T.

C| Unit

 Paper Presentation : seminar and conference

 Expert technical lecture
 Seminar and conference paper writing

Presentation Strategies: planning, preparation, organization, and delivery an effective presentation

makes the best use of the relationship between the presenter and the audience. It takes full
Consideration of the audience’s needs in order to capture their interest, develop their understanding,
Inspire their confidence and achieve the presenter’s objectives. Careful planning is essential.

Seven stages in planning a presentation

1. Preparation

Many factors affect the design of your presentation. A powerful presenter will acknowledge and
address each of the following:

 Objectives
 Audience
 Venue
 Remit

Objectives:

Why you are making your presentation? Bear in mind what you want to achieve and what you want
your audience to take away with them. Once you have decided upon your objectives, you are in a much
better position to make strategic decisions about the design and tone of your presentation. For
example, a presentation to a seminar group might require a balanced argument, whereas a charity
appeal might require a more creative approach. Ask yourself:

• What do you want your audience to have understood?

• What action do you want your audience to take following your presentation?

• How can you best design your presentation to meet your objectives?

Audience

Your audience will have a variety of different experiences, interests and levels of knowledge. A powerful
presenter will need to acknowledge these and prepare for and respond to them accordingly. Ask
yourself:

• How much will your audience already know about your topic?

• How can you link new material to things they might already understand?

• will you need to win them over to a particular point of view?

You may not be able to answer these questions for each member of your audience but you should have
enough information to ensure that you have targeted your material at the right level for their needs.
This might involve avoiding technical jargon or explaining abstract concepts with clear practical
Examples. If you fail to consider your audience’s needs, you will fail to appeal to their interest and
Imagination.

Venue

Where will you be making your presentation? What will the room be like?

What atmosphere will the physical conditions create? A large lecture theatre might create a formal
atmosphere. Similarly, a seminar room might create a less formal tone. Ask yourself:

• What kind of atmosphere do you wish to create?

• How might the room arrangement affect your relationship with the audience?

• Can you do anything to change the arrangement of the room to suit your objectives?

• What audio-visual aids can you use

Remit:

You may well have been given a remit for your presentation; you will need to stick to this. For example,
you may have been asked to present a paper at a conference in a certain style or meet certain
assessment criteria on your course. Ask yourself

• How much time have you been allocated?

• Are you required to stick to a common format or style?

• have any guidelines been set regarding the content of your presentation (i.e. a predetermined title, or
a fixed number of overhead transparencies)?

2. Choosing your main points

Once you have thought about the design of your presentation, you can define your main points. Try
presenting no more than three main points in a ten minute presentation. Always allow time for an
adequate introduction and conclusion. It is difficult for an audience to follow a more complex argument
without significant help from the presenter. A powerful presentation delivers information in a logical,
structured manner, building on the previous point and avoiding large jumps in sequence. Ask yourself

• What are the main points you wish to make?

• Are these points structured in a logical, coherent way?

• Do these main points reflect your own objectives and take account of the needs of your audience.

3. Choosing your supporting information

The supporting information helps your audience understand, believe in and agree with your main
points. This evidence might take the form of factual data, points of detail or an explanation of process. It
might be presented in imaginative ways using diagrams, pictures or video segments. Think about:

• What will add clarity to your argument (explaining complex terms, reminding your audience of any
supporting theories)?

• What will add authority to your argument (making connections with other people's work, quoting
experts, offering evidence from your own research)?

• What will add color to your argument (showing a video clip or a slide, using a practical example or a
vibrant analogy)?

4. Establishing linking statements

The next stage is to develop the linear flow of your presentation. This can be achieved by using linking
statements to show clearly how your main points fit together. Common linking statements include:
•“The next stage in our project was to …”
 • “Another important issue of consideration was …” “By following this argument we can now see that
…”. Linking statements send signals to your audience, highlighting the next point in your argument,
linking to earlier ideas or clarifying the stage you have reached in your argument overall. This may be of
particular importance in a lengthy presentation where even the most effective presenter has to work
hard to keep an audience involved.

