officer March 2016 to November 2016 Genesis Executive Search Recruiter July 2015 to December 2015 That’s all for this week. Next week we learn HOW TO FORMAT YOUR CV

CV is valuable and important because it is your first and maybe only direct communication with a potential employer, In order to help you make a good impression here we have brought some CV Tips to help you achieve the goal. Those who have missed our previous blogs can read them below Writing a Winning CV Headline – Read it here Core Competencies and Career Synopsis – Read it here Work Experience – Read it here Education – Read it here Training and Development - Read it here Short Term Jobs and Gaps in your CV – Read it here Formatting Your CV - Read it here Today we move into the finale of our CV Writing Series with our final topic “ Giving the Finishing touches to your CV ” No Need for References Share when asked. This goes for your interview(unless it is a Selling point USP) or in this subheading. There is no need to give information when not required. If the hiring manager is interested, he/ she will ask you. If it always good to have 2-3 professional references ready. Your reference must be your reporting manager, hiring manager / HR person with access to your information, your head of department, or top management. References of family, friends, or colleagues are not professional references. A client or in certain cases a vendor or supplier may be a reference depending on your job. Read your CV Thoroughly Read your CV multiple times. You may want to get feedback from your HR network or recruiter or even have a family member or friend proofread it. No need to change unless you feel so and if there is consistent feedback on the same point. Thoroughly check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. If you feel your CV is too long then read  this . Use a PDF Once you have completed your CV, save it as a PDF file. Also, email it to yourself and your friends to see how it appears before using it professionally. Sometimes saving a Word doc in PDF or Google Doc to  PDF causes chaos in CV formatting and you do not want this to be sent to prospective employers. Always email or present your CV in PDF format. Smart Name your CV I have seen so many CVs saved as CV.doc or CV.pdf or XYZresume.pdf. Very ordinary naming style. Use your name to save your CV or even the month and year you prepared it e.g “Dinesh Dsouza” or “The CV of Dinesh Dsouza” OR “Dinesh Dsouza - September 2020” OR “Dinesh Dsouza – Recruitment Manager”. These can be more meaningful CV names. Keep Updating your CV Your CV must be constantly updated. Every time you change your job, have a new work responsibility added, attend a seminar or training or upgrade your skills and educations, you must update your CV. You show initiative and activity and you can promptly send it when required rather than wasting time when urgently required. This completes our CV Writing Blog Series. Join me next as we begin a series on "How to Prepare for Interviews".

Nowadays many companies advertise jobs on Facebook. Facebook is becoming a great resource for recruiters to find suitable candidates as well as for candidates to apply for jobs. Even we use Facebook for job advertisements. But we constantly face the same problem when we advertise a new job its that the candidates don't know how to apply for a job on Facebook? So here I am writing down the Step By Step procedure to apply for a job on Facebook in a hope that candidates will benefit from this and so do we. Step1: The advertisement is released As soon as a company advertises a new job read the position and key requirements(if any) carefully. Ensure no payment is to be made (the UAE law prohibits payments for CV registration) Step 2: Click on the APPLY button DO NOT APPLY but commenting “Interested”. It shows an easy way out and tells the recruiter they must do more work in your job application than you. Most likely, your comment will not get a reply. Apply for a job by clicking on the "APPLY NOW" button. When you click on the button you will be redirected to that job page which will have all the details of that particular job. Step 3: Complete the initial details accurately When you click on the button a form will appear as shown in the image. Fill up Your Full Name, City of the current location, active email address, and active mobile number. Before proceeding make sure your details are accurate. Step 4: Click on “Add Work Experience” Add your experience in reverse chronological - most recent or current job first. Enter your Employer's name, your position, Location, at least 8-10 bullet points of your job responsibilities for every employer.  duration of work. *NOTE : Your last 3 employers or last 10 years of work experience is extremely important. Read more about the importance of work experience in your CV here. You have an option to ENABLE a status for “ Currently Work Here ” which means it will show the start date of employment and ending with “ TO-DATE ” or “ NO-END DATE ” or "Currently work here". *NOTE : Fill in your experience details correctly as this is the section in your application that matters the most for most of the jobs. Step 4: Education Qualifications The next step is to complete your Education Qualification Section The Education details have 2 parts: 1. High School Details You need to fill in the School name and your class year. 2. College Details Add your qualifications in reverse chronological - most recent or current qualification first. Your graduation or post-graduation is the most important. Read more about the Preparing your Education section here . You can decide who can view your Facebook profile - Public or selected few or private. Depending on what you chose, this choice will also be able to view your education qualifications and work experience. Step 5: Send the application The last step is to click on the SEND button to finally submit the Application and to wait for the recruiters to respond. The effort you put into completing a Facebook Job Application or as a matter of fact any job application tells a lot of the effort you put into everything including your work. You want to give this impression to the hiring managers and recruiters that you are serious about the job. Applying for a job with the comment “ Interested ” is a BIG NO. Incomplete job applications can warrant immediate rejection. Put in 100% in every job application irrespective of the result (which you cannot control). But hard work and a desire to succeed always pay off…ALWAYS.

