Seventy-two of them are attending, all high school pupils. In two weeks their tenure will be done. They will be thrust into the working world. On this day, they are waiting for Jonas Edwards.
Edwards is CEO of a big business. As an entrepreneur who likes to give something back to society, Edwards is offering two hours to provide the youngsters with hints and tips on lining up a job.
Having helped coordinate the event, I thought my column this week may be used profitably if I summarised some of Edwards' thoughts on aspects of employment, in the hope young readers in the UAE similarly placed may benefit.
Firstly, the resume: Remember, advised Edwards, "A resume is your personal billboard. It is initially your only way of advertising yourself." It was suggested youngsters don't write up just one resume and mail this to multiple organisations.
"Start fresh each time, listing facts, skills, experience [if any] only related to a specific employer," he said, adding, "Your computer should contain a series of folders each holding a specific, tailored resume. When tailoring, however, look for transferable skills, for example things you would use in another job that can be used in this job."
Fact and story approach
A growing, popular way of structuring a modern resume, he said, was to adopt a ‘fact and story' approach. In this, a job-seeker first lists only skills relevant to a job. These are the ‘facts'. Then in a second section, he writes a brief ‘story' to flesh out each fact. This makes the resume not only more relevant but provides a prospective employer with interesting reading as he peruses the anecdotal form of each skill.
"Employers are fast getting bored with the old-fashioned format and a lot have virtually abandoned asking for references since such a person is likely to say only nice things."
The accompanying cover letter, he said, should be brief and focus more on mentioning how good a fit you may be for the business or the role. If all goes well, one may get called to an interview.
"No matter how shy, introverted, nervous or panicky you feel, you have to put on an act. Generate a conversation, ask questions. When asked a question, give a response and ask a question. If nervous, pause for a few seconds before answering. Contrary to common belief this may not be seen as slow-minded but rather that careful thought is being given to the question."
Prepare a series of common interview questions. Then prepare answers to these questions, for example: Tell us a little about yourself? What has been the most difficult situation you had to handle? If you had the time, money and authority to change something in your job what will it be?
Another tip: When asked a negative question, think about the positives, then word it positively. For example: ‘Who are the types of people you find it hard to work with?' An unplanned reply may be: "I dislike working with people who are disorganised, late, unfriendly…"
A better answer is: "I like working with people who are punctual, organised and friendly. I might find it challenging if they are not."
One youngster at the end of this serious event brought smiles to everyone's faces: "My brother has a twitter account," he said, "He sent a very short tweet and got a job immediately. The tweet said: ‘I am successful in achieving my goals because I do the most productive thing possible, work hard, smart and pursue excellence'."
Tweeting seems the way of the future.
Kevin Martin is a journalist based in Sydney, Australia.
