12 things your CV should NOT have

Kshipra Singh
February 08, 2008
Your CV is your marketing brochure through which you try to sell a commodity, ie your skills to the potential buyer ie the prospective employer. The sole purpose of your CV is to fetch you an interview call. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, creating a CV isn’t as simple as just using flowery language and pretty fonts. There are certain things that put recruiters off and if you want to make a good impression, make sure you do not commit these mistakes in what is arguably the most valuable document of your job hunt.
While the rules listed are well-founded, they are not carved in stone. At times you will need to break the rules. If you want to add these things knowingly and purposefully to your CV we advise you to do that.
The points mentioned here are not listed in the order of priority; instead they are listed in the sequence in which they usually appear on a CV.

~ Colorful or glossy paper and flashy fonts
Your CV is a formal, official document. Keep it simple.

~ Resume or CV at the top
Many people tend to add headings to their CV. The usual are CV, Curriculum Vitae and Resume. Do not do this.

~ Photographs until asked
Do not add your photo to the CV until you have been asked for it. Photographs are required only for certain types of positions like models, actors etc.

~ Usage of ‘I’, ‘My’, ‘He’, ‘She’
Do not use these in your CV. Many candidates write, ‘I worked as Team Leader for XYZ Company’ or ‘He was awarded Best Employee for the year 2007′. Instead use bullet points to list out your qualifications/ experience like: Team leader for XYZ Company from 2006-2007.

~ Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Proofread your CV until you are confident that it doesn’t have any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. These are big put-offs for the recruiters. Moreover, sometimes these mistakes might land you in an embarrassing situation.
A candidate who submitted his CV without proofreading it committed the mistake of wrongly spelling ‘ask’ as ‘ass’. Now you can imagine the type of embarrassment he must have faced during the interview, when the interviewer pointed it out. These mistakes tend to convey a lazy and careless attitude to the interviewer.

~ Lies about your candidature
Do not lie about your past jobs or qualifications or anything which might have an impact on the job. You may be able to secure a job with these lies today but tomorrow you may lose it as well.

~ Abbreviations or jargon that is difficult to understand
People screening your resume usually belong to the HR department. If they do not understand what the abbreviations and jargon mean, they will simply dump your CV in the trash can. Avoid over-using such terms as far as possible.
~ Reasons for leaving last job

Leave these reasons to be discussed during the personal interview. For example, some candidates write: Reason for leaving the last job: Made redundant. Avoid making such statements in your CV, they add no value. Besides, if you do get an interview call, chances are the interviewer will address the issue.

~ Past failures or health problems
Mentioning these immediately slash your chances of getting an interview call.
For instance, you have a gap in your employment because you started your own business which did not do well. Some candidates might write — Reason for gap in employment: Started own business which failed. Do not do this type of injustice with your job hunt at this stage of writing the CV.

~ Current or expected salary
Leave it to be discussed while negotiating the salary.

~ Irrelevant details
Leave out the details like marital status, sex, passport number, number of kids, age of kids. These are usually irrelevant for most interviewers but at times could be used as a basis for discrimination.

~ References
Do not include them until asked. In fact, it is not even required to mention the line ‘Reference available on request’. If the recruiter requires a reference, he/she will ask you to bring it along for the interview.
Now that you have run through the list, take a fresh look at your CV and prune away unnecessary details and unaffordable blunders that could have cost you your dream job.

Aneeqa Ishaq wins the 2009 ITU Cybersecurity and ICT Applications Essay Competition!

Great news! Aneeqa Ishaq, alumna of College of E&ME from Degree-27, participated in 2009 ITU Cyber-security and ICT Applications Essay Competition and was selected as one of the winners.  She has been offered a consultancy contract within the ITU Development Sector’s ICT Applications and Cyber-security Division in Geneva, Switzerland.  Aneeqa has recently graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of E. & M. E., National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan where she was one of the co-founders and president of the ICT and Entrepreneurship club.  While at university; she represented Pakistan at the 2008 ITU Telecom Youth Forum Asia in Bangkok, where she was elected as one of the co-chairs.

The purpose of the competition was to increase awareness of cyber-security and the potential of ICT Applications, and give young people, especially from developing countries, exposure to main issues related to these topics and to ITU’s ongoing work in this area. The competition was open to students from all over the world.