You have just signed and accepted a new employment offer and now are ready to turn in your resignation and commence serving your notice period. However your manager is on leave or works remotely, then what do you do? It is always best to give notice in person. If your manager will back in a day or two and you can afford to wait, then that perfect. But that is not always the case. If your manager is working remotely or on vacation but reachable, sending a quick email or message like “Something has come up that I need to talk to you about. Do you have some time for a quick call?” And if you're disturbing him/her on vacation, apologize for the interruption. Once you are on the phone or on a video call be really descriptive about why you came to the decision, which can usually get lost in translation. You might also want to follow up with your manager when he/she is back in the office to go over a transition plan. That way, even if the timing is not good, you are taking responsibility to make the process as easy as possible on them. If your boss is away and truly unavailable—for example, “On a holiday with little or no mobile coverage or email access”—the best would be to still call from your mobile and send a "Need to Speak Urgently" email or even approach their manager with whom “you can start to lay the groundwork.” And although this situation will not be liked by your manager (when access is gained), you can make the best of it by putting together a suitable transition plan.

Job Searching is hard. Let alone jobs, sometimes getting an interview call itself can be a miracle in these tough pandemic times. That is why every bit of preparation is essential. Re-reviewing and updating your CV with new skills, more knowledge, and probably even approaching a professional CV writer can help give you the edge. Interviews are divided into 3 stages. Stage 1 : Preparation and Research Stage 2 : Interview Questions and Answers Stage 3 : Follow-up and Decision or Closure Let's say you have been one of those blessed candidates or job seekers to be shortlisted for an interview. You will go through stage 1 and get ready. You can read about stage 1 here. Your interview can be a Phone Interview, An online Zoom, Teams, Webex interview, or a face-to-face personal interview. Imagine you are seated across the interviewer's desk and after the initial introductions some of the below questions are thrown at you. Here's a good idea of what the interviewer may be looking for and how to answer some of the common interview questions. 1. How Did You Find This Role? Reason to Ask The interviewer is curious to understand why you applied and how you ended up in front of them. If you uniquely came across the job, like through a personal connection, this can be especially important information for the interviewer to know. How to Answer It You may want to say you found the job (on a job portal, through LinkedIn, or a networking contact) and a little bit about what made you apply. For example, “I heard about an opening in [department] through a friend of a friend, [Name], and since I’m a big fan of your work and have been following you for a while I decided it would be a great role for me to apply for.” (you would have done your research about the interviewer). If your contact is within the company that introduced you to the job, check with him/her before you can mention the name. 2. Can You Tell Me About Yourself. Reason to Ask This question, helps the interviewer connect the dots between you and the position. Sometimes the person interviewing you may not be the direct hiring manager but an agency recruiter or someone in HR who has little background in your field. In that case, they may have zero context as to what makes your resume a good fit. How to Answer It What the interviewer is really asking is: “Tell me about yourself as relevant to the role.” Focus on the areas of experiences, qualifications, or training and skills that are most suitable. Explain where you are and what you do now, moving towards what you have done in the past, and end with a brief explanation of what you are looking forward to doing in the future. Keep the future growth of the position in mind 3. What Do You Know About Our Company? Reason to Ask The interviewer wants to know if you have done your research. The right candidate will be passionate about the company itself, its background, achievements, team, etc. How to Answer It Do not just read their website details. See key points that stand out for you such as their mission, their product, their brand, their company culture. Explain why you admire them and provide an example of how they tie back to you. For example, you could say: “I’ve been reading your career advice articles for years, and I love your mission of helping people build careers. I spent the past 10 years in roles I did not enjoy before finally finding my interest in sales, and I think it would be an amazing experience to help others avoid the path I took and find their dream career.” 