CONQUER THE EMPLOYERS – HARD OR EASY?
100 – it is an average number of Job Application Dossiers that the employers receive everyday.
15s – it is an average amount of time that the employers review the dossiers and decide to select or… press DELETE!
The short amount of 15 minutes will decide your fate in the competitive but promising ”head hunting” from the employers. Therefore, your Curriculum vitae (cv) – your representative to advertise yourself, will be the bridge for you to get closer to your favorite job. Besides, other supporting documents such as reference letters, cover letters, etc as employers’ requirement could make you confused and give you headache.
How to survive the first round? How to leave a good impression to the employer and have an invitation to the next round? How to prevent an English interview from making you faltering and losing your chance? What are the differences between dossiers for a scholarship and a job? You can have some answers in the workshop titled “Skills to write CV cover letter and attend interview” in CENPHER Seminar Series for Student, in short C3S organized by CENPHER, HSPH to improve soft skills for students inside and outside the university. Speaker of the workshop was Associate. Professor Le Cu Linh, PhD, Head of the international Cooperation, HSPH.
Picture: Associate Prof Le Cu Linh shared experience with HSPH students in the seminar
In 2 hours of the seminar, Associate Prof Le Cu Linh shared information on the basic of a CV, typical mistakes and tips to prepare the job dossier or scholarship application dossier. According to Dr. Linh, students should not let grass grow under their feet but make time to prepare their dossiers regarding contents and appearance, because your professional and cleverness would be judged via your documents. Dr Linh also said that young people tended to put lot of information in their CV without knowing that a good CV should be relevant to specific job requirement and it should be able to show their strong points which related to the desired job position. Some people who have lot of experience and actively participate in social activities, still fail in job application. A person with the best CV and high achievements in the past, said Dr Linh, might not be the most suitable candidate in the employer’s eyes. Not anyone can see this principle when writing a CV or attending an interview.
Picture: HSPH students actively and eagerly gave questions to Associate Prof Le Cu Linh on the seminar theme.
In addition, Dr Linh also provided information on interview skills. Appropriate clothes and body language and a confident attitude, how to respond to unexpected questions, etc were the key to win the employer’s heart. Dr Linh gave examples of some questions or situations that the interviewers could ask as well as some techniques for students to respond. With experience as a member of personnel recruitment board, project officer in Vietnam, India and Ford/VEF scholarship interview board, Dr Linh discussed many specific examples and shared templates of CV, cover letter, criteria for selection, etc. Some students also shared their personal experiences and gave questions for others to discuss and have a better understanding of Dr Linh presentation. After all, what attach the employer’s attention was nether the outside appearance nor a sparkle CV, but your moral, required capacity and commitment.
(Thanh Huyền)