5. Developing an opening

The introduction to your presentation is crucial. It is your first point of contact with your audience; you
can either capture or lose your audience’s interest in a matter of seconds. Use your

 Introduction to lay a clear foundation for the presentation to follow. Try using the following
structure:

• introduce yourself;

• state what you will be talking about (a title or subject area);

• state how you will be talking about it (e.g. by comparing test results or reviewing the supporting
literature);

• state what you intend to be the outcome of your presentation (an informed group, a lively discussion);
• state what you expect your audience to do (listen, take notes, read a handout, ask questions
before/during/after).

Always give your audience a moment to absorb this information before moving into your first main
point

6. Developing a conclusion

Your conclusion is another important stage in your presentation. You can use it to remind your
audience of your main points, draw these points to a stimulating conclusion and leave your audience
with a lasting impression of the quality of your presentation. The following structure provides a
powerful conclusion

: • a review of your title or subject area “In this presentation I wanted to explore the relationship
between X and Y.”;

• A summary of your main points “We have discussed the following points…”

• A summary of the process you have been through “By looking at X we have found that Y …”
• A conclusion clearly drawn from your main points (this must be supported by the detail of your
presentation)“It is clear that there can be no substantive relationship between X and Y”;

• A parting statement to stimulate your audience’s thoughts (this might be a question or a bold
comment).

7 .Reviewing your presentation

Once you have written your presentation make sure that you review its content. Ask yourself:

• does the presentation meet your objectives?

• is it logically structured?

• have you targeted the material at the right level for your audience?

• is the presentation too long or too short?

 Web: 7 Steps to Delivering a Technical Presentation – Virtual Speech

 1076-unit2.pdf (collegedata.blob.core.windows.net)

Expert Technical Lecture:

 Eminent speakers from the industries and universities are invited to enlighten the students with
their ideas and experiences.
 The objective is to students and faculty members the opportunity to gain knowledge and insight
into the innovations through interactive sessions.
 Through these lectures, students get acquainted with recent developments, practical
applications, research, problem-solving, industry needs and requirements, their expectation,
scope for students’ implementation of theoretical knowledge.

Essentials of an expert technical lecture

Theme clarity i.e. the speaker should be clear about the topic he is going to deliver.

 Lecture should be presented in a clear and logical sequence.

 The material should be comprehensible and meaningful
 After introducing the theme, the speaker should present the data and analyze it.
 Use of required technical terms.
 Presentation of findings.
  Seminar and Conference Paper Writing

Method To Writing a Seminar/Conference Paper

1. Title page
2. Table of contents
3. Abstract
4. Introduction
5. Body: Literature Review, Implementations, Results,Discussion, and Analysis
6. Conclusion
7. Citations and references

BASIS FOR
CONFERENCE SEMINAR
COMPARISON

Meaning A conference refers A seminar is an

to a large formal instructional event,
gathering of several wherein one or more
people or say, experts
members, to talk communicate some
about a specific topic information, through
or subject of common lecture or general
interest. discussion.

Number of 50-1000 5-10

people

Objective To get an opinion or To educate, discuss

solution for an issue. and guide.

Participation Limited participation Active participation

of audience

Organized at Organization or hotel Seminar hall of

meeting space. Institution, or an
arranged space.

Duration Few days One hour or more

Type of work Presentation and Presentation and

Exchange of views Discussion
Definition of Interview
Interview can be broadly defined as a face to face verbal interchange in which there are two persons,
that is the researcher or the interviewer and the other is the respondent or the interviewee. The
interviewer tries to elicit the needed information on the research topic from the respondent. It appears
to be like a conversation but this conversation is more with a specific purpose. In conversation the roles
of the persons go on changing. One starts the conversation and the other responds then the other may
take lead and the first one may be a listener so there may be alterations in roles. In interview on the
other hand there is no changing of the roles of the interviewer and the interviewee. Conversation is
unplanned whereas interview is clearly thought out and clearly planned.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

The interviews are of many types, as for instance

(1) Informal,

conversational type,

(2) General interview guide

(3) Standardised Open Ended interview

(4) Closed fixed response.

Informal conversational type interviews In the informal conversational interview, as is implied, the
respondents are identified and are involved in a pleasant conversation. This conversation is with a
specific research purpose that has been already determined. In the pleasant conversation, the
interviewer talks in general, gets acquainted with respondents, after which the purpose of the research
study is put across to the respondents and they are told what is expected of this study and how
important the respondent and his responses are for the research. Thus from a general approach the
researcher moves on to the specific purpose. There are no pre-determined questions, and the
researcher indicates clearly that any answer the interviewee provides should be stated without
hesitation as there is no right or wrong answers. During the interview the interviewer “goes with the
flow” of what the respondent tells.
 General Interview Guide In this, every effort is put in to ensure that no important points are left out
and the manner in which the questions should be asked and the sequences are kept up. This general
interview guide also helps in conducting the interview to get information from all the respondents, on
all the items that have to be covered. The interview guide thus provides the needed focus to the
conversational approach and at the same time gives enough freedom to the interviewer and the
respondent.