Congratulations Aneeqa! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Hamza Zaidi represents Pakistan at Telecom World Youth Forum 2009 Geneva

Youth

Two students, Syed Hamza Zaidi (De- 28 EE) and Maleeha Rizwan from CEME [NUST] and LUMS respectively, represented Pakistan in the ITU Telecom World 2009 Youth Forum held in Geneva, Switzerland from October 05-09 this year. For the participant selection phase, the ITU headquarters invited applications from the youth of each member country of the world and selected two students, one male and one female through a highly competitive process.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the leading UN agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), which organizes major events for the world’s telecommunication community. These events provide a unique global networking platform where great minds, companies and new technologies connect.

By bringing together over 300 youth fellows from across 150 countries spanning the globe, the forum presented the participants with a number of new perspectives on global communications and interconnectedness alongside the privilege of benefitting from the valuable comments and remarks delivered by globally revered personalities such as Mr Ban Ki Moon [UN Sec Gen], Mr Nelson Mandela [ex-Pres of South Africa], Mr Hamadoun Toure [ITU Sec Gen], the President of Rwanda, the Chancellor of the Canton of Geneva and many others throughout the tenure of their stay.

CERN LHC

Towards the close, a committee was formed, which drafted the Youth Forum Declaration, which is an effective means to convey the youth’s message to the ITU officials, other

telecommunication stakeholders and the world in general. Due to outstanding participation and effective representation of youth, in the final elections Hamza Zaidi made it to the last five nominees for the mail chair.

A part from sightseeing in the beautiful Geneva suburbs, Hamza, along with other youth, got a rare chance to visit Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN Labs ( in picture above and below) in France.

Its a matter of great honor and pride for CEME [NUST] to represent Pakistan at this august forum twice in a row.

the last semesterday, EME Alumni Scholarships were provided to 17 students after interviews and shortlistings from 31 applications. The award amount was PKR 2,52,000/-. The shortlisting & interview process was carried out by the Alumni Association and the interview process was observed by 4 Alumni members.

On behalf of the EME Alumni Association, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to this cause. Thank you for showing your continued trust in the overall process. I would also like to take this opportunity to request for continued donations so that the effort grows and lives on. If any of you wishes to make any donation, please find below the details of the account.

We will be making a fresh call for donations in a few weeks. If you cannot make a donation now, please mark your donation calenders and donate when we make a fresh appeal in a few weeks.

Details of the overall process and award are pasted below in the email in italics. I would also like to thank the members of the EME Alumni Association who put in time and effort from their personal routines.

In case of any queries, please feel free to write to me.

Regards,

Afnan Ahmed

18-E

On behalf of the EME Alumni Association

Scholarship Results 2009

May-June 2009

Calls for the first round of Scholarships for this year were announced in June 2009. Alumni Association received applications from 31 candidates. After initial review of the applications, 21 were called for the interview. The interviews were taken by the association panel on 4 Jul 2009. Four senior alumni members from different degrees were invited as observers.

Seventeen students were shortlisted and their background information was counter checked before the award was deposited in the accounts office. Our budget for this session was Rs 2,00,000/- which is suffice for tuition of 10 students but after reviewing the cases it was decided to distribute the amount among all the deserving students. An appeal was made to prominent alumni members and with their help the budget was increased to 2,50,000/-.

Total Award: Rs 2,52,000/-
No. Of Applications: 31
Interviewed: 21 students
Awarded: 17 students

Avg Expenses:

Inliving Students – Rs 14800/-
Outliving Studenst – Rs 8000

source: http://www.worldofwibble.com/stories/article.php?name=managers

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She reduced altitude and spotted a man below. She descended a bit more and shouted, ‘Excuse me sir, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don’t know where I am.’

The man below replied, ‘You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.’
‘You must be an engineer,’ said the lady balloonist.
‘I am’, replied the man. ‘How did you know?’
‘Well, answered the balloonist, ‘everything you told me is technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me at all. If anything you’ve delayed my trip even more.’

The man below responded, ‘You must be a manager.’
‘I am,’ replied the lady balloonist, ‘but, how did you know?’
‘Well,’ said the man, ‘You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air within. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.’

source: http://zazamazu.blogspot.com/2009/08/manager-vs-engineer.html

Fellows you need to become both of them. They call the thing Engineer-manager.

