Synthesis on the Seminar of the Basics of Application Letter and Resume Making

March 9, 2013 was a day of full realizations that every student should bear in mind not only students from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University but for all the students who dreamt to become successful. Being the best and shine among the sea of people is too far from simple because the most daunting is not to know how to be prepared. Like in a battle, you cannot expect to win completely unprepared. And one thing that I have learned from the seminar of the Basics of Application letter and Resume Making is to become prepared and to always carry the best weapon to win a battle. In the real word, what brings a person to success is his own package or career tool kit. And in order to get a place in the business world is to take the first key which is to make an interesting and creative resume. In making a resume, you need to give your best shot for it to become attention grabbing even if the competition is being fierce. It is the most critical tool in the job hunting process. To make it, we need to have a style and that style is the writer himself. Its main purpose is to highlight professional qualification and describe the writers professional and educational experienced. It is also important that the writer observes correct and formal procedures without being boring and should remember to answer three important points which are; (1) what are the things that the employer needs; (2) What is needed to be omitted and; (3) It should be as bright as the stars. Let me share to you what I have learned in each important point. First are the things that the employer needs. It is very vital that you should know the reader of your resume and the position that you are applying for. Know the specific job requirements for the position so that you will be given ideas on what to include. Of course, the first basic is your heading. Make our heading very appealing especially your name. Dont ever forget to put important personal information such as your address, your contact number and your email address because it is the only way the employer could contact you for an interview and if you fail to do so, you will miss the whole thing. Having an objective is very optional but if you opt on including your objective, you need to make sure that it s short but catchy enough. Be specific on the information youre giving especially in the skills that you have pointed out. If you have work experience, focus on

what you have fulfilled by using action verbs like filed, demonstrated, directed, and led followed by the particular tasks you performed. The second point that we need to discuss are the things or information that you need to omit. Before making your own resume, you need to plan out. Plan, plan, review, omit, review and review. Remember that the resume contains your own story. It is not just a simple life story where all accomplishments that you have achieved should be included. A resume should be brief but concise. That is why a good resume is comparable to a womans skirt, short enough to be interesting but long enough to cover the vital parts. If you are not sure if what you have written is already good, there is no harm in seeking help from the person you think could be the best option. You can ask someone who has expertise on doing resume as well as the cover letter. However, you should always remember that you just need help not to ask them to make a resume for you. You are the author of your own story and not the others. Even if you are in desperate situation, you need not to write the data, information or experience that you actually didnt have in order to please the reader because honesty is always the best policy. The last point is to create a resume as bright as the star. Again, you are the content of your own resume and it is your resume that will make you the front runner amongst numerous numbers of applicants. As what this phrase is saying, A person can have the greater idea in the world completely different and novel, but if a person cannot convince enough other people, it doesnt matter. Thus, the ideal paradigm in reality is to write and to talk. Some people are able to write brilliantly but only few know how to converse their ideas. Some also are good in public speaking or interpersonal communication but several are also unable to write very well. But you should not settle to only make out one skill because an effective communication is to know what to say to how to write and how to write to what to say. Meaning, communication skills should be embedded in the career tool kit of every individual. The cover letter or commonly known as an application letter is the second career tool that should be prepared for job hunting processes. Actually, application letter and resume is always the partners for life. Application letter is a letter where the author is trying to sell himself, his skills, ability and expertise to the company. Your cover letter

may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored, so it makes good sense to devote the necessary time and effort to writing effective application letters. Certainly, every application letter should be different because each application letter pertains to a particular recipient. Therefore, it is very

important to follow certain guidelines in order to create an effective and attractive application letter. The first guideline is to write the application letter to someone particular. Basically, all letters have their own particular recipients and so thus the application letter. Be specific to the recipient, know his/ her full name and do a bit of research about him or her. Never address your letter as a whole such as To whom it may concern. Secondly, make absolutely no errors. Be sure that your application letter is completely free from errors especially the name of your recipient because it is definitely a big insult even if you didnt know his/ her name which could miss your chance of interview. Third, personalize your content. You should have a proper attitude and never use threat. Establish goodwill and be tactful with good choice of words. Remember that the key there is to be friendly, humble and formal. The fourth one is to present a good appearance. If possible, do not handwrite your application letter. But if the company requires you to be at it, make sure that your handwriting is eligible enough because it can reflect yourself. The fifth guideline is to use an appropriate format. Some companies prefer the use of block style or semi block style for it to be considered formal. The other guidelines are to provide a friendly opening, target your skills and experience, avoid closing the letter without clearly specifying what you want to do next and the last but most important is to say thank you. In preparing your career tools, make SPACE for LOVE. S for specific, P for precise, A for accurate, C for complete and E for explicit. And for the Love, L for the layout, O for organization, V for verbal content and E for efficiency. You should also remember the four KISSES. The first that should be remembered is to keep it short and simple. The second kiss is to keep it sure and safe. Third kiss is to keep it sparkling and scintillating. And lastly, you need to keep it sweet and sincere.

After you have finished preparing your application letter and resume, it is very necessary to check and review it to avoid errors. Rate it according to its appearance if it is formally well done, its thoughts, the attitude if it builds goodwill, the style and the tone. In summary, application letter and resume are just part of your career tools to make us more competitive in our job search. However, skills and attitude is all necessary to success. We all should have both of them. We should set our mind to believe in our own potentials and make it. Because believing in our highest potentials is the key to success. Always make a difference.