4. Why Are You looking for a change from your previous job? Reason to Ask The interviewer is not digging for flaws in your current or previous company but wants to find out if the reasons are not in sync for this role. Be honest even if you were terminated for whatever reason. Being laid off or fired isn’t something to be ashamed about, nor is it always entirely your fault. A person who can falter is better equipped to have a better plan of action the next time. The interviewer will be impressed by your honesty. How to Answer It No need to get deep into details if you were let go or fired . The interviewer is more interested to understand what you have learned from the experience. Simply say “I was let go for [reason]” and explain how this has made you a better and stronger employee. If you’re moving on for another reason, whether you’re no longer growing, dislike your boss, or want to try something new, avoid badmouthing your past employer and focus instead on what you’re looking forward to accomplishing in your next role. 5. Describe What You Do in Your Current Role. Reason to Ask The interviewer is trying to understand your skillset and expertise. It also shows whether or not you can effectively communicate your value proposition . In short, the interviewer is questioning — “If you can’t describe how you contribute on a daily basis, why should I hire you?” How to Answer It Don’t just focus on the “what” of your job emphasize the bigger picture. How do your responsibilities contribute to your team or company goals? How does your work make things more efficient or effective? What skills have you developed over time in this role, and how are they an asset to your company? 6. What Are You Looking for in Your Next Job? Reason to Ask This question, “sets the expectation...in terms of what this person’s going to come in here and do for us and what they want to do for us.” Ideally, your goals and the roles should be aligned. Your answer also says a lot to an interviewer about whether or not you’d be a good long-term hire. For example, you may be looking for a job where you can grow and move up in the next couple of years, while this role leaves little room for mobility. Hashing this out now helps both you and the hiring manager avoid a bad fit. How to Answer It If you already have a job and you’re looking for a different one, it’s because there’s something missing, there’s something lacking in your current position. And I think it’s okay to be honest about that. And there’s a way of doing it without badmouthing anybody or speaking poorly of your current employer. Take the approach of: “I’m at a point in my career where I’m really looking for more X.” Or you could say, “I believe I’ve really honed X skill, and as a result am excited to pursue Y.” 7. Why Are You Interested in This Role?/What Attracted You to This Company? Reason to Ask Similar to some of the questions above, the interviewer asks this because they want to see if you did your research and actually care about who they are and what they do. What they don’t want to hear is, “I need a job and this one seemed cool.” How to Answer It There must be something that drew you to the role or company (besides money or perks)—focus on that. “Take a minute to go back and look at the company’s website or press releases or look at the job description again and be able to pull out a couple of specific things to the company...something that can personalize it for their recruiter a little bit so that it’s not super generic”. Then, connect that to your experience, career trajectory, and goals. 8. What Are Your Salary Requirements? Reason to Ask While it may seem presumptuous, a lot of times interviewers will ask this in phone interviews to quickly eliminate anyone who’s out of their budget. Oftentimes recruiters are given a certain amount per position, and rather than bring a candidate all the way through the process only to get stuck on salary, they want to ensure the person is comfortable with what they can offer upfront. How to Answer It This is not meant to be a trick question, nor will shooting high necessarily put you out of the running. However, you’ll want to do your research to make sure you provide an accurate number or range that’s appropriate for the role and that you can back up with evidence of your value. “Find out what the market bears for your particular area, and then figure out where you fit into that based on your experience and your education so that when you go into the interview and you’re asked that question you’re prepared to say, ‘Based on experience, based on this data, based on the market...my ideal salary would be in the range of X to Y”. Talking salary depends heavily on where you are in the process. If this is an initial phone screen, you might have better luck keeping your answer vague, such as “Right now I’m really interested in finding the right fit and am open to negotiating on salary.” Then, if they press you for a more specific answer you can give your range (this is why preparing ahead of time e is so important!). Regardless, don’t bring up money unless they do—you’ll be in a better position to get the salary you want