Standardised Open Ended interview: This type of interviews gives considerable scope for the
respondent to answer fairly in detail his own ideas and opinions on the particular topic instead of
answering or tick marking the answers only. These open ended questions are also uniformly put to all
the respondents selected for the study. It not only elicits a variety of responses but also makes the
research much more rich in contents.

Closed, Fixed-response Interview

In this the answers are provided to all the questions, and the respondents are required to select from
within them, that response which is most applicable to them.

Thus all respondents will choose answers from amongst the same set of alternatives.

This format is useful where the questions could have clear cut answers and they can be categorised
meaningfully into 7 to 10 categories or less, and the respondents, except a few would find their answers
within those categories and tick mark the same. Such responses are easy to score code and analyze, as
compared to the responses obtained in the open ended interview. This is so because, the responses in
the open ended questions may be so many that the researcher will have to scrutinize all the responses
and categorize them after the entire data have been collected.

Telephone Interview :

Another type of interview is the Telephone Interview, in which the researcher gathers information
rapidly through telephone. Though these interviews do help to establish a kind of rapport with the
person at the other end of the telephone, yet many respondents may just refuse to answer and may put
down the phone. At the same time, there is a personal touch which can be transmitted to the
respondent. Furthermore the telephone interviews have to be necessarily short as no one would like to
answer a large number of questions.

There are varying points of view regarding the advisability and utility of using the telephone to conduct
research interviews.

The potential benefits associated with using telephone interviews as a mechanism of data collection
include:

a) using economic and human resources efficiently, b) minimizing disadvantages associated with in-
person interviewing, c) developing positive relationships between researchers and participants, and d)
improving quality of data collection.

The potential challenges to telephone interviewing include:

a) maintaining participant involvement, b) maintaining clear communication, c) communicating with

participants who offer extraneous information, d) encountering participants with health concerns, and
e) communicating with a third party.

Telephone interviewing can be an effective method of data collection when interviewers understand the
potential benefits as well as challenges. We offer solutions to the identified challenges and make
pragmatic recommendations to enhance researcher success based on the current literature and our
research practice. Supportive training for interviewers, effective communication between interviewers
and with research participants, and Standardised

telephone follow-up procedures are needed to ensure successful telephone data collection. We have
found our ‘Manual of Operations’ to be an effective tool that assists research assistants to meet the
requirements for successful telephone interviewing.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

The questions to be included in any interview guide should be very carefully prepared.

it must be able to tap the behaviours of the respondents, their moods and emotions and their exact
responses which are truthful and objective. Given below are some of the important aspects that should
be covered in any interview questions.

1) Behaviours: These questions try to find out from the respondent what he does or did or would do if
given a situation. (Example, Respondent’s opinion in regard to making admission to schools for
children without screening under Right to Education Act. Here the person may say that he will write
articles against it in the newspaper or give lectures or speeches condemning such non screening as it is
harmful to children who are normal and intelligent. These indicate the behaviours of the respondent in
regard to the topic).
2) Opinions/values: These questions will also tap the attitudes and opinions of the respondents
regarding an issue. Opinions and values are generally strong until something very significant occurs
which changes the opinion and value. The questions would be for instance, what does the respondent
think of a person marrying out of caste and religion. The respondent may state that he is very much
against anyone marrying out of caste and religion. This is his opinion and to an extent perhaps goes with
his value system.

3) Feelings: The questions also elicit the feelings of the individual in regard to what a person feels rather
than what a person thinks.

4) Knowledge: This would ensure that the topic of research and knowledge about the facts regarding the
topic is conveyed to the respondent. Thus the respondents get facts about the topic.

5) Sensory: The Questions that would be included in this section will deal with the respondent’s
perceptions. That is, what ever he has seen, whatever he has touched, whatever he had heard,
whatever he had tasted, whatever he had smelt etc.

