| Improve your CV If your CV looks a bit thin and sad, try some of our quick tips to make it stand out in that pile. Make the most of it Start by making the most of whatever you've already done. If you keep your CV stored on a disc or computer, you'll have the flexibility to tailor it slightly to each job you're applying for. There's only so much room you can use on a page, so if you're after a job in a sector where you have relevant experience, it makes sense to add more detail to your work experience section, and cut text from less relevant sections elsewhere. Try not to undervalue the things you've done before. So what if you were just working part-time in a crappy restaurant making pizzas all summer? You actually learned about teamwork, customer service, punctuality, and health and safety while you were there. That sounds better than, "oh, I was just making fast food". Use strong language It isn't just what you say, it's how you say it too. Make yourself sound dynamic, even if you aren't feeling particularly lively at the moment. Use phrases that make you sound active rather than passive, don't say: "I attended training", say "I took part in extra training." Words and phrases that stand out on CVs are ones such as 'organised', 'responsible for', 'planned', and so on. Do something new If your resume is still looking a bit thin and weedy, and the interviews aren't due for a while, you could get out there and gain some more experience to bulk it out a bit. Try signing up for some volunteer work nearby (try www.do-it.org.uk) and get cracking. You might not be able to sort out a classy internship in a short period of time, but you could arrange a day or two of work-shadowing with a local employer. Failing that, you could sign up for a little extra training and learn some new tricks. For example, certain software packages can often be learned in two-day courses, and won't necessarily break the bank. Don't be too bland If you're relatively young, employers don't expect you to have a jam-packed CV, so yours will probably look like many others. Don't try to look too corporate, and be completely bland. Let a couple of interesting facts about yourself go onto the pages and let your personality show through a little. If you're right for the job, or your words just catch the selector's eye, you'll be in with a better chance. But don't think that gives you the right to use ridiculous fonts or brightly-coloured paper. And don't tell them that you spend every waking moment watching TV or playing fighting-fantasy roleplays - even if you do. | |||
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tips on imroving your CV
how to get organized
When it comes to getting organized, we're our own worst enemies. We keep things because we persuade ourselves we'll need them—even if we haven't used them in five years and don't quite know where we've put them. There seems to be a security factor in just knowing they're around... somewhere.
But that turns out to be misplaced; it's our inner-hoarder talking. What most of us really need is a personal push to get organized, an experienced personal organizer to separate us emotionally from the possessions we no longer need and that clutter our minds as well as our space.
To get some tips on overcoming our worst string-saving instincts, I turned to a top professional organizer, Mia Lotringer, who runs C'est Fini! in Los Angeles (www.cestfini.com). What follows are her suggestions.
- Open your mail every day. Or make a weekly appointment with yourself—and don't break it!—to open all your mail and pay all your bills.
- Set up a weekly appointment with yourself to do the food shopping—and create a meal plan for the week with all the necessary groceries—so that you won't need to go to the grocery store all the time.
- When you pick up your mail, always throw the junk mail out immediately. That leaves a smaller pile to contend with.
- Shred everything with your name, address, and any personal information, especially credit card offers and anything with your social security number.
- Once you have looked at a paper, take whatever action is needed right away.
- Always put the ball in other people's court. The overall goal is to have no papers on your desk at all. In order to do that, act on all your open files; do your part and you won't have to think about the project, task or question—until the others get back to you. Put the papers you have acted on in a Pending File with a note as to the action taken, when and with whom. Then input a date in your calendar with an alert so that you can follow-up if necessary.
- Get virtual: anything that you can keep as a document on your computer, do! Do not print out anything—unless you will need it outside your home or office. Always back up important information from your computer onto discs or a backup drive!
- Organize your computer. Try to get files off the desktop—they are visual clutter. Reserve your desktop for the files you access every day. Create folders in your Documents folder to encompass a range of files: Recipes, Events, etcetera. Create categories and subcategories that make sense to you.
- The biggest obstacle between you and your organized self is your fear of throwing things out. If you are a business, throw out all tax papers older than 11 years; individuals can safely throw out all financial papers older than seven years. Do keep birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, driver's licenses and passports, along with the deed/title to your home, homeowner's insurance in a safety deposit box or in a fireproof lock box and/or with copies with the family lawyer/financial advisor.
- Get over the emotional roadblock to getting organized. You must be willing to throw things out! As a veteran organizer, I can honestly say that there is no one's home where something can't be thrown out—including mine! If there's an item you haven't used in six months, chances are you won't ever use it; it's only taking up space.
