Jean Paul Sonza from ING Hubs Philippines introduces the essentials of excelling in the job recruitment process: the resume and the interview. CAPO
Far Eastern University (FEU), through its Career and Placement Office (CAPO), held this year’s Pre-employment Preparation Talk, or Peptalk in collaboration with ING Hubs Philippines last Sept. 18, at the FEUture Center Audiovisual Room. Themed, “Kickstart Your Career: Writing a Winning Resume and Acing the Job Interview,” ING Hubs Philippines’ senior recruiter, Jean Paul Sonza let Tamaraws in on the dos and don’ts of resume writing and the job interview.
As a senior recruiter himself, Sonza shared “on-the-ground,” real-life anecdotes of good and bad practices of applicants during the job application process. Sonza first discussed the characteristics of a winning resume—: highlighting relevance, professionalism, and integrity as key qualities.
“In the corporate world, integrity is everything,” said Sonza, citing that most companies conduct background checks to verify the information provided by applicants.
During job interviews, Sonza noted that the most common cause of problems is the applicant’s nervousness. To manage this, Sonza gives two tips: change your mindset, and be prepared.
“Applicants tend to think about the negative outcomes of the interview—what might happen, even if it hasn’t actually happened yet. Every job interview is a learning experience. As you go from one job interview to another, you get better and better. As long as you’re doing your best, that’s enough,.” said Sonza.
“You also have to be prepared—know what is in your resume, be aware of the common questions, and think of how you’re going to answer them. The more prepared you are, the less nervous you tend to be during the actual interview,” said Sonza in a combination of English and Filipino.
After his talk, he answered questions from the audience on building an online presence, relevant experiences, and the like. Zigfreid Padual, a fourth-year BS Political Science student asked how companies conduct their background checks on applicants. Sonza said in his company’s case, they employ a third-party service that conducts background checks which verifies the degree program declared by the applicant, as well as contact the character references provided by the applicant.
According to FEU-CAPO coordinator Faith Jovellanos, Peptalk is in alignment with the office’s commitment to help equip Tamaraws in their academics as well as their future career opportunities.
“[We offer] the Pre-employment Preparation Talk, or Peptalk, under its core program, Professional Readiness and Employment Preparation… The main goal of Peptalk is to address the fundamental needs for securing employment…[and provide] students with guidance on essential aspects like crafting an effective CV, mastering interview techniques, and gaining valuable insights from professionals in their respective fields,” said Jovellanos.
She added that CAPO has more in store for Tamaraws for the rest of the school year. “We have company tours scheduled for November, and next semester we plan to collaborate with various institutes on special projects involving student and industry partner collaboration. To further strengthen the skills of all Tamaraw-students, we are also planning to offer both international and local certification programs and workshops aimed at enhancing overall performance.”
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