6) Background / Demographics: The respondent is asked questions related to his age, gender, education,
income, marital status etc., which are all put together constitute the socio demographic features of the
respondent.

Stages of Interview There are in all seven (7) stages in the interview investigation. These include the
following : The why and what of the investigation.

1) Thematising

2) Designing: Plan the design of the study.

3) Interviewing: Conduct the interview based on a guide.

4) Transcribing: Prepare the interview material for analysis.

5) Analyzing: Decide on the purpose, the topic, the nature and methods of analysis that are appropriate.

6) Verifying : Ascertain the validity of the interview findings.

7) Reporting: Communicate findings of the study based on scientific criteria.

describe each of these stages in detailed

1) Thematising : In this stage which is stage 1, the researcher tries to give an idea to the
investigation as to what is being investigated, what for it is being investigate and what does the
researcher hope to get out of the investigation. The researcher thus gives a theme to the entire
 topic that is being investigated. This sets the trend to what should be focused during the
interview.

2) Designing: This is the second stage of interview in which the investigator or the researcher plans the
entire design of the study. The kind of tools that should be used is planned, then sample to which the
questions will be put are selected and the analysis of the research findings are also contemplated along
with the typical hypothesis that would be tested.

3) Interviewing: In this third stage, the samples selected by the investigator are identified and are taken
up for interview sessions. The researcher may use a interview guide which has the various questions to
be put to the interviewee and the researcher follows the sequence to the extent possible, even though
the researcher may change the order if it is found that the interviewee is not comfortable with certain
type of questions. Thus the researcher may start from the general and move on the specific questions
and thus complete the interview and later on take down what ever has been completed.

4) Transcribing: This is the fourth stage in the interview. Having conducted the interview, the research
her has obtained the needed information for all the queries that had been put to the interviewee. Now
these have to be adequately and systematically organized and this is what is meant by transcribing the
answers in a certain sequence and order to make it more meaningful from the point of view of research.

5) Analyzing : In this stage, the researcher takes the data and analyses the same in terms of the research
questions and the hypotheses. Based on the results obtained from the analysis, the researcher either
validates the hypothesis or rejects the same and come to clear conclusion regarding the research topic.

The answers to the queries are found and the analysis clearly shows in which direction the trend of
results move.

6) Verifying: In this stage the researcher validates the findings and comes to conclusion on different
points of the research topic. For example, if the research was on which method of teaching contributes
to enhancement of academic performance of children in class 8, and let us say that the researcher finds
the tutorial method is better than lecture method in enhancing academic performance, these are put to
statistical tests to find out if the differences obtained are statistically significant. Thus the researcher
validates the research findings.

7) Reporting: The last stage is of reporting the findings in the form of a report.

The report contains the topic, the methods of investigation, the tools used, the sample that was
interviewed, the results obtained, the statistical analysis used and the final findings in terms of the
objectives with which the research was taken up. Through the results, the researcher is able to indicate
whether the objectives of the research were realised etc.

Or
Stages of Interview:

:Appraisal of Resume Some companies may shortlist candidates on the basis of projects they have
completed, specific courses they have done, internships they have taken up, etc

Tests Companies conduct aptitude tests (written/online) comprising sections such as technical,
quantitative, verbal, reasoning, psychometric, etc.

Group discussions Most recruiters use this as the second stage after the aptitude tests. Some

companies may conduct group activities as well to assess the candidates' personality, leadership skills,
knowledge, communication skills, etc.

Presentations A few companies may ask the candidates to present themselves in two or three minutes
in order to shortlist.

Face to face interview: This may be the final round of an interview. Many companies these days give
the candidate a short or long case containing a hypothetical problem in the business/ industrial context,
ask the candidate to present the case, and suggest a few alternative solutions in a limited time.

Videoconferencing interview: This could be a technical-cum-HR interview.

Negotiations: This stage comes after the candidate has been selected. The company makes a job offer
out to the candidate after discussing the candidate's expectations about salary and other benefits.

Medical test

Once the job offer is confirmed, the candidates may be asked to go for a medical examination. This is
done by the companies that offer the benefit of medical claims. Since the amount that can be claimed is
substantial, the company ensures that the candidate is suffering from a major ailment. This is also done
to ensure that the candidate is not suffering from any condition that would prohibit him/her from
performing the duties required of him/her.
Procedure to be Followed During the Interview During the interviews the researcher must take care of
the following:

Interview and Interviewing

Occasionally verify the tape recorder (if used) is working.

