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NEW RULE NO. 1
Impressing HR online
All HR people agree that the resumé is eternal, but social media and the Internet admittedly have their part in helping the hiring process. “Social media has opened an additional portal from which recruiters can easily reach young professionals and tech-savvy people, although applicants are not hired by virtue of their digital profiles alone,” says Rad Santos, Summit Media’s own HR expert. He goes on to admit that it serves creative people better, as HR can easily access their portfolios online. But creative or not, your Facebook, Twitter, and blog give HR an accurate peek into who you really are and how you deal with people, react to situations, and even how you spell and articulate yourself. Cecilia reiterates that being responsible with your online dealings isn’t just de facto for getting hired—it’s basic human decency. Besides, it’s much easier to just keep your online persona clean and being smart about what you put up, rather than waking up extra early on Monday morning un-tagging those nasty pictures from last Saturday night.
How the Internet Gets You Hired (or Fired)
1 Google yourself and check the results. If top picks are your Twitter and Facebook, fix your privacy settings so that no random stranger can just click through to gain entry into your twisted mind and unflattering photos. Delete: your old Multiply, Friendster, and Formspring,
plus angsty blogs.
2 Clean up your language. Headhunter Jimbo Pardo checks the FB accounts of his applicants,
checking their grammar, spelling, punctuation, and lingo when posting statuses or comments. Another thing he checks: profile pictures or tagged photos. “I know people have personal lives.
But I will have less respect for you if your primary photo is one of you half-naked.”
3 Make a LinkedIn account. It is simply an online resume builder, where people can see your
educational attainment, skills, and the kind of jobs you are aiming for. It is also a network wherein your professional contacts can link with you, so potential employers can see who you
know and worked with. Think of it like a dry, utilitarian, fun-less Facebook.
4 Make a separate FB or Twitter for peddling professional services. If you have a service-based raket on the side like doing makeup, hosting, or baking cupcakes, make a separate page and keep things legitimate and official. All work-related biz stays on that page, and your personal page stays private. You don’t want prospective clients to have access to those “Bora 2012” albums,
do you?
NEW RULE NO. 2
The tailor-fit resume
Take it from Mr. Cecilia, who is also a career columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, who says HR managers are inundated by the huge stack of resumes on their desks and don’t have all the time in the world to fi gure out what you’re trying to say in your five-page bio-data. “Within the first 15 seconds, your resumé should say, ‘Hey, it’s me you’re looking for!’” How? Tweak your resumé on a per-application basis to fit the job description. Nix your awards and org work (unless they contribute to the job you’re gunning for) and highlight what you can do other than what you’ve already done. “Show me your skills, abilities, and competencies.” Since most skills are transferable from job to job, you shouldn’t have trouble creating a resumé that is easily tweaked for other positions. Quick analogy for the dim-witted: Your resumé is like the awesome trailer to the movie of your life. Short enough to give a good gist, not bogged down with minor details, and sufficiently intriguing to get you to step two of the application process.
3 Shortcuts to an awesome resumé
1 Ditch the details that don’t count. Height, weight, name of parents—all that doesn’t matter. Put personal or contact information at the end. And, hate to break it to you, but being president
of the Otaku Guild or Ms. College of Arts isn’t all that impressive. Don’t bore HR to tears with the story of your life.
2 Subtly make yabang. For each work experience, briefly outline what projects you made or skills you developed, not just talk about the responsibilities required of you. Feel free to be a little smug, but make sure you can back it up.
3 Stick to a single page. Don’t feel bad editing out some achievements, it’s not like they become
imaginary if they aren’t included in your CV.
NEW RULE NO. 3
Shifting sideways
Potentially tricky when done wrong, but with great pay-offs like increased work experience that you can treat as added footage you can cut into that movie trailer of a resumé we were talking about. Even Mr. Cecilia subscribes to it: “You have to take detours.” Which means still keeping
your ears pricked up for opportunities in similar companies or industries that could strengthen your skill set, and as a result, your hire-ability. But it’s about timing. “‘Jumpers’ (people who frequently move from one job to another) as we call it, do not project a good impression to potential employers since it’s an indicator of the person’s ‘professional immaturity’ level,” warns Santos. Cecilia suggests shifting after two to three years when “it is less embarrassing and the company has generally already recovered their investment in you.” This works with New Rule No. 3—after some time mastering a job, move on and conquer new territory. Much like an old girlfriend, maybe your company will see how great you’ve become and woo you back. Or not—they might just be glad to see the back of you.
NEW RULE NO.4
It's in whom you know...and what they tell you
Cecilia recommends tweaking this mentality—while it’s pretty cheap of you to use your connections to land you the job, it’s smart of you to listen to what they have to say about the job then apply that to your application. “Ask him about the salary, the company culture, the hours, and use that as leverage.” Imagine getting interviewed for the job armed with this vital info—HR will think you’re a perfect fit for the position because you already know so much. Pardo also respects this method more, because it “reflects your initiative to learn more about the position. It’s like you did your homework about the job.” Think of it as asking your girl’s friends what kind of flowers she’d like and what her shoe size is and being pegged as the boyfriend who cares. Because like getting the girl, getting the job is all about understanding how the game is played—and winning.
NEW RULE NO. 5
Jack-of-all-trades, master of… all trades
Welcome to the age of the raket: Everyone, regardless of what they studied back in college (if
they went at all), should be armed with skills that encompass whole industries. Advertising means having the mental acuity to conceptualize and the technical skill to execute campaigns. Architecture grads moonlight for production houses. Heck, even teenage bloggers create their own brand, write and edit their own content, take and edit photos, and do their own PR. This is the time when job descriptions are both fuzzy and all-encompassing; the trick is to be capable of all possible, related tasks. It is the time for the multihyphenate to shine: be the best project manager-photographerclub promoter-call center agent you can be! Whatever kind of slashie you become, trumpet your achievements because no matter the job description, hubris will always be on the list of required skills. How else are you going to get more raket?
Skills to achieve slashie status! FHM lists popular, self-learned skills to give you an edge
Photography+ PhotoShop
With DSLRs selling like hotcakes, everyone and their brother is a professional photographer. Score one for cheap, get tips and tutorials online, then raket for event coverage and product photography, making posters for bars and clubs, and photo booths. Even kids use PhotoShop for
everything from school projects and Facebook profile pictures. This skill requires practice and a healthy dose of creativity and imagination, and then you are guaranteed employment in most creative endeavors.
Flash, C Sharp, or other coding programs
Computer-crazy people with IT backgrounds can sideline as game developers, which often have a workfrom- home or output-based system. Learn the language programmers speak and pretty soon you can administrate websites or be the creator of the next Temple Run.
Professional partying
Bars are always on the lookout for gimmicks they can use to get more patronage. Karaoke nights, up-andcoming DJs, beer pong—who do you think organizes and promotes these shenanigans? Anyone with a fondness for a good time, “work experience” clubbing, and an extensive network of non-friends they can badger with invites to Wet Thursdays or Underwear-less Fridays or whatever
cool idea they get next.
Social media abusing
Believe in your awesomeness. Brand yourself with a coherent online marketing plan with synced
Tumblr, FB, and Twitter accounts. Understand how Google Analytics works and exploit in shameless self-promotion. Even when people are sick of your face they will still be trolling your sites. Great, you are famous for being famous! Live off the swag all this obnoxiousness reaps!