- Go through your items quickly and make snap judgments—that first inclination is generally a good one. Then repeat the process. Often, you will find more items that you can live without. If you are holding onto something in case you "might" need it in the far off future, get rid of it! You can always buy whatever it is when you actually need it.
- If you really can't throw things out, I suggest staging those items out of your life. Put the items in a box with a destroy date written onto it—generally about six months from now. If you find yourself needing to go into it to find something—and you end up actually using that item, not just taking it out of the box—put it with the items to keep. Anything left in the box at the end of the time should be thrown out.
- If you are a frequent traveler, have a travel bag all ready to go, with toothbrush and miniature toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body cream, liquid body soap, sunscreen; razor; brush/comb. Carry on extra socks for use on the plane, an extra layer, extra medication and prescription, hand cleaner, water mist and a bottle of water. Pack anything liquid, creamy or potentially messy in a Glad bag.
- Create a To Do or task list, if possible on your PDA. Prioritize items and assign all a due date. If a task needs following up, set a date to take further action.
- Get a PDA. If you back it up at least once week and back up your computer at least once a month, you will always have a copy of your address book, your calendar, your task list. It is a brain source—once you put it in there you don't have to think about it until it tells you to!
- Do not get overwhelmed. Pick one thing that needs to get organized—the smaller the better—papers, computer files, clothes, linen closet, kitchen, mail, children's room, and work on that one thing until you are content that it is sufficiently organized. Then move onto the next item. Never attack the whole house at one time.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
How To Update The Resume
How To Update The Resume
There is a common perception that updating the CV means to add in your professional experiences (name, designation and time period), if you have any. In reality, when we talk about maintaining or updating the resume, it means that one should update every single detail about one’s professional profile. Following are some important things that should be kept in mind while updating your resume:
Accomplishments and Achievements
Your professional and academic accomplishments and achievements distinguish you from the rest of the pod of applicants and add value to your profile. Include your accomplishments in your CV as soon as you achieve any. Do remember that an accomplishment does not always have to be monumental in order to be effective. Many of the things that you do on regular basis can be regarded as accomplishments, particularly if you phrase them the right way.
Examples of accomplishments might include increasing your company’s bottom line, promotions, special projects, decreasing costs or company-sponsored awards. Quantifiable representations are best way to explain your achievements. Prove what you have done through the use of dollar/rupee amounts, numbers, quotas, percentages, etc.
There are also some less quantifiable accomplishments that may also be mentioned. For example, major accounts you landed, customer service satisfaction ratings, mergers and acquisitions, positive publicity, promotions and anything else you can think of that is appropriate to list under one’s accomplishments.
Awards and Certifications
Either you are a working professional or looking for a job, the licenses, degrees, awards and certificates are very important to be maintained in your resume. List only those which are most relevant to your career field. Include titles, dates, locations, and the sponsors of any training you completed to receive certificates or licensure. An employee only wants to see what is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Technical Skills
Technical skills should be included in the list of things which are to be regularly updated in the resume. Tech skills can range from the knowledge of MS Word to being a whiz of certain software that you used at a specific job. If you are a well-experienced professional and applying for a managerial position, only in that case technical skills do not have much significance in your CV.
Resume Format
Resume formats and CV writing styles are changing rapidly. What seemed apropos format-wise in 2003 might look antiquated today. If you do not have much idea as how to put your resume in the right format, peruse the Internet for samples of CVs from fields similar to your own.
Medhelp Team also provides professional CV Writing service specialized in dynamic, persuasive and interview-winning CV building for its valued users. Medhelp Team CV Writing service provides different formats of CV to cater to the needs of a variety of users.
Conferences and Additional Education
Conferences and seminars can be important to enhance your professional profile; particularly if they helped you earn continuing education credits or are substantial enough to have given you a unique skill. Any in-services training you may have conducted with others as a result of attending conferences should also be mentioned, as these are notable accomplishments that highlight certain skill sets, such as leadership and public speaking abilities.
When To Update The Resume
It is a question asked by many professionals that when should I update my resume and how often do I need to update it? There are some definite considerations to decide when it is best to dust off your Curriculum Vitae.
Whenever You Change Your Personal Information
Update your resume as soon as you make any changes in your personal information. Any change in address, contact number or email addresses should be immediately modified in your CV. The sooner you note such items on your resume, the better. If you fail do so, you may wind up sending out a CV with the wrong contact information and that could be potentially disastrous for you.