Ask one question at a time.

Attempt to remain as neutral as possible.

Encourage responses.

Be careful about the appearance when note taking.

Provide transition between major topics.

Don’t lose control of the interview.

Every effort should be made to get all answers to all questions and that too truthfully and objectively.
The researcher should if using a tape recorder, check if it works and whether it would be able to record
the entire interview of one hour. The tapes should be otherwise changed so that uninterruptedly the
interview can go on. Also before using the tape recorder the interviewer should get permission to use
the same from the respondent. If there is a need and requested the researcher should be prepared to
replay the recorder for the respondent who may like to verify what answers have been given and if they
are to be reported etc.

The researcher should be always neutral and even if the respondent gives some kind of emotional
statements, the researcher should not respond to it either positively or negatively but record the same
as felt and presented by the respondent.

Where ever necessary the researcher must encourage the respondent to answer the questions. Many
tactics may be used to get the respondent answer the questions, and it always works if the researcher
has established a good rapport with the respondent.

Even if the interview is being tape recorded it is important to note the various emotions and expressions
as well as facial expressions of the respondent at the appropriate places. These should be taken as note
format and later on incorporated in the recorded interview at the appropriate places in the interview.

As the researcher moves from one topic to another, it must be made in a smooth manner.

The researcher must have complete control over the interview and should not slip at any point of time.
Focusing on the interview and concentrating on how the respondent answers and the various
expressions that the respondent is using are all to be recorded and used while analyzing the data.
After the interview The researcher should verify if the tape recorder, if used, worked throughout the
interview. He should make detailed notes on the ones noted by him during the interview. He should
write down observations made during the interview.

Validity of Interview:

Studies by Kahn and Cannel (1961), Maccoby and Maccoby (1954) can be mentioned in this connection.
There have been found inaccuracies in respondents versions during interviews when compared with the
information obtainedby other means. In the case of self reports also similar inaccuracies have been
found, particularly when the questions are asked about the sexual behaviour. Kanfer and Phillips (1970)
who have discussed the methodological problems in using few persons self-report as an indicator of his
actual experience concluded that, when a person describes his experiences or his internal states in an
interview, care must be taken to recognise this behaviour as response that is under the control of both-
person’s history and the interview situation and not to accept it as a true record of past or internal
events.

As mentioned by Patterson (1968), the interview is thus not such a measurement device which gives
very accurate results. It is fallible and subject to substantial sources of error and bias. But we cannot
discard the interview as a means of collecting information. It has great value and has its own
advantages. Our effort should be to learn more about the sources of interview bias and influence. We
must learn methods to eliminate them or accounting for them.(S.S. Mathur 1985). The interview’s
validity depends on how much the clinician is trained to obtain the information he wants from the client
side.

OBJECTIVES OF INTERVIEWS

Interviews may be conducted for various reasons. Generally, interviews are conducted to achieve some
of the following objectives:

• To select a person for a specific task

• To monitor performance

• To collect information

• To exchange information

• To counsel

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

Depending on the objective and nature, interviews can be categorized into the following types:

Job

Persuasive

Evaluation

Exit

Counselling

Conflict resolution

Disciplinary

Termination

Information

Media

Each of the above types has a slightly different approach. For example, in a job interview you may have
to convince the interviewer that you are the best person for the job, whereas in a termination interview
your employer may have to convince you that your services have been terminated for reasons that are
specific, accurate, and verifiable Comparing the involvement and contribution of the interviewer and the
interviewee, an interview can be divided into three types: telling, telling and listening, and problem
solving.
Telling In a telling interview, the flow of communication is almost entirely one way- downwards. It is
used most effectively in a directing, time-constrained situation; but it can cause hostility and defensive
behaviour when the employee does not have the opportunity to participate.

Telling and listening In a telling and listening interview, more feedback from the subordinate is allowed,
but the interviewer still maintains control over the flow of communication.

Problem-solving In a problem-solving interview the flow of communication is two-way. The bulk of

communication is upwards, a genuine rapport is established, ideas are pooled, and exchange facilitated.