later on. 9. What Type of Manager Do You Work Best With? Reason to Ask This question, like many others, comes down to fit. The manager-employee relationship is crucial for success, and the interviewer wants to be sure you’d get along and work well with your potential boss. And don’t we all want to work for a manager we jibe with? “If I know that the manager tends to be maybe a little bit more hands-on and someone comes in and says that they don’t like micromanagers or that they like a manager to just trust them to do their job and back off, that might not work so well.” She adds that this won’t necessarily sway their decision to not bring you back—rather, “it’s just another data point that I can share with whoever’s making the final decision.” How to Answer It “Don’t try to answer the question the way that you think they want to hear it. Just be honest”. If it helps you craft a good answer, offer some examples of past good managers you’ve had or management styles you’ve come across that you’ve liked. And avoid mentioning any negative feedback or stories about old bosses or leaders. 1 0. Why Are You the Best Candidate for the Job? Reason to Ask Plenty of people are qualified on paper for a single job. Interviewers want to narrow down their pool to those who stand out from the pack—and asking this question helps them do so. How to Answer It What’s great about this question is that it allows you an opportunity to really showcase what makes you special outside your application. So run with it! What’s one thing no one else would bring to the table that you have? It could be past experience, a certain passion or skill, alignment with the company’s culture, or merely your grit and determination to solve a specific problem. You can also take this approach to the question, “Why should we hire you?” 11. Are You Willing to Relocate? Reason to Ask This is a logistical question for interviewers to weed out anyone who’s immediately not a good fit purely based on where they’re located. This doesn’t mean they won’t consider letting you work remotely or paying for you to relocate if they really want you and can make it work—but it certainly gets considered when choosing between two great candidates. How to Answer It Simple: If you’re not in the area, tell them whether or not you’d move for the role. If it’s a bit more complicated, explain your situation succinctly and with an emphasis on how much you want the job. For example: “My kids just started school so we wouldn’t be able to relocate until their year is up. I’m really excited about this role, and I’d be more than willing to make it work remotely if you see that as a possibility.” 12. When Can You Start? Reason to Ask Sometimes a hiring manager needs to fill a position right away. In that case, they’d probably only consider you if you can start immediately. But when there’s no rush, they still ask this to strategize internally as to how long they’re willing to wait for the right hire. How to Answer It “If you’re not working, obviously [you] can say, ‘I’m free to start whenever you need me,’ and that’s always a great answer,”. But if you need to give notice at your current job, have a vacation planned, or have some other time constraint you’re working with, you can say something along the lines of, “I would be available X days/weeks after getting the offer” or “I can start anytime after [date].” 13. Do You Have Any Questions for Me? Reason to Ask With this question, the interviewer genuinely wants to offer you the chance to get your questions and concerns addressed. Because after all, you’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you! But the questions you ask also give them insight into your values and expertise—so make sure they’re thoughtful and tailored to the role, company, and person you’re speaking with. How to Answer It Prepare two to three questions ahead of time around the company or role’s goals, the team dynamic, your future manager, or the company culture. Even better, jot down any questions that pop into your head as you’re talking with them—this will show you’re paying attention and tailoring your responses accordingly. As you’re wrapping up the phone call, “it’s always a good idea to find out what the next steps are” if the interviewer doesn’t bring it up. This can be as simple as asking, “What is the next step in this process?” or “When can I expect to hear from you next?” The best way to nail these questions at the moment is to prepare as much as possible beforehand. When you take the time to do your research into the company and interviewer, compile notes, and practice your responses, it becomes that much easier to answer with confidence. Often “you don’t know when you’re going into the phone interview what type of interview it's going to be unless they’ve told you upfront.” This could be just a first-round screening call, or the only interview you’ll have. It could be with a third-party recruiter or the direct hiring manager. Either way, you’ll want to make a great impression—and you can do so by following these phone interview tips and best practices.