New And Improved Skills Set
Whenever a professional goes through an employment for sometime he tends to learn some particular skills which was not known to him before entering that profession. Document those skills set in your resume as soon as you learn any. This will add alot to your professional profile and leaves an impressive effect on the one who reads it.
Update Your CV Even If You Do Not Plan Job Switch
Even if you are perfectly happy at your current position, do try to look at your CV every four to six months, just in case. Your resume should be ready and properly maintained beforehand. Then, if you need to send it to prospective employers, you will be able to do it without any fuss.
With Each New Award/Honour
You received a special award or honour from an organization, you earned a promotion based on your abilities or you have been given special responsibilities from your manager based on your past performance and acumen. Each time you are given such an award or honour, make sure you add it to your CV as soon as possible. Many people assume that they will remember when it’s needed, but often they forget to do so and a marvelous addition to any CV is forgotten.
An Annual Review
It is prudent to look over your CV about once a year, just to see if the resume looks updated enough. Jot down any updated regarding your professional profile of the past year and see if your resume contains all that information too. This way, you can ensure that your CV remains modern and relevant to the current marketplace.
After Any Formal Training And/Or Courses
If you have attended a formal training or course conducted either by your own company or any other organization or institution, do add it in your resume. Even the most mundane conference can increase the value of your CV and can help you catch the eye of the employer.
Your CV is probably the most important tool in your professional life as well as during your job hunt, so getting it right is absolutely essential. It also dictates whether or not you will be invited to interview or a promotion in the current job. Your CV should not only summarize your qualifications, skills and experience but should also reflect key aspects of your personality that will help you to stand out from all other applicants. If your resume is more than six months old, update it today. Who knows, you may come across an unexpected layoff or a surprising opportunity sooner than you can imagine!
There is a common perception that updating the CV means to add in your professional experiences (name, designation and time period), if you have any. In reality, when we talk about maintaining or updating the resume, it means that one should update every single detail about one’s professional profile. Following are some important things that should be kept in mind while updating your resume:
Accomplishments and Achievements
Your professional and academic accomplishments and achievements distinguish you from the rest of the pod of applicants and add value to your profile. Include your accomplishments in your CV as soon as you achieve any. Do remember that an accomplishment does not always have to be monumental in order to be effective. Many of the things that you do on regular basis can be regarded as accomplishments, particularly if you phrase them the right way.
Examples of accomplishments might include increasing your company’s bottom line, promotions, special projects, decreasing costs or company-sponsored awards. Quantifiable representations are best way to explain your achievements. Prove what you have done through the use of dollar/rupee amounts, numbers, quotas, percentages, etc.
There are also some less quantifiable accomplishments that may also be mentioned. For example, major accounts you landed, customer service satisfaction ratings, mergers and acquisitions, positive publicity, promotions and anything else you can think of that is appropriate to list under one’s accomplishments.
Awards and Certifications
Either you are a working professional or looking for a job, the licenses, degrees, awards and certificates are very important to be maintained in your resume. List only those which are most relevant to your career field. Include titles, dates, locations, and the sponsors of any training you completed to receive certificates or licensure. An employee only wants to see what is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Technical Skills
Technical skills should be included in the list of things which are to be regularly updated in the resume. Tech skills can range from the knowledge of MS Word to being a whiz of certain software that you used at a specific job. If you are a well-experienced professional and applying for a managerial position, only in that case technical skills do not have much significance in your CV.
Resume Format
Resume formats and CV writing styles are changing rapidly. What seemed apropos format-wise in 2003 might look antiquated today. If you do not have much idea as how to put your resume in the right format, peruse the Internet for samples of CVs from fields similar to your own.
Medhelp Team also provides professional CV Writing service specialized in dynamic, persuasive and interview-winning CV building for its valued users. Medhelp Team CV Writing service provides different formats of CV to cater to the needs of a variety of users.
Conferences and Additional Education
Conferences and seminars can be important to enhance your professional profile; particularly if they helped you earn continuing education credits or are substantial enough to have given you a unique skill. Any in-services training you may have conducted with others as a result of attending conferences should also be mentioned, as these are notable accomplishments that highlight certain skill sets, such as leadership and public speaking abilities.
When To Update The Resume
It is a question asked by many professionals that when should I update my resume and how often do I need to update it? There are some definite considerations to decide when it is best to dust off your Curriculum Vitae.