Job interviews

In job interviews, the employer wants to learn about the applicant's abilities and experiences, and the
candidate wants to learn about the position on offer and the organization. Both the candidate and the
employer hope to make a good impression and to establish rapport. In the initial round, job interviews
are usually formal and structured. But later, interviews may be relatively spontaneous as the interviewer
explores the candidate's responses.

Information interviews

The interviewer seeks facts that bear on a decision or contribute to basic understanding. Information
flows mainly in one direction: one person asks a list of questions that must be covered and listens to the
answers supplied by the other person, e.g., doctor-patient, boss- subordinate, etc.

Persuasive interviews

One person tells another about a new idea, product, or service and explains why the other should act on
his/her recommendations. Persuasive interviews are often associated with, but are certainly not limited
to, selling. The persuader asks about the other person's needs and shows how the product or concept is
able to meet those needs. Persuasive interviewers require skill in drawing out and listening to others as
well as the ability to impart suitable information, adapted to the situation and the sensitivities of the
interviewee.

Exist interviews

In exit interviews, the interviewer tries to understand why the interviewee is leaving the organization or
transferring to another department tor division. A departing employee can often provide insight into
whether the business and human resource is being handled efficiently or whether there is a
considerable scope for improvement. The interviewer ends to ask all the questions while the
interviewee provides answers. Encouraging the employee focus on events and processes rather than on
personal gripes will elicit more useful information for the organization.

Evaluation interviews

A supervisor periodically gives an employee feedback on his/her performance. The supervisor and the
employee discuss progress towards predetermined standards or goals and evaluate areas that require
improvement. They may also discuss goals for the coming year, as well as the employee's long-term
aspirations and general concerns.

Counselling interviews

A supervisor talks with an employee about personal problems that are interfering with work
performance. The interviewer is concerned with the welfare of both the employee and the organization.
The goal is to establish the facts, convey the company's concern, and steer the person towards a source
of help. Only a trained professional should offer advice on problems such as substance abuse, marital
tension, and financial trouble.

Conflict-resolution interviews

In conflict-resolution interviews, two competing people or groups of people with opposing points of
view, such as Smith versus Jones, day shift versus night shift, General Motors versus the United Auto
Workers, explore their problems and attitudes. The goal is to bring the two parties closer together,
cause adjustments in perceptions and attitudes, and create a more productive climate.
Disciplinary interviews

In disciplinary interviews, a supervisor tries to correct the behaviour of an employee who has ignored
the organization's rules and regulations. The interviewer tries to get the employee to see the reason for
the rules and to agree to comply. The interviewer also reviews the facts and explores the person's
attitude. Because of the emotional reaction that is likely, neutral observations are more effective than
critical comments.

Termination interviews

Media interviews

A supervisor informs an employee of the reasons for the termination of the latter's job. The interviewer
tries to avoid involving the company in legal action and tries to maintain a positive relationship with the
employee. To accomplish these goals, the interviewer gives reasons that are specific, accurate, and
verifiable.

The interview process

In its simplest form, an interview consists of three distinct steps:

1 Establishing rapport

2 Closing

3. Gathering information

4. Using body language effectively

Understanding and successful completion of these basic steps are critical for one to reach the next step
in the process, whether that be another interview or the actual job offer.

Establishing rapport The rapport-establishing step is where the vital first impressions are formed. Some
employers may claim to be able to make a decision about a candidate in thirty seconds or less. The truth
is that you set the tone for the interview through your physical appearance and initial responses. When
you enter the room, look around and establish eye contact with the People there .Simile warmly and
greet them. Shake hands with a firm grip, if required, and sit when to do so. Address the panel members
as "Sir/Madam' or use their surnames if you know correctly. Do not call them by their first names unless
they insist you to do so Interviewers will analyse you in reference to the company culture. Further, your
initial responses will greatly affect how you are perceived in the eyes of the interviewer. It is not
necessarily the words you say, but how you say them. This is where your positive attitude and
confidence will establish the tone For the Interview.

DEFINITION OF A RÉSUMÉ

A résumé is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience.
Your résumé’s purpose is to enable you to gain the selector’s attention . A résumé does its job
successfully if it does not exclude you from their consideration. To prepare a successful résumé, you
need to know how to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one page.
Unless you have considerable experience, you don’t need two pages. Outline your achievements brie? y
and concisely. Your résumé is your ticket to an inter-view where you can sell yourself!

