How can you succeed in your next job interview in Belgium? It starts by making a winning Resume. Write a Statement of Objective.
The purpose of this section of the Resume is to show the reader who you are in a nutshell. Why do you want this job? Will you be suitable for the position and make a good fit with the company? Are you motivated? Are you interesting? If you don’t make this description gripping, they’re not going to read any further.
This is a simple paragraph, which you should place at the very top of your Resume, just under your personal information. Make it succinct and to the point. It should include:
- The type of company or industry you are interested in.
- Your goal/or position you see to obtain. Make absolutely sure this position in your CV matches the description of the job that you are applying for.
- Briefly highlight a few top qualities you possess, which are important to the job. You can often find information on non-technical/soft skills in the job description.
- Describe why you want to be part of the company’s culture (the values/mission of company). You can learn something about the company culture on its website.
What makes you unique is your Soft Skills. Don’t leave them out of your Resume. It’s ok to brag a bit about who you really are and what makes you unique?
Soft skills refer to behavior or competencies, which are related to your character. It’s what comes naturally. Creativity, diligence, the ability to work collaboratively or having a head for figures are all examples of soft skills.
In fact, people get paid more money for their soft skill competencies than they do for their technical skills. It’s much harder to learn a soft skill than a hard skill. Soft skills often come from your innate natural talent. Hard skills or technical skills come from reading, training, or memorizing knowledge and information and applying it. Here is a list of some core competencies that most companies are incorporating into their culture. Which ones do you have?
List of common competences / behaviors:
- Customer Client Focus
- Leadership
- Results driven
- Improves other people
- Has global and multicultural mindset
- Encourages team work
- Continuous self-learner
- Effective communicator
- Initiative taker
- Adaptable
- Active Listening skills
- Good judgment
- Analytical capacity: analyzes problems
- Precision
- Creative
- Planning and
- Organizational skills
- Decision making capacity
- Delegation capacity
- Integrity
Be sure to include your soft skills, which are more specific to you and your professional experience. At least 2 of them should also be the same soft skills, which are required in the job you are applying for. You can usually find these skills indicated at the bottom of the job description.
Here’s another tip:
Be prepared to provide examples to explain how you have applied these competencies in previous positions. Your examples need to be concrete and applicable to an actual situation you have been in. You may be asked to participate in what’s called a competency-based interview. It’s common practice used by HR and Recruitment companies.
The basic premise is “Past behavior is a predictor to future performance.” For example, you might be asked “Can you tell me about a time in your last job where you showed that you collaborate well with others?” or “Can you provide an example in your current position where you demonstrated your leadership skills?” “Do you delegate authority? In which way and how?” “How did you go about preparing for this interview today?” The competencies interviewers are checking here are: collaboration, delegation, leadership and planning.
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