Recruitment Talk II The Hong Kong University

Recruitment Talk II @ The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Date: Feb 16, 2005 Speaker: Antonio Yu (Resources Explorer)

Agenda ® Cover Letter and Resume ® Interview ® Experience Sharing ® Q&A

Cover Letter and Resume

Questions ® What is the purpose of resume? ® What is a good resume? What is a bad resume? ® Do we need cover letter? ® Can we use the same resume and covering letter for all job hunting?

Purpose of Resume ® To get an interview opportunity

Sample Cover Letter

Contents in Cover Letter ® Your address / Date ® The person you attend to ® RE: ® The position, source, date ® Your curriculum and other qualifications ® Project / Placement experience before ® Your characteristics, activities participated (Refer to the R & R)

Do’s… ® Check carefully that you send to the right person to apply for the right job !!! ® Send both soft & hard copies if possible ® Check with the company and make sure they receive your information ® Be polite in your wordings ® Make it short and stick to JD

Do’s… ® Follow up – Ask for interview… ® Use PDF format but not Post. Script ® Remember, looking for job is your job before you are employed ® Search in Google. com for more examples

Dont’s… ® Don’t mention too much about previous part-time jobs experience ® Don’t make jokes by saying “You can drink a lot with customers” ® Don’t make too many English mistakes ® Avoid using FAX

Bad Examples ® Dear Sir With regards to the above position, attached is my CV … ® Actually there’s nothing “above”

Bad Examples ® I would be grateful if we could communicate using email for more detail or even to have a telephone conversation before we may have an interview in HK if possible. ® Isn’t it too complicated? ® Make it short. – It would be great if we could arrange a phone interview before I come back to Hong Kong.

Sample in MS Word

Contents in Resume ® Personal Details ® Contact Details ® Education & Professional Qualifications ® Working/Project experience ® Career Interest ® Skills and Others ® Salary (You may state negotiable) ® Other Key Achievements

Remember… ® State appropriate details ® Make sure that the look and feel is consistence and professional ® See ® If example you can, put your supervisor in the University as your reference ® Don’t scan your result slips/certificates into your resume ® Resume Template – MS Word

Remember… ® Don’t put too many “designs” and “graphics” ® Make the contact details being seen easily ® Organize it properly ® Tailor made covering letter and resume for each job opportunity

Bad Example

Bad Example

Bad Example ® First Impression ~ some problems here ® The phone number is in a different color ® There’s no “Hong Kong University” in Hong Kong ® The date format is inconsistent ® Italic & regular characters mixing together ® There is some inconsistency in the grammar Responsible for user requirement study ® Solve problem ® System develop’t ®

Bad Example ® More problems ® The applicants should match the skills with her previous working experience ® Though she has written a lot of skills she may know, the employer may not pay any attention to it. ® When the employer prints the resume, the border of the table is not printed

Good Example

Good Example

Good Example ® Good resume ® Systematic and clear ® With all your personal details that can be seen easily ® Appropriate details ® Good Format ® Good English

Interview

Things you have to know ® Preparation ® Presentation ® Communication ® Evaluation Criteria ® Questions to prepare ® Questions to ask

Preparation ® Review the job advert – understand the job duties and their requirements ® Know more about the company. Remember to visit their website! ® Practice your spoken English and Mandarin. ® CV in both Traditional & Simplified Chinese. ® Think about the potential question and answer. ® Certificate, project report, etc…

Presentation ® Outlook e. g formal dressing ® Hand Shaking ® Eye Contact ® Body Language ® Attitude e. g. pleasant and cheerful ® The way to present yourself – systematically

Communication ® Interactive conversation – two way communication ® Listen carefully! ® Never answer in “yes” and “no” only, elaborate your answer ® Systematic and well Organized

Evaluation ® Cultural Fit ® Are you open-minded? ® Are you obedient? Following to the rules set? ® Personality ® Potential to be a contributor or grow in the company ® Communication skill ® Organization skill ® Your Commitment

Questions to prepare ® What is your career goal? ® What you expect from this job? ® Give me the reason to hire you? ® How do you view our company? ® Expected salary? ® Can you work with the others? ® How can you solve conflicts? ® How can you handle pressure? ® Your strength and weakness

Questions to ask ® What’s the future direction of the company? ® Would you tell me more about the culture of the company? ® What can I do for the company? ® What is your expectation on me? ® The career path? ® How frequent do I need to travel?

Experience Sharing ® More about ‘IT Industries’. ® Being +ve towards company politics. ® Communication skills vs technical skills. ® Techies vs managers ® New technologies. ® Certification and other academic qualifications (MBA, MSc. Etc). ® Travel ® $$$

Q&A

Thank you for coming!