Writing a résumé is serious business. Often , it is the first impression you will make on a prospective
employer. Hopefully, after looking over your résumé, the employer will grant you the opportunity to
make a second impression. If we look at job search as a marketing campaign, we can then look at the
résumé as a print advertisement or a marketing brochure.

If you take a look through a magazine you will see many advertisements. Try to ? nd one that tells you to
buy a product because the company needs to increase its pro? ts. You will be hard-pressed to ? nd such
a insensitive one.

The advertisements you see tell you what the manufacturer’s product can do for you – make your smile
bright, your hair shiny, or simply make your life better When putting together your résumé, evaluate
the needs of the employer and then determine how you can fill those needs. If you have access to a
computer and a quality printer, you can design a targeted résumé for every job that you apply for. If you
have to mass produce your résumé, you will have to do a li? le guesswork to come up with one that will
impress everyone.

There are three types of résumés.

They are,

(a) functional résumé,

(b) chronological résumé and (c) combined résumé.

Functional Résumé:

The functional résumé focuses on your skills and accomplishments. It highlights what they are, not
when you developed them. It is best for:

a. People with lots of job experience and many jobs.

b. People just entering the work force with no track record.

c. People who are returning to work a? er a long absence.

d. People who are changing careers who want to highlight their skills and credentials.

e. People who are closer to retirement age.

f. People whose career growth has not been good.

g. Military personnel who are seeking civilian jobs.

Its contents include:

a. Contact information

b. Objective

c. Skills d. Work experience

e. Education
Chronological Résumé
The chronological résumé is the most common. It is a chronological listing of your jobs and experience
with most recent mentioned first .

It is best for:

a. People who have practical work experience without long periods of employment and minimal job
changes.

b. People who have demonstrated growth in a single profession.

Its contents include:

a. Contact information
b. Objective

c. Work experience

d. Education

Combined Résumé

A combined résumé includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It may be a
shorter chronology of job descriptions preceded by a short ‘Skills and Accomplish-ments’ section (or
with a longer summary including a skills list or a list of ‘qualification ’); or, it may be a standard
functional résumé with the accomplishments under headings of different jobs held.

There are obvious advantages to this combined approach: It maximizes the advantages of both kinds of
résumés, avoiding potential negative e? ects of either type. One disadvantage is that it tends to be a
longer résumé. Another is that it can be repetitious:
Accomplishments and skills may have to be repeated in both the ‘functional’ section and the
‘chronological’ job descriptions.
Power Words Use power words to describe your experience and accomplishments. Here are some
power words to use:

accelerated, accomplished, achieved, addressed, administered, advised, allocated, answered, appeared,

applied, appointed, appraised, approved, arranged, assessed, assigned, assisted, assumed, assured, ,
awarded, ability bought, briefed, broadened, brought, budgeted, built capable, capability, cataloged,
caused, changed, chaired, closed, collected, combined, commented, communicated, compared,
compiled, completed, computed, conceived, concluded, conduct-ed, conceptualized, considered,
consolidated, constructed, consulted, continued, contracted, controlled, converted, coordinated,
corrected, counseled, counted, created, critiqued, cut, capacity, competence, competent, complete,
completely, consistent, contributions dealt, decided, de? ned, delegated, delivered, demonstrated,
described, designed, determined, developed, devised, diagnosed, directed, discussed, distributed,
documented, doubled, , demonstrated, developing earned, edited, , eliminated, endorsed, enlarged,
enlisted, ensured, entered, established, esti-mated, evaluated, examined, executed, expanded,
expedited, experienced, experimented, explained, ex-, expressed, extended, educated, ectiveness,
enlarging, equipped, excellent, exceptional, expanding, experienced ? led, ? , ? nuanced, focused,
forecast, formulated, found, founded gathered, generated, graded, granted, guided, global halved,
handled, helped identi? implemented, improved, incorporated, increased, indexed, initiated, innovated,
inspected, installed, instituted, instructed, insured, interpreted, interviewed, introduced, invented, in-
vested, investigated, involved, issued, increasing joined kept, knowledgeable launched, learned, leased,
lectured, led, licensed, listed, logged..

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE RÉSUMÉ WRITING

• Be clear, direct, effective and professional. Make your résumé easy to read.
• Use bulleted statements to facilitate skimming. Avoid long paragraphs and large blocks of text.

