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The Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing
The Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing
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I read Robert Half’s blog, ‘The Dos and Don’ts of Resume Writing,” on the roberthalf.com website. I focused on the section on aspects that make a resume sparkle. I read through this section to get tips on making a resume stand out to prospective employers. I also looked through the Open Colleges website for information on what one should avoid when writing a resume. While here, I browsed the “The DON’T for your Resume” section and clicked through points one to three to familiarize myself with the gravest mistakes I can commit when drafting my resume.
When writing a resume, one is usually pitching themselves to the hiring manager as the best fit for the advertised position. It is therefore important to observe the following do’s and don’ts that are bound to make a resume sparkle. The most important thing is the need to customize a resume every time one makes a job application. Job seekers need to know there is power in tailor-making each resume, so it matches the expertise of the position. Another secret is proofreading and proofreading your application to resolve any mistakes and typos. One can ask a colleague or friend to look through the application for them as it is easier for fresh eyes to catch errors (Half, 2022). The third strategy involves giving your referees a heads up. It is essential to contact your referees and let them know ahead of time to expect an email or call regarding you. When writing a resume, one should avoid including damaging or irrelevant information such as the number of children and marital information. Employers don’t need to know too much about their employers. Moreover, job seekers should not forget to include their updated contact information. Some job seekers fail to update the contact information on their resumes whenever they change their phone numbers or email addresses. Updating contact information makes it easier for employers to track down potential employees. Also, job seekers should not use an unprofessional email address to apply for a job. Rather, they should have an email address that portrays an excellent image to the prospective employer.
References
Half, R. (2022). The Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing. Retrieved 15 July 2022, from https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/writing-a-resume/the-dos-and-donts-of-resume-writing(2022). Retrieved 15 July 2022, from https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/careers/resumes/dos-and-donts
The Division of Parasitic Diseases in the Centre for Disease Control (CDC),
SECTION 1:
INTRODUCTION
This section will entail information on the company and the department that I was attached, the attachment period and the duration, and attachment dates.
1.1 Company Attached
The Division of Parasitic Diseases in the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), USA in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is responsible for conducting research on the major public health problems of the country. This collaboration has evolved into the KEMRI/CDC Field Research Station, which has become a major installation in Nyanza Province with substantial infrastructure and human resource capacity.
The KEMRI/CDC Field Research Station is located near Kisumu city on the KEMRI Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) campus. The located is in an area of Western Kenya where P.falciparum malaria and HIV are major health problems.
The mission of the KEMRI/CDC Field Research Station is to promote public health in Kenya and East Africa through collaborative research, training, control and prevention activities.
1.2 Department Attached
I worked as an attaché at the Human Resource department that is located at Kisian campus, at the Administration office.
The HR department is guided in the pursuit of quality service delivery by the vision, mission and core values. Its vision is to be a model of excellence in providing high quality Human Resource services to the administration and employees of KEMRI/CDC through respect, integrity and professionalism.
It has a mission to offer high quality support services to projects and staff through networking and sharing on best Human Resources practices from our clients and professional affiliates.
Among its core values, it upholds integrity where interactions are engendered among themselves with others honestly, and relationships built based on trust. The activities are Customer focused- The HR will anticipate, understand and respond in a timely and effective manner to the needs of their customers. The department highly believes in feedback and seeks to understand the perspectives of others by listening with an open mind on every employment aspect touching on staff. It exercises Team spirit where it capitalizes on strengths of each member of the HR team.
1.3 Duration of Attachment dates
I was attached at KEMRI/CDC for a period of three months that commenced from 1st August 2011 to 31st October, 2011.
SECTION 2:
ATTACHMENT EXPERIENCES
2.1 General Activities Undertaken
The Human Resource Department has certain duties and responsibilities as stated as below:
Administer compensation, benefits and performance management systems, and safety and recreation programs.
Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview and select applicants.
Allocate human resources, ensuring appropriate matches between personnel.
Provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, and opportunities for promotion and employee benefits.
Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes.
Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives.
Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
2.2 Specific Activities Undertaken
While in the Human Resource department, I undertook the following specific tasks and responsibilities:
Arranging pay slips and allocating them to the various department heads.
Processing casual’s payment forms by verifying the accuracy.
Assist in carrying out initial profiling of candidates before handing them over to the relevant section heads for short listing.
Editing and correcting appointment letters for employees on probation.
Attending interviews and writing minutes.
Placing calls to short-listed candidates for interviews
Conducting the Induction process of the new staff.
Logging in interview dates as communicated and ensure that the concerned panel members are informed in advance.
Developing and maintaining a comprehensive C.V database of job applicants from which HR can draw for hiring.
Attending interviews and writing minutes of the meetings with job applicants.
Carrying out any other duties assigned by the supervisor.
2.3 An Analysis of learnt knowledge and applied skills
I have acquired knowledge and skills on the workings of the ERP (Enterprise Resource Process) software, among which include; entering leave application forms into the data base, profiling of candidates qualifications and keying in new staff details into the database.
2.4 A Profile of skills and competences Gained/Acquired
I have been able to gain skills on the following areas;
Recruitment process
This pertains to qualification analysis with the following basic tenets:
The short listing process, which entails the job applicants versus the job description.
The procedures for setting interview dates for middle level as well as senior positions.
The procedure for hiring job applicants; that is, the interview, the grading of interview performance and the drafting of appointment letters for successful applicants.
The final step which involves entering the new employee’s details to the ERP system/database
Records management
It involves creation of the new employee’s file, filing and archiving into both system bases i.e. filing in the details into the electronic database and on paper. These documents have education, employment and application details.
As a policy, each new staff should produce the following documents and hand them over to the Human Resource Office before appointment:
Signed copy of the appointment letter.
Accurately filled personal particulars form (available at the human resource office).
Accurately filled bank account information form (available at the Human Resource office).
Copy of national identity card.
NHIF card or filled forms if not yet a member.
Copy of the KRA pin card or apply for one if one has never been registered.
Employee’s 2 coloured passport size photographs for self and dependants.
Accurately filled Medical Cover forms.
Copies of additional certificates after employment to help in updating the employees personal file.
Payroll management
This involves sorting out pay slips and distributing them to the various department heads and imputing new employee details into the payroll database.
2.5 Observations and Critique
I noted that KEMRI/CDC insists on the strict observance of Labour laws and the organization gives employees, including interns and students on attachment, an opportunity to gain experience and does not limit their intentions to explore and broaden their career paths.
The Human Resource department ensures that there is confidentiality of the employees’ documents and that this policy is observed to the latter.
The organization exercises responsibility and stewardship through maintaining an equal opportunity employment environment that is open to all qualified individuals regardless of race, sex, ethnic origin or disability. This is perhaps informed by the fact that the Center for Disease Control is a Multinational Organization, hence the need to uphold a cohesive cultural diversity.
2.6 Strategy of utilization of contacts
During my attachment period, I managed to make valuable friendships occasioned by my apparent good work and keenness in following instructions. I was able to get contacts that I will use as referees in my Curriculum Vitae. Among them are the Human Resource branch chief and the Administrative Officer.
SECTION 3:
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
The location of KEMRI/CDC as a Research Institution is convenient for its managerial activities which include communication with and monitoring of its satellite data collection centers.
The mission of the KEMRI/CDC Field Research Station is to promote public health in Kenya and East Africa through collaborative research, training, control and prevention activities which in return help the residents in this region to protect themselves from the various diseases and also get educated on the dangers of diseases like P.falcrum, malaria HIV and AIDS etc. This has been enabled by personnel with clear duties and responsibilities that cut across all departments.
The Human Resource Department is vertically and horizontally structured in a way that promotes Intra-departmental as well as inter-departmental communication.
