Packaging your

AIESEC Experience* *from a Session at

IPM 2005

• Help delegates market themselves well for

the right job/career.

• Help delegates see a recruitment process

from the eyes of employers.

Session Objectives

• What motivates an organisation/company to look for candidates?

• Writing a CV, filling out an application form.

• How do you position your AIESEC experience in your CV?

• Interview tips.

• Setting realistic career expectations.

• Help delegates see a recruitment process from the eyes of employers.

Scope

Why would an organisation recruit

people?

Judgement

The ability to adopt a sharp and rigorous approach to problems, allied with an effectiveness in spotting issues early, in a manner that allows new opportunities and problems to be identified ahead of time, and new perspectives framed.

Drive

A relentless drive to have broad impact, with a preparedness to question and challenge the status quo, and the self assurance that enables goals to be achieved. They want to ‘leave a mark’ rather than just achieve results.

Influence

The individual has a good understanding of him/herself, knows how to influence the behaviour of other people to achieve goals.

Writing a CV

• In groups of 5 or 6, come up with some

narrative that you could put on a CV that describes what AIESEC - the organisation -

is all about. You will be briefed on your

target organisation on the next slide.

• Nominate one of the group to distil this and

share it with the rest of the group (as if you were telling a recruiter).

• You will be asked to come up with a

summary on AIESEC geared to the following recruiters:

– Local charity (NGO);

– Multinational;

– Entrepreneur (SME);

– Venture capitalist;

– Government agency;

– MBA college;

– Intergovernmental organisation or international NGO.

• What are the qualities, skills and

achievements you gained from AIESEC?

• Of these, which would you say are the

most valuable to this potential employer and why?

• CV's are called a variety of things -

tailor to your audience.

Writing a CV

• There is no universally accepted format.

• CVs should clearly explain to the reader

what it is you can do for them.

• You are not writing a CV for yourself, you

are writing it for the reader.

• Your CV should be:

- A well-presented, selling document

- A source of interesting, relevant

information

- A script for talking about yourself

Writing a CV

Remember: The purpose of your CV is not

to get you the job. It is to get you an

interview!!

• How long should it be?

Content

• What format?

- A standard two-page printed CV

- A one-page summary CV

- A ‘skills’ CV

The most common contents of a CV include:

• Personal Details.

• Skills and Career Summary.

• Key Achievements.

• Qualifications.

• Career History.

Developing Your CV

• It should meet the needs of your target

organisation wherever possible. A single ‘generalist’ CV is unlikely to be sufficient.

Content

• It should highlight your achievements and

how they relate to the job/role/scheme you’re applying for.

• It should give the reader a clear

indication of why you should be considered for this role.

• Generally, the document should contain

no more than 2 pages.

What to include

• Your CV should be honest and factual.

• The first page should contain enough

personal details for a potential employer to contact you easily.

• Choose a presentation format that allows

you to headline key skills, key achievements or key attributes.

• Your employment history should commence

with your current or most recent job and work backwards.

• Achievements should be short, bullet-

pointed statements and include your role, the action you took and the result of your

action.

• Leave out information that is irrelevant or

negative.

• Hobbies: Drop them if you run out of

space!!

• Information that clearly demonstrates your

suitability for the role and enhances your chances of being short-listed should be

included near the beginning of the CV.

• Include details of recent training or skills

development events you have attended which could be relevant.

• List all your professional memberships and

relevant qualifications.

• Always include details of languages you

speak (and proficiency level)

• Use good quality paper.

• Be conservative with your presentation and

layout.

• Don't make the margins too deep or too narrow.

• Resist writing lengthy paragraphs - be concise.

• Careful use of bold type can be effective.

• Use a standard typeface (e.g. Times New

Roman or Arial).

Standard CV

• Do not use a small type in the hope of getting

more in.

• CV writing is a repetitive/refining process. No one ever gets a CV right first time.

• Circulate your CV to a few trusted colleagues

for comments.

• Check for spelling or typographical errors.

• Hobbies are not always necessary.

• Be realistic.

Standard CV

• You may be competing against candidates

with more work experience.

Recent Graduate?

• Emphasise recent education, training, courses,

other activities (i.e. positions of leadership – AIESEC).

• Look at course work as an equivalent of work –

present examples of experiences.

• Graduate schemes usually offer best

opportunities.

• Consider a ‘skills’ CV.

• You must feel comfortable with your CV. It's

yours.

Always remember:

• Always take a copy to an interview.

• If possible, tailor each CV for each job

application

• Some recruitment processes (like Graduate

Schemes) require that all candidates fill out application forms.

A few words on Application Forms

• These days, most application forms are online.

• Wherever detailed application forms are

required, remember that recruiters may use it as a process to eliminate.

• Application forms can be laborious, but it is

important you fill them out carefully.

• The nature of the questions in the application

form can provide a view of the qualities and skills they are looking for in the candidates.

A few words on Application Forms

• When filling in applications forms by hand (on

paper), make sure it is legible.

• Always keep a copy of the application form

questions and your answers.

Interview and Assessment:

Do’s and Don’ts

• Demonstrate good non-verbal

communication.

Do:

• Dress for the job or company.

• Listen and take care to answer the questions

• Refrain from talking too much

• Ensure you’re not over-familiar

• Use appropriate language

• Ask questions

Do:

• Put aside any hierarchical barriers or

knowledge of other candidates

• In assessment centres remember you’re not

being observed in one event

• Explain any gaps in your CV

• Be economical with the truth (i.e. don’t lie!):

Don’t even think about it!

Don’t:

• Badmouth your current colleagues, company

or boss.

• Complain

• Talk about people you don’t get along with

• Go unprepared – don’t fail to research the

company/organisation

Remember:

• Interviews and Assessment Centres are 2-way

events

• This could be your one opportunity. Don’t

waste it!

• Be yourself

Setting Realistic Career Expectations

• Your first role is not likely to be the one that

fulfils ALL your career goals!

• Be realistic about the competences you still

need to develop.

• Apart from competence, you also need to

build credibility to develop your career.

• It is unlikely that your first few roles will

enable you to have as much influence as your highest AIESEC role.

Setting Realistic Career Expectations

• You may not get it right the first time – you

find out more about an organisation only after joining them.

• Try and identify a number of functions into

which you can transfer your competence as a start of your post-AIESEC career.