The Career Resource Center of prothom-alojobs.

com
contains a wealth of information to help the potential
job seekers prepare for their career endeavors. As a
job seeker you will find expert advice on resume
writing, Cover Letters and Interview tips to help you
prepare for the daunting task of finding a satisfactory
job. We at prothom-alojobs.com believe that every
aspiring job seeker will find something useful here
that will help him find a better career path in life.
Our career resource center contains information on
the following topics:
1. Resume Writing

2. Cover Letter Writing

The Resumé
A resumé is a targeted and concise summary of your
work-related skills, accomplishments, and
qualifications. It is designed to interest the reader
enough to motivate them to interview you. Since
employers receive hundreds of resumés, many
receive little more than 30 seconds of attention.
Therefore, it is imperative that you communicate
your message in a clear, concise, and easily
understandable way. Your resumé should be tailored
to present your skills, accomplishments and results in
a way that directly relates you and what you've done
to the field/job you are pursuing.
There are no rigid rules or single format for writing a
resumé, however, knowing general guidelines about
writing will help you to prepare a well written and
professional document.

Common Elements of a Resumé

All resumés should contain certain vital information
including
1. Writing the objective or the summary
2. Education
3. Additional Information
4. References

1. Writing the objective or the summary

You should begin your resumé with an Objective or a
Summary Statement in order to demonstrate to
employers that you are focused and that you know
which of your skills you want to use.
• Objective statements must be as specific as
possible and that they should emphasize what
you can offer the employer. Strong statements
highlight your skills and motivate employers to
look further at your accomplishments, e.g.,
"Software Project Manager position drawing on
 my experience working as software developer as
well as my related education."
• Effective summary statements give an
employer a quick "snapshot" of you. It
must be clear and succinct and should
identify your particular occupational
goal and your level of attainment, e.g.,
"Computer Science Graduate with
exceptional skills in...," or "Senior
Marketing Manager." It should also
indicate the functions you can perform,
the settings in which you have
performed them, any related education
and exceptional current expertise, e.g.,
" Special strengths in managing
software projects using proven
software development methodologies
like Unified Process or Extreme
Programming. Excellent interpersonal
skills."

2. Education
Your education and any specialized trainings should
be listed briefly. The most recent education or the
most important education is generally listed first with
other degrees following them. It is not necessary to
include institutions from which you did not receive a
degree or certificate, unless the course work is related
to your career objective.
The degree earned, major, minor, name of
educational institution and date you received degree
should be included. If your degree was obtained more
than seven years ago, omit the date and just list the
degree and the institution. Additional information
such as GPA, honors and awards and certifications
may be included in this category. For example:
a.Bachelor of Science in Computer Science,
North South University,
December 2006
Minor – Telecommunication
CGPA: 3.99

3. Additional Information
If there is other highly pertinent information future
employers should know about you, it may follow
educational information. Since employers often seek
candidates whose backgrounds are "well-rounded," it
is advisable to include information that demonstrates
your interpersonal and communication skills, as well
as your ability to be part of a team. Additional
information may include:
• Professional Society/Association Memberships
• Awards, Honors
• Publications, Presentations, Patents
• Skills/Activities
• Internships/Student Teaching
• Volunteer Work
• Clinical Experience
• Leadership Positions
• Certifications
• Educational Highlights, Special Projects, Course
work
Language Proficiencies

4. References
References or statements such as "References on
request" are no longer included on the resumé (it is
presuméd by employers that you have references).
Instead, prepare a REFERENCE LIST
that includes the names, addresses, and phone
numbers of your references. This list should have
the same paper, font and header as your resumé.

Other Possible Resumé Formats

There are many different types of resumé formats
used in today's marketplace, each offering
advantages and disadvantages. The type which you
choose will depend in part on what your career
goals are. In selecting an appropriate format, focus
on presenting your experience most effectively and
highlighting the aspects of your background most
relevant to the kind of position you are seeking.
The Chronological format