• Try to keep it to one or two pages. If you have less than 10 years of experience, a singlepage résumé is
a good rule-of-thumb. The reader should be able to skim your résumé in 25 – 30 seconds.

• Determine a format and stick with it through the résumé i.e., ensure section headings have the same
placement and font treatment throughout the résumé.

• Put dates next to the right-hand margins.

• Information about your most recent job may use current or past tense depending on your current
status, only use past tense to describe previous accomplishments, since they are completed actions.
 • Accurately use up-to-date terminology relevant to the industry you have targeted.

• Spell out terms. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

• Identifying information should be listed on the ? first page in a balanced, organized layout, including:
? Name (should stand out, i.e., bold, all capital letters etc.) ? Street address ? City / state / zip code ?
Home, Mobile and/or Cell Phone (include 10-digit telephone numbers with area code) ? Work phone ?
Email address (include personal not work) • If your résumé is more than a single page, be sure to place
name and page number in upper right hand corner of the second page.

Points to be Included

a. Name and gender Given the ? First and last name only because that’s how you are introduced and
introduce yourself. Sometimes mentioning the gender is useful especially where names are not
revelatory of it in themselves and when you are sure you will not be discriminated be-cause of your
gender.

b. Address Give complete address. Do not abbreviate.

c. Telephone number with area code.

d. Objective Keep it short in just one or two sentences. Adjust to ? t the position for which you are
applying. If résumé is going to be circulated a lot, the broader the better.

e. Education If you are a recent graduate, place education before work experience, if not, place af-ter.

f. Skills List all that are appropriate to the type of work you are seeking. Include computer skills and
languages (understood, read, or spoken) for every job.

g. Dates Include some type of reference of when you had the job. Be consistent with your notation .
Job titles

Adjust to fit the position for which you are applying. If résumé is going to be circulated a lot, the
broader the better . If appropriate, use the title of the position for which you are applying.

i. Company name The company with whom you were employed. City and state are sufficient for
the ad-dress.
 j. Responsibilities This is an essential part of the résumé. Highlight the responsibilities of your
previous jobs that are related to the position for which you are applying.

k. Professional licenses Include if important to line of work l. Publications and patents Use if
important to your ? eld or profession. m. Professional affiliation

Exclude mention of political, social, religious or any other controversial group. The emphasis is on your
professional memberships, not personal.

Points to be generally excluded

a. A résumé title It should be obvious what it is.

b. Availability Apparently you are available; you are looking for work. It decreases the life span of your
résumé and your efficiency if you do not get a job by the specific date. c. Salary

If your request is too high, you are eliminated immediately. If it’s too low, they may still trash your
résumé, or worse they may pay you what you asked, which is thousands less than you are worth.

d. Mention of age, race, religion, or national origin It is just not good business sense to mention
these. Discrimination does happen to everyone now and then.

e. Photographs Unnecessary, unless applying for a modeling or acting career. Then, a portfolio is
rec-commended.

f. Charts and graphs Nobody’s résumé should have that much void space. You can do be? er.

g. Weaknesses It is counter-productive. The purpose of the résumé is to accentuate the positives.

h. Reason for leaving It is inappropriate for the résumé. If the employer wants to know, he or she
will ask you.

i. References Do not list references because it is unprofessional. State instead, “References are
avail-able upon request,” at the very end of your résumé.
 A Sample Resume

a. Name and Gender:

CYAN PRAKASH (Male)
b. Address:
H.No: 1149, B.Nagar, Secundcrabad, AP, lndia Pin: 500061
c. Telephone:
09140 2707 0798, Ccll: 98482 49777
d. Objective:
A software sales position in an organization, seeking an extraordinary record of
generating new accounts, exceeding sales targets and enthusiastic customer rela-
tions.
e. Education:
Bachelor of Engineering (Computer);
Master of Business Administration (MBA-Marketing)
f. Skills
Computer skills (hardware <1nd software)
Languages:
Understood: English, Telugu, Oriya, Tamil, Kannada, Urdu, Hindi,
Bengali, French
Read: English, Telugu, and Hindi
Spoken: English, Telugu, and l lindi
Tnterpersonal skills: Wide network of friends and contacts.
g. Job Titles:
No work e>.pcriencc/ fresh graduate/ seeking job for the first time.
h. Professional Affiliations
Member of Slate Management Graduates Association