Raja Usman Ghani
De 24 Mechanical

Good companies to apply in Islamabad are:

BHP Billiton, BP Paksistan, Dewan Petroleum, MOL Pakistan, Paige Ltd, Petronas, BGP, Halliburton, Schlumberger (good company for females as well), sprint, Baker Oil Tools, clough engineering, hagler bailey, Weatherford.

courtesy of Sir Shahzad Javed

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That’s what they’re there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

The course material is also generally downloadable so one can do the assignments and exams to check his understanding level. I don’t know whether current students in EME are on Alumni or not, If not then whoever can share this list to them please do that.

Berkeley: Operating Systems

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978499

Programming Courses As such no pre-requisite for programming courses. You can ask anyone interested in gaining programming skill to watch these and start trying (from kids to people of other fields).

Stanford: Programming Methodology (Java)

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=84A56BC7F4A1F852

Stanford: Programming Abstractions (C++)

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FE6E58F856038C69

Stanford: Programming Paradigms

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9D558D49CA734A02

Architecture Berkeley: Graduate Computer Architecture http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978278

The professor is co-author of ACA book generally taught in most of universities. But not directly downloadable. Can watch them online or use some video downloader. Digital

Communications MIT: Principles of Communication 1

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/6-450Fall-2006/VideoLectures/index.htm

Mathematics MIT: Linear Algebra

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/VideoLectures/index.htm

I heard that once books were taken from Baghdad to Europe.. I think it’s time for the reverse flow to become the leaders in Science and Technology again inshAllah. I should have created a folder on Alumni group site so that others might add to the list based on their ratings of the lectures they see. But I am sort of busy right now, if someone else could do it, would be great.

Regards,

Yasir Javed 19-C

posted by: mohtashamjarral

You’ve heard it all before: When you have a job interview it’s important to come on time, dress right and project a positive attitude. What people always seem to forget, however, is that it’s crucial that you also use this opportunity to get a sense of your potential employer. After all, what good is an offer from a company you’d desperately want to leave after just a few days? The next time you embark on an interview for employment, make sure you watch for these signs you don’t want the job.

Obviously, if you’re applying for a field position abroad or in a different city, chances are the interview will have to occur in a public place. However, if the company has a local office and the interviewer still insists on meeting you at a bar or a restaurant, you should consider it one of the signs you don’t want the job. Some employers resort to this practice when they’re trying to hide something about the office environment, while others use the casual setting to make unethical deals, which is a strong indication of the kind of boss you’d get.

Companies tend to treat candidates with more care than actual employees, so if a manager doesn’t have time to conduct a proper interview, you can be sure that he or she won’t have time to give you thorough training and regular feedback once you’re hired. By the same token, if the interview keeps getting delayed, it usually means the company is undergoing massive changes and the job in the posting might not be the one you’d actually get. Worse, it may be an indication that the ship is sinking, thus making it one of the more alarming signs you don’t want the job.

Even the most egomaniacal managers know not to insult potential employees during the selection process, but there are ways to recognize bad bosses even when they’re on their best behavior: Candidates are expected to sell themselves during interviews, so whenever you say something positive about yourself, carefully observe the interviewer’s reaction for signs you don’t want the job. If the latter corrects you or responds by boasting about his or her own accomplishments, then you’re dealing with an employer who’s putting personal pride over finding the right candidate for the job. This should tell you all you need to know about the type of management you can expect from that company.

Though it’s often considered an indication that you’ve nailed the interview, an employer sharing his or her frustrations about the office is another one of the signs you don’t want the job. Don’t be fooled by the illusion of complicity; a supervisor who badmouths the staff or former subordinates during the interview is likely to do the same to you once you’re hired. Furthermore, if legitimate, these complaints might be the tip of the iceberg, in which case you’d be stepping into a work environment so toxic even the managers are fed up.

Don’t let your desire to impress the interviewer blind you to one of the most obvious signs you don’t want the job: Even the most experienced interviewers will occasionally goof by inquiring about your personal life or confidential aspects of your current position. However, if it becomes a recurring theme, you may be looking at harassment down the line. When dealing with an inappropriate question, ask your potential employer to elaborate on his or her concerns. If the interview gets immediately back on track, then the faux pas was probably an innocent mistake. Note, however, that inquiries regarding sex, race and religion are never innocent.