Whenever You Change Your Personal Information
Update your resume as soon as you make any changes in your personal information. Any change in address, contact number or email addresses should be immediately modified in your CV. The sooner you note such items on your resume, the better. If you fail do so, you may wind up sending out a CV with the wrong contact information and that could be potentially disastrous for you.
New And Improved Skills Set
Whenever a professional goes through an employment for sometime he tends to learn some particular skills which was not known to him before entering that profession. Document those skills set in your resume as soon as you learn any. This will add alot to your professional profile and leaves an impressive effect on the one who reads it.
Update Your CV Even If You Do Not Plan Job Switch
Even if you are perfectly happy at your current position, do try to look at your CV every four to six months, just in case. Your resume should be ready and properly maintained beforehand. Then, if you need to send it to prospective employers, you will be able to do it without any fuss.
With Each New Award/Honour
You received a special award or honour from an organization, you earned a promotion based on your abilities or you have been given special responsibilities from your manager based on your past performance and acumen. Each time you are given such an award or honour, make sure you add it to your CV as soon as possible. Many people assume that they will remember when it’s needed, but often they forget to do so and a marvelous addition to any CV is forgotten.
An Annual Review
It is prudent to look over your CV about once a year, just to see if the resume looks updated enough. Jot down any updated regarding your professional profile of the past year and see if your resume contains all that information too. This way, you can ensure that your CV remains modern and relevant to the current marketplace.
After Any Formal Training And/Or Courses
If you have attended a formal training or course conducted either by your own company or any other organization or institution, do add it in your resume. Even the most mundane conference can increase the value of your CV and can help you catch the eye of the employer.
Your CV is probably the most important tool in your professional life as well as during your job hunt, so getting it right is absolutely essential. It also dictates whether or not you will be invited to interview or a promotion in the current job. Your CV should not only summarize your qualifications, skills and experience but should also reflect key aspects of your personality that will help you to stand out from all other applicants. If your resume is more than six months old, update it today. Who knows, you may come across an unexpected layoff or a surprising opportunity sooner than you can imagine!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tips on Traveling Cheap For The Interview
Traveling by Air
Don’t just look at website of an airline and jump on to buy ticket rather search your itinerary on a airline search engine the best being
Kayak.com ( They have not paid us…. Try them and you would agree to us on that)
Other search engine worth mentioning are
Hotwire.com
Orbitz.com
2. Don’t just look at the closest airport both for departure and arrival but also compare prices for the a relatively distant but a bigger airport that can save you quite a handsome amount.
You can definitely do this for the departure airport as you have been living in the place for sometime and know very well how to travel cheap from one place to another relatively cheaply.
GreyHound
This is highly recommended for those who want to save every penny. You can purchase the discovery pass of Grey hound for 7 days for 199$
15 days for 299$
30 days for 399$
And 60 Days for 499$
You can have unlimited travel in United States in the time specified by the use of these passes
But a word of caution here …… Traveling 48 or sometimes 60 hours wont be a pleasant one ……… But You can definitely have all may be 20-30 interviews travel for the cost of a single airline travel.
If you are ready to compromise your comfort to save some bucks ……….this one is for you.
http://www.discoverypass.com/discoverypass.usa/step1.aspx
The good thing about greyhound is that it covers almost ALL destinations that you may have to visit.
AMTRAK
AMTRAK is a very pleasant and convenient way to travel and literally enjoy your Travel……. Little bit expensive than Greyhound but far more comfortable
The only disadvantage is that it does not cover all the destinations
Like greyhound you can have the USA pass
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442673945&ssid=296
But it AMTRAK will not go to every destination that you wish to go specially the small cities.
The best bet would be a combination of Greyhound and AMTRAK with little bit of air travel wherever it is inevitable.
Best Wishes
Medhelp Team
For Interview Coaching
Medhelp@live.com
Don’t just look at website of an airline and jump on to buy ticket rather search your itinerary on a airline search engine the best being
Kayak.com ( They have not paid us…. Try them and you would agree to us on that)
Other search engine worth mentioning are
Hotwire.com
Orbitz.com
2. Don’t just look at the closest airport both for departure and arrival but also compare prices for the a relatively distant but a bigger airport that can save you quite a handsome amount.
You can definitely do this for the departure airport as you have been living in the place for sometime and know very well how to travel cheap from one place to another relatively cheaply.
