Filipina Web Designer in her 20s. | What I Say

Job Placement Seminars

Mar 11, 2008 Buzz, School

In two days, Monday and Tuesday, I attended our school’s annual National Job Placement Week Seminars. We listened to different speakers who talked about topics that will help us land the job we want.

We learned how to write a battle-ready resumé, and how to prepare for an interview. There were a lot of very useful pointers on how to have your resumé speak for itself. Let me share a few important pointers:

• Use powerful verbs.
  Notice the difference between the two examples:
  “As a service crew, I learned to how to deal with customers….”
  “Acquired expertise in customer service….
• Proofread.
  Of course, it is important to always check your resumé for grammatical errors and spelling. Remember, you are presenting yourself to your future employer.
• Be Honest.
  It is OK to list all of your achievements and skills, but never overstate.
• Highlight your strengths.
  The point of writing a resumé is for a prospective employer to hire you. It is best to include all the skills you have in relation to the job opportunity. You may also add other skills so that in case the position is suited for another applicant, the employer can still give you a job that is related to your other skills.

“Power Dressing” is also included in the seminar. As an applicant, it is important to wear the appropriate attire when presenting yourself for an interview. But since I am in the creative side, Multimedia Arts, we have more freedom to choose the clothes to wear. Still, we have to keep in mind that during an interview, you must always clothes that is very presentable and appropriate.

The speakers were really helpful. They gave us a lot of insights on how they interview applicants. They gave us pointers on what to say and what’s never to be mentioned, and how to express touchy subjects, like why you left your previous job. Our mayor even gave us some inspiring words to help us face what’s yet to come.

Although I was really sleepy during the seminar because I had to wake up really early to get to school at 8am, the two days were not a waste of time. Still, I expected more organization with how they presented everything. I was also annoyed that some students were very disrespectful because they didn’t have the courtesy to show up on time. Some arrived at noon! Now I wonder if they can get to an interview on time.

I am still in a state of confusion regarding my future, but hopefully tomorrow, I’ll find a suitable job for me. Sixteen different corporate companies are participating in our job fair. I am kind of disappointed that some of them are from the call center industry. I am not against this industry, I was once a part of it, it’s just that I would like to see more multimedia-related companies that I can call my future employer. Reminds me, I need to get a CAT6 for my computer.

Tags: jobs, resume