The reason a trial day is considered one of the signs you don’t want the job is that the practice doesn’t make much sense. It usually takes at least a week to fully train a new employee, so it seems absurd to let candidates who haven’t even committed to the company interact with clients and affect production for only one day. If the objective is to protect the office from bad hires, the employer should simply impose a probation period. Trial days are indicative of either poor management or a dead-end job. In the sales sector, they’re even associated with pyramid schemes.

 http://www.askmen.com/money/career_200/214b_career.html

 http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=ci1nSU1PWjJaSkltWlNwcG5oNmtJRFE6MA..

website (ICT & Entreprenuership Club_ http://ictec.wordpress.com)

ICTEC in collaboration with Alumni Association brings to you a comprehensive Career Counselling event !

Whether you need advice on resume writing or want to improve your interview skills?
We have it all under one roof…CAREER ADVICE, RESUME WRITING, INTERVIEW tips and even MOCK INTERVIEWS by alumni of EME. Be guided by the best of the industry on what they look for when they are in the hiring seat. Know the first hand experiences of different people from different sectors of industry. Get the answers to your entire career oriented questions in one place.

———————————————————————-
Tentative Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. Career Advice session
10:30 A.M. Tea Break
11:00 A.M. Resume And Interview Tips
11:45 A.M. Mock Interviews
1:00 P.M. End of Event
———————————————————————-
Event Details:

1) Career Advice session:

9:00 A.M. Presentation /Talk by panelists
10:00 A.M. Q&A Session                                                                                            Duration 90 minutes
Nature Semi-formal

Four/Five Panelists with expertise/experience in any of the following areas:
• Telecom Sector
• IT Sector (Software /Application/Web Development)
• Supply Chain Department(Product Industry)
• R & D Sector
• Energy Sector(Oil &Gas)
• Management in any services or product oriented company

Each panelist will be given 10/15 minutes to give an overview of career in his respective field. Half hour will be dedicated to questions and answers. Each panelist will answer questions asked from him/her.

2)Resume and Interview Tips:

11:00 A.M. Presentation /Talk by panelists                                                            Duration 45 minutes
Nature: Interactive
Two to three panelists who have had experience of short listing candidates and interviewing them

3)Mock Interviews:

11:45 A.M. Interviews                                                                                                  Duration 75 minutes

Four interviews from students representing each of the four departments i.e. Electrical, Mechanical, Computer and Mechatronics, each of duration 10/15 minutes. At the end of each interview, the assessors will give a summary of the mistakes made by students during the interview.

———————————————————————-
Guest Speakers/Panelists:

1. Muhammad Ali Khan -DE16 E- BE and MBA-working in Telenor Finance as Manager
2. Salman Malik -DE16M- BE and MBA.
3. Umair Afzal- DE18E…
4. Waqas Jabbar- DE18E- BE & MS,… self employed as well as working as consultants for some SW houses…. BE & MS
5. Shahzad Javed – 18M
6. Jehanzeb Khan – 18C.
7. Faisal Abdullah -DE18C ,working as CEO for an offshore R&D setup
8. Haris Anis – 21C
9. Tahir Abbas – 21E
10. Adeel ur Rehman DE19C
11. Muzammil Butt DE24C ,working in mobilink in RF
12. Syed Usman Ali DE-26E

We’ll be updating the list of speakers and their profiles.
———————————————————————-
There is no registartion fee.Transport will be provided for pick and drop.

If you want to volunteer for mock interview ,kindly email to aneeqaishaq@hotmail.com with your name,degree,discipline and ur updated resume.

For any queries,please contact:

Aneeqa Ishaq(President ICTEC)
aneeqaishaq@hotmail.com

Uzair Sukhera(VP ICTEC)
0321-5295647
uzairsukhera27@ee.ceme.edu.pk

A gentle reminder to all for making the donations. The latest scholarship fund balance sheet is attached for your reference and may be accessed online at the following link.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EME_Alumni/files/EME%20Alumni%20Scholarship/

Regards,

Afnan Ahmed

18-E

On behalf of EME Alumni Association