Posts Tagged ‘course’

How To Write A Perfect Cover Letter

November 4th, 2011

Preparing a highly targeted and personalised cover letter and you are already on your way to a brand new job. Obviously, you will need a professionally written resume also! By impressing the reader (hiring professional) and they will enthusiastically move onto your resume. Disappoint the reader and your resume will be deleted.

Will a perfectly written cover letter ensure that you get the job? Of course not. However, a poorly written cover letter will guarantee that your application will not get the attention that is needed to be one of the top candidates. In the current job market there are three areas of your cover letter that you need to pay special attention to:

Target the employer’s needs:

Too many times, we write our cover letter and resume from our point of view. From the perspective of the hiring manager they want to know that you have the skills to do the job you are applying for. If the employer is looking for a candidate who is going to need to travel and spend time outside of the office then you need to emphasise that travelling is something you are willing to do (and enjoy). If you do not feel that the job is right for you, then the easy solution is not to apply for the job. However, if you do decide to apply for a certain role then target the needs of the employer and the skills that they require from the perfect candidate.

Don’t be afraid to emphasise your previous achievements:

When applying for a job you need to prove that you are the best candidate. The only way to do this, is by emphasising your achievements and all those skills that make you both unique and special. Try to establish yourself as an expert. Remember that in order to stand out, you need to be in the top 5-10% of all the candidates applying for the role. While no one likes arrogance, employers DO want to see examples of your achievements that would make you the right person for the job.

Provide examples how you will add value to the organisation:

If you don’t believe that you have the skills to add value to the particular organisation then why is the hiring manager going to hire you? It is not enough anymore just to present your skills and achievements but you need to prove to the reader that you are capable of adding value to the role and to the whole organisation. Providing examples of the added value expertise that you can offer should be highlighted in your cover letter to help differentiate your application as compared to others.

Posted in Career Advice

Career Options for a Psychology Student

October 12th, 2011

Many students are looking for a career in the stream of psychology. Psychology is intriguing to many, but has been in the dark for a long time. People have perceived psychology as ‘being among mad people’, rather than the study of a person’s mind and behavior. Today, it has grown to be a branch of studies in itself with various opportunities up for grabs.

So, how and where does one start off in this stream? Psychology is a subject which one can take up in their class 11, either in the science or the arts stream. Let us take a look at the opportunities available in both the streams.

1. Science – in this stream, students can take up biology as a subject to help them venture out into psychology. After completing Class 12, one can either take up a professional course or continue with the graduate course, both which has opportunities in various areas of psychology. Students who take up medicine are able to prescribe medicines to anyone who might need it and the one who takes up the graduate course will not be able to prescribe any medicines, but be able to help the other person by listening and giving suggestions to doctors.

2. Arts – this is a very versatile stream. Students have an opportunity to be experimental in this stream and as such have been accepted widely by many students of the new era. Students of the science stream who wish to take up psychology in their graduate course can move over to arts stream and study psychology.

There are many opportunities which are available to one. Here are some:

1. Clinical psychologists – these people work in counseling centers, hospitals and clinics and help mentally disturbed people lead a normal life. Health psychology, neuro psychology and gero psychology are the various areas of specialization in this stream.

2. Counseling psychologists – counseling is helping people cope with decision making on coping with specific situations. We come across people who have emotional and personal problems and need help with the same. A counselor helps such people to deal with their problems and bring out the positive side of them.

3. Social psychologists – those who qualify as social psychologists work with social organizations and institutes in research, system design and other fields of psychology.

4. Educational psychologists – we come across people who help us in schools and colleges and co-ordinate with parents, teachers and the management to resolve student behavior and learning problems. They are known as educational psychologists.

5. Developmental psychologists – psychologists who have an interest to understand a person’s development through the various phases of their life are known as developmental psychologists.

Psychology is an interesting subject of study, which helps us understand a person’s behavior and mind through various perspectives. Making it a career choice is the dream of many, but are limited by the most often sought after courses.

Posted in Career Education