CONCLUSION
I have acquired immense knowledge and on-the-job skills during my attachment period. The human resource department is a unique, dynamic working environment that fosters creativity, growth and teamwork towards achieving organizational goals. Of particular note are the practical skills I acquired at the departmental office. These included personnel recruitment procedures, job applicant profiling, conducting interviews and maintaining the information databases. I also learnt firsthand about proper communication channels in an organization.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To avoid the recurrence of cases of CV mix ups and positions being assigned wrong adverts, the HR department should use a unique identity system to sort the positions electronically before printing or purchase a bulk printer for the CVs for the E-mail applications separately.
There have been cases of misplacement of documents transferred to KEMRI for processing. These include CVs for grading and Approval for interviews.
The HR can generate a check list of the documents sent to KEMRI with a control copy remaining in the HR office for monitoring and follow up.
To improve on the pool of data for research, KEMRI/CDC should decentralize its operations or increase satellite centers to cover areas outside of Nyanza Province.
Value of Literacy
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Value of Literacy
Literacy plays an important role in developing students into socially active citizens beyond the basic level. Being able to read and write allows you to stay up to date on current events, communicate effectively, and comprehend the issues that shape our world. Literate people have access to this information. Literacy is important in eliminating gender, racial, nationality, and religious disparities in access to school, property, work, health care, legal representation, and civic participation. It is vital to learn to read in the initial years of elementary school to retain and succeed in subsequent grades. The cornerstone of development is literacy. It leads to greater health, more job possibilities, and a more secure and stable society.
When students have higher reading levels, our economy benefits. Literacy abilities that are effective open the door to greater educational and employment opportunities, allowing people to escape poverty and chronic underemployment. Individuals must constantly extend their knowledge and gain new skills to stay up with the speed of change in our more complicated and swiftly changing modern world. Adults have difficulty reading a newspaper, completing out a job application form, or comprehending a lease; 49% have difficulty calculating a tip, creating a budget, calculating sales tax, or comprehending credit card interest rates. As a result, it’s no surprise that over a quarter of British Columbians lack the literacy skills necessary to properly engage in today’s knowledge-based economy.
Individually, adequate literacy abilities are required to engage and function happily within and contribute to communities. Newcomers to Canada must have appropriate English language abilities to develop friendships; otherwise, they risk isolation, loneliness, and anxiety. Through their ability to receive and analyze health information, those with appropriate reading skills maintain better health. They are better able to communicate coherently with their medical caregivers, learn and practice preventative health behaviors, recognize issues early so that they may be treated, and make appropriate health care decisions. They are also more capable of communicating with their children’s teachers and assisting them with schoolwork. A literate community is a dynamic community from a collective standpoint; a community that shares ideas and engages in the debate is more innovative and productive. Sharing ideas, viewpoints, and concerns leads to increased mutual understanding and caring, as well as a strong sense of community.
Infant mortality rates are lower when parents are literate. Because illiteracy has a direct impact on one’s health and well-being, the value of education in terms of physical health is critical. Those who lack education are more susceptible to health issues; for example, increased learning lowers the chance of HIV infection. Literate women are three times more likely than illiterate women to know that a person in seemingly good health can be infected with HIV, and four times more likely to know how to protect oneself from AIDS, according to a study of women from 32 nations. The wider social and economic benefits that come as a result of educating girls can be seen in their communities. Putting a greater emphasis on women’s education has a good impact on each generation, as it raises aspirations and boosts self-esteem. Improving literacy makes it easier for both men and women to find work, which benefits the economy and community as a whole. Women with primary education had lower infant death rates, while those with a secondary education have even lower rates. It is estimated that every year of schooling gained reduces infant mortality by 9%. This is because girls and women may educate themselves on health issues, which can help break the cycle of poverty and lower mortality rates in the long run.
In conclusion, literacy is an important part of the social studies classroom in the twenty-first century. Students with strong literacy skills can successfully develop content domain knowledge and transferable learning skills across fields.Reference
Rosenfeld, M., Leung, S., & Oltman, P. K. (2017). Identifying the reading, writing, speaking and listening tasks important for academic success at the undergraduate and graduate levels. [TOEFL Monograph Series MS-21]. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service
Spivey, N. (2020). Transforming texts: constructive processes in reading and writing. Written Communication, 7, 256e287.