The chronological format is the most frequently

used and most accepted resumé style. It lists work
experience in reverse chronological order, with an
emphasis on responsibilities, skills, and
accomplishments.
Advantages
Employers are most familiar with this format, and
often prefer to see experiences listed with skills
used and dates performed.
Disadvantages
This format displays any gaps in employment. The
Functional resumé may be a better choice for
career changes or job applicants who have
inconsistent work histories.
The Functional Format
The functional resumé format is designed to stress
the qualifications and skills of the job seeker, with
less emphasis on specific employers and dates.
Your experience is listed under designated
skill/functional areas and tailored towards your
career goal. If you are reentering the work force,
changing careers, have little or unrelated work
experience, this format allows you to present your
qualifications and skills in a more effective
manner.
Advantages
This format allows you to highlight related and
transferable skills, to emphasize professional
growth and minimize unrelated experience, as well
as to camouflage employment gaps.
Disadvantages
Some employers will be suspicious of skills listed
separately from positions. In addition, when you
want to highlight employers that you have worked
for that have been highly prestigious; this format is
not very useful.
The Hybrid Resumé
The hybrid resumé format is increasingly being
used by individuals who want to emphasize a
particular skill base or unique capabilities. This
format combines a functional style listing of
technical skills or special abilities followed by a
listing of work history and responsibilities similar
to a chronological resumé.
Advantages
Hybrid resumés allow you to highlight unique
skills and capabilities that would be of interest to
an employer, while also clearly stating company
names, job titles, and dates.
Disadvantages
 Unless a hybrid resumé is succinctly written, it can
be lengthy and difficult to read. This format is also
not useful if you are looking for a position in a
highly traditional field or if your skill base is weak
or outdated.
Presentation
Typically, resumés are scanned (for approximately 30
seconds) before they are read, therefore, you must
design your resumé in an easy-to-read manner which
is visually pleasing to the potential employer:
• Your resumé should be one 8 1/2" x 11" page
unless you have enough professional experience
to warrant a second page. If using more than one
page be sure your name and "page 2" appear at
the top of the second page. resumés should never
be longer than two pages.
• resumés should be visually appealing and easy to
scan. Use plenty of white space between lines
and make margins at least one inch wide.
In order to emphasize particular items you may
indent, use bullets (!), underline, CAPITALIZE or
use Boldface Type .
Using Action Verbs
Using effective action verbs highlights your
qualifications in several ways. First, action verbs
 allow you to describe your successes. For example,
verbs such as: "established" "created", "improved",
and "expanded", illustrate motivation towards
accomplishments. In addition, action verbs describe
actual activities and help the reader get a greater
sense of your specific responsibilities. For example,
refrain from using general words such as "helped and
assisted", as these words leave the reader asking the
question "how did you assist?".
A list of useful action words for resumés:
Achieved, Acquired, Administered, Balanced,
Build, Collaborated, Compiled, Communicated,
Completed, Conducted, Coordinated, Created,
Delegated, Demonstrated, Designed, Drafted,
Enabled, Evaluated, Expanded, Facilitated,
Founded, Handled, Implemented, Improved,
Initiated, Invented, Launched, Led, Managed,
Marketed, Maximized, Monitored, Negotiated,
Obtained, Organized, Prepared, Presented,
Procured, Publicized, Recommended,
Recruited, Restored, Restructured, Served,
Scheduled, Solved, Strengthened, Supervised,
Taught, Trained, Translated, Utilized, Wrote

Electronic Resumés Many employers are giving job

seekers the opportunity to send resumés and cover
letters on-line through e-mail. This allows the
employer quick and easy access to potential
candidates and also that you have important computer
skills. It is recommended not sending your resumé as
an "attachment", but to copy/paste your resumé
directly from your word processing program to the e-
mail. This makes it easier for the employer to review
your resumé without having to take the extra step of
going into another program.
One of the disadvantages to writing your resumé for
e-mail is that you cannot design your resumé the
same way you would conventionally - that is using
fancy fonts, bolding words, underlining, etc. This is
because the HTML may not make the conversion
properly from your word processor and can jumble-
up your format. In order for your resumé to make this
conversion properly, follow the following rules of
thumb
• Do not use any font except for New Times
Roman
• Do not bullet (except a dash - ) (asterisks some
times works)
• Do not Center , use your tab, indent, or use
columns
• Do not box or use parentheses
• Line everything to the left margin
• Use spaces to separate words to make them stand
out
• Put your name and categories in UPPER CASE
• TEST YOUR resumé BEFORE SENDING IT
TO EMPLOYERS BY E-MAILING IT TO A
FRIEND!!!
Make sure that you send an additional hard copy to
your top employers!!

Sample CV
M Jalal Khan
Permanent Address: 1446 Gulshan Avenue , Dhaka
, Bangladesh
Current Address: 605/9 New DOHS, Dhaka ,
Bangladesh
CAREER OBJECTIVE
An accomplished Database Administrator with
demonstrated success in designing and
implementing database solution that improves
business functionality. Proven ability to implement
technologies that increase performance, optimize
cost and positively affect business.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Languages: C, C++, Visual Basic, Perl, PL/SQL,
COBOL, IBM Assembler, CICS,TCP/IP,
MQ/Series, IMS/DC, Transact/SQL, Windows NT
4.0 Server.
 Software: Oracle (6,7,8), DB2, SQL Server,
Access.
Systems: Windows (95, 98, 2000, NT), UNIX.
Hardware: HP, UNIX Server, Compaq, Dell, DEC
Alpha.
Certification: Oracle Certified Professional.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
Senior Systems Analyst , Bangladesh Database
Systems
(November, 1995–October, 2006)
As Senior Systems Analyst/Developer, authored a
mainframe software application that makes data
available 24 hours a day to a third party vendor.
Support an existing production environment by
designing, writing and changing software.
Member of team that developed automated
enrollment software for a university.
As lead programmer, implemented a document
digitizing process to scan and digitize CVs received
from various print medium. Administered this
process on a daily basis and efficiently tracked the
project.
Programmer Analyst , Bangladesh Furniture
(February, 1991 - November, 1995)
Created an jobseeker time tracking system using
Visual Basic and Oracle.
 Designed software requirements and implemented
code for jobseeker time tracking system.
Participated in software testing and code
inspections.
Worked as an analyst on the team responsible for
creating an automated sales and delivery system.
System included inventory control and scheduling
software for deliveries.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science , December
1989
Dhaka
University of Technology,
Dhaka,
Bangladesh
PROFESSONAL AFFILIATIONS
Bangladesh Software Programmer's Association,
2000 – Present
• Database Designer Association of Bangladesh ,
Member 2000 - Present
Cover Letter Writing
A cover letter introduces you - and your resumé - to a
prospective employer. In it, you state what type of
position you're seeking, and explain how your
particular mix of skills and experiences would match
with the employer's needs. At the end of the letter,
you request an interview.
Cover letters are important whether you're sending a
mass mailing or responding to an advertisement.
They give employers a context for your resumé,
clarify why you're specifically interested in their
organization, and allow them a glimpse of your
writing ability and style. Because you may be
evaluated on form as well as content, aim for a letter
that is cohesive, grammatically correct, and error
free. The tone of your letter should be polite yet
assertive. However, here are some guidelines to help
you get started:

• Address the letter to a specific person (phone the

organization to ask for a name if necessary).
Spell names and titles correctly.
• Write letters in a standard business format.
• Be sure to include contact information (your
name, address, and phone number).
• Get your reader's attention and identify why you
are writing in the first paragraph.
• Incorporate what you have to offer with what
you know about the organization's needs.
• Draw attention to items on your resumé that are
specifically relevant to the position you seek;
also mention anything not on your resumés thatis
relevant to the employer.
 • Vary sentence structure to create interest, and
avoid beginning too many sentences with "I".
• Keep your letter to one page.
• Proofread - then have somebody else proofread!!
• Use the same bond paper and laser-quality print
as your resumé.
• Personally sign each letter.
SAMPLE COVER LETTER
House-2254, Road-16
Banani, Dhaka
November 15, 2006
Adib Hasan
Director of Human
Resources
Finest Accounting
1243 Gulshan Avenue
Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh
Dear Mr. Hasan
I am writing to inquire about the possible entry level
acccounting opportunities available at Finest
Accounting.
As you can see from my resumé, I will be graduating
in December from Business University of
Bangladesh with the Bachelor of Science degree in
Business Administration, emphasis on Accounting.
As a student, I demonstrated strong interest and high
academic performance in the cources related to the
field of Accounting, including Advanced Accounting,
Financial Accounting, and Business Law for
Accountants. I am currently assisting a software firm
in measuring their costs and profits and processing
other financial data.
This accounting experience of mine, along with my
previous experience of serving as a retail store
manager assistant has provided me with a set of
professional organizational, and interpersonal skills
which will hopefully help me make a valuable
contribution to your company.
After you have had the opportunity to review my
resumé enclosed with this letter, I would appreciate
meeting with you to further discuss my candidacy for
this position.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Arif Hasan