GreyHound
This is highly recommended for those who want to save every penny. You can purchase the discovery pass of Grey hound for 7 days for 199$
15 days for 299$
30 days for 399$
And 60 Days for 499$
You can have unlimited travel in United States in the time specified by the use of these passes
But a word of caution here …… Traveling 48 or sometimes 60 hours wont be a pleasant one ……… But You can definitely have all may be 20-30 interviews travel for the cost of a single airline travel.
If you are ready to compromise your comfort to save some bucks ……….this one is for you.
http://www.discoverypass.com/discoverypass.usa/step1.aspx
The good thing about greyhound is that it covers almost ALL destinations that you may have to visit.
AMTRAK
AMTRAK is a very pleasant and convenient way to travel and literally enjoy your Travel……. Little bit expensive than Greyhound but far more comfortable
The only disadvantage is that it does not cover all the destinations
Like greyhound you can have the USA pass
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442673945&ssid=296
But it AMTRAK will not go to every destination that you wish to go specially the small cities.
The best bet would be a combination of Greyhound and AMTRAK with little bit of air travel wherever it is inevitable.
Best Wishes
Medhelp Team
For Interview Coaching
Medhelp@live.com
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Pre Interview Dinner attire
The dinner before the interview may be a semi-formal or formal function.. For the semi-formal dinner, men's wear is typically a nice, dark colored suit with a white shirt; women may wear a knee-length business suit or a cocktail length dress. For a formal dinner or a black-tie event, men should wear a tuxedo with no tails, and women, a long dress with matching shoes. Low-cut, sexy dresses or colorful, far-out ties are not appropriate for either of these functions.
If you show up for your interview dressed in business attire and your potential employer is not, don't worry. It is far better to be dressed professionally than to be dressed too casually. Program want people who are broad based in their abilities to learn, grow, and contribute, residents who are flexible. Being dressed in a suit won't hurt your ability to be seen as someone employable.
Remember, your competence is not based on what you wear but rather on your personal knowledge and skills. Clothing simply allows you to state who you are and helps you to reach your professional goals. Appearance can be a powerful and useful tool in controlling the kind of message you send to others. With a little common sense and attention to details, you can easily make sure that first impression is your best.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A message to all applicants
| We have been helping IMGs over the years now and we can Say WITH FULL RESPONSIBILITY that You would get Interview Calls till End of january............yes END Of january...........its first round of interviews Some people will get prematches .......so they would cancel their interviews and those who are on hold would get interviews In military term, they say NO NEWS is a GOOD NEWS........So keep the hope alive ........about the programs who have not sent either interview or rejection ........most probably have put you on hold or havent reviewed your application. some of them wont call or email you at all. some of them will send you rejections while there would still be some who would tell you that you are rejected when you would call them BUT THERE WOULD BE SOME WHO WILL INVITE YOU for an INTERVIEW!!!! Take our words, you Just Need ONE, Only ONE good interview Performance to match. So at this time , Do observerships, externships, research, dont sit back and wait for miracles to happen........!!!! in free time , practice , practice and practice for interviews At the very end of the season in december and january you would get interviews on just a single or 2 days notice.......you wont have time to get prepared at that time So make the best use of this time........stop cursing your fate and start acting NOW. Best Wishes Medhelp Team medhelp@live.com | |||
Interview Preparation
Please review our interview package as well
The interview Package would include services including but not limited to
Looking Forward to hear from you
maill at
medhelp@live.com
The interview Package would include services including but not limited to
- 3 Interview Sessions 1 hours each. In first sessions , Your basic communication and interviewing technique would be tested and your responses to common interview questions would be recorded. You would then given detailed feedbcak after 3 experts review your recording.
- Second Session would asses how much you have improved as compared to the previous session based on our feedback in terms of fixed criterion like communication skills, interpersonal skills, presentation style and so on.
- Third session Would be the Wrap up session in which your overall progress would be assessed and you will be given useful tips on dress code, How to interact with the residents, faculty and the program directors, Do's and Dont's of communication with the Residency Program, Tips on traveling cheap in US, How to find cheap accommodation, flights etc., Tips on writing Thank you letters in a beautiful way(we would provide support for personalized thank you letters latter in the match as well which is included in this package), tips on performing well on dinner before the interview, Techniques on answering tricky questions, Tips on explaining gaps in career, any flaws in your resume
- We will also help you prepare impressive answers to all possible Interview questions.
- The last but not the least your queries , concerns and doubts about the process would be dealt with in an efficient manner through email throughout the match.
Looking Forward to hear from you
maill at
medhelp@live.com
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