Industry Expert Shipra Sonthalia shares tips on writing effective resumes for women looking for second careers

Shipra Sonthalia, Recruitment Head - FlexiBees, who along with her team owns the entire recruitment effort for FlexiBees, entailing hiring from across industries and functions. Read on to know what she has to say about her role, what techniques she uses to evaluate candidates, and the advice she has on writing eye-catching resumes for those of you who want to return to work.
 
And if reading this makes you want to apply to for a second career, apply to us today! (*details given below). 
 
 
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1. Tell us what your role at FlexiBees is
 
I am the recruitment head with FlexiBees. My team’s main role is to fulfill the talent requirements of the clients – right from sourcing & shortlisting profiles to conducting interviews and coordination till the candidate joins. We start by understanding the client requirements correctly - understanding the skills & experience that they are looking for –  shortlisting candidates based on the skills required – evaluating the candidates based on their resumes to see if they fit the requirement – conducting a preliminary check with the candidates – coordinating & conducting interviews – finally selecting the candidates that can be passed for client’s evaluation – also coordination with the selected candidates till they join. We have fulfilled requirements spanning across various industries, functions, domains and roles.
 
2. What are some of the things you look for while evaluating job-seekers for second career roles
 
The first impression of a candidate is how they have presented their resume – the structure and the language used. Some of the most important things that we look for are years of experience, number of years of break, skills, previous job experiences, educational qualifications. This information if provided in a clear and concise manner largely increases the chance of a candidate’s profile being shortlisted.
 
3. What are some things job-seekers can do better to showcase their skills and experience on their resumes
 
  • First of all, make the resume crisp and concise. No employer wants to look at lengthy resumes with lots and lots of irrelevant data. Ideally, the resume should not go beyond 2 pages
  • Break the data into relevant sections
  • Start with a small summary outlining your experience and key skills
  • Key skills can also be listed in a separate section, and can include technical skills too. Most importantly, highlight the relevant skills for the job you are about to apply for
  • Move onto employment details and start from the last employment to go in the descending order from there
  • Mention clearly the organization, duration of work, role and job description for each organisation (again in a concise manner)
  • Move onto educational qualification, again starting from post graduate diploma and then moving down
  • Within education, also, mention any relevant training or certifications that you might have done.
  • Lastly, mention your personal details and interests
Make sure the grammar & spelling are correct and formatting is appropriate
Make sure there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes in the resume. Also ensure that the format is correct i.e. you have used a business font. The font size also matters, it should be optimal with no block letters used
 
4. Any thoughts on how job-seekers can position their career breaks 
 
Very simply put, truthfully. Mention clearly the duration of the break and the reason behind it – childcare, personal reasons, shift in residence, educational pursuits etc. If you have attended any certifications or trainings during the break, do mention those. If you have pursued any hobbies or personal interests, those can be mentioned as well. Basically you need to project that you did keep yourself productively involved during the break. Also, showcase how you kept in touch with the current events, latest trends in the industry etc either by reading up, attending discussions, seminars, conferences etc.
 
5. Do you see any big changes in how recruiters and hiring managers evaluate job-seekers today
 
Yes in a few ways.
 
This industry is constantly evolving. Pure academic qualifications or work experience may not be enough now, recruiters also look at how constantly you have kept evolving, how you have constantly upgraded your skills and looked beyond the normal confines of your previous jobs
Apart from the skill/role fitment, employers want their employees to fit in with the overall vision, work culture and the ethos of their company. They want somebody who can think out-of-the-box and resolves challenges creatively. Performance, instead of seniority, is the only criteria for promotions or selection
Also, technology plays an important role – a lot of the process is now being done with the help of AI/Technology. Technology is used to match candidates with the opportunity making the way you make your resume all the more important
 
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We at FlexiBees have placed such talented career returners like you across a variety of functions & skill-sets like Marketing, Digital Marketing, Public Relations, Investment Banking, Inside Sales, Business Development, Technology, Content Writing, Graphic Design, etc. We are committed to creating meaningful options for you. Go to https://jobseeker.flexibees.com/ and register with us, so we can reach out to you when we get any requirements that match your skills.