Office Administration Industry - Lesson 14 Notes

Joining the Office Administration Industry - Lesson 14

Learning Objectives

• Identify the essentials in looking for a job.

• Learn how to build a profile and credentials.

• Prepare an impressive resume.

• Practice for a job interview.

Topics

• Applicant's Checklist

• Building Your Brand

• The Job Interview

Preparing for Your Profession

• Preparation starts when you commence your studies at university.

• Knowing your future profession helps you choose appropriate career readiness activities.

• Developing positive relationships with lecturers is part of developing your professional network.

• Ensure your public social media profile reflects professionalism for potential employers; consider creating a LinkedIn profile.

• Join professional organizations relevant to your future career and participate in their activities.

• Gain work experience in your chosen industry, as a volunteer, or in other areas.

• Participate in extra-curricular activities to develop useful skills.

• Prepare a professional resume.

• Develop a list of skills, experience, and abilities needed in your profession as a checklist.

• Utilize university career and employability services.

Applicant's Checklist

Where to Find Job Openings?

• Classified ads in newspapers

• Postings in buildings, companies, schools, and government offices

• Job sites

• Social media

• Job fairs

Popular Job Sites in the Philippines

• JobStreet

• Indeed

• Kalibrr

• PHIL JOBNET

• LinkedIn

Job Openings for a BSOA Graduate (Examples)

• Administrative Assistant at Pan Pacific Operation Center Inc. (Makati City, Metro Manila - Hybrid)

  • Competitive salary, work-life balance, morning shift

• Operations Assistant at Index Wealth (Metro Manila - Remote)

  • Salary: P40,000 - P50,000 per month, work from home, Australian business hours, equipment provided

• Office Admin at SAITECH GLOBAL, INC (Ortigas, Metro Manila)

  • Salary: P20,000 - P30,000 per month

• Administrative Assistant at Robinsons Supermarket Corporation (Libis, Metro Manila)

• Information Desk Assistant at The Orchard Golf and Country Club (Cavite, Calabarzon)

  • Free meal, weekly sports day, rice subsidy

• Admin Specialist at Sutherland (Carmona, Cavite)

Checklist - Essentials

• Resume

• Picture IDs

• Transcript of Records

• Diploma Certificates

• Letter of Recommendation

Checklist – Good to Have

• Soft copy of your profile (website or web-based platform)

• Driver’s license

• Passport

• Civil Service Eligibility

• Membership in an organization

• Other government requirements: Police Clearance, NBI Clearance, Barangay Clearance, PSA birth certificate

How to Build Your Brand

1. Figure out your goal.

2. Get clear on what you want to be known for.

3. Know your audience.

4. Create a Mission Statement.

5. Build your personal brand online.

Three Types of Resume Formats

1. Chronological resume format (reverse-chronological resume)

2. Functional resume format

3. Combination resume format

Chronological Resume Format

• Most common type.

• Emphasizes reverse-chronological order (latest to oldest work experience).

• Helps recruiters understand the applicant's work history.

Pros:

• Preferred by recruiters.

• ATS-friendly.

• Clearly shows working histories and progress.

Cons:

• Not good for those with gaps in their work history.

• Rough career progress is obvious.

Elements:

• Contact Information

  • Name, email, contact number, address (optional), LinkedIn (optional), personal website (optional)

• Objective/Summary Statement

  • Brief information stating qualifications and suitability.

• Work Experience

  • Elaborate in reverse-chronological format.

• Education

  • Especially important if from a well-known institution or with a correlated degree.

• Additional Information

  • Skills, hobbies, certifications, relevant experiences, achievements, and qualifications.

Functional Resume Format

• Skill-based, focusing on elaborating skill sets rather than career history.

• Best for showing transferable skills.

• Suitable for those lacking relevant work experience but possessing needed qualifications.

Pros

• Hides gap years and unstable career history

• Emphasizes career expertise and skills

• Best type of resume for a career change

Cons

• Not an ATS-friendly type of resume

• Might possibly alert the recruiters of your previous working experience

• A considerable amount of relevant skills are required

Elements:

• Contact Information

  • Name, email, contact number, address (optional), LinkedIn (optional), personal website (optional)

• Objective/Summary Statement

  • Helpful for fresh graduates to show seriousness and motivation.

• Skills

  • Include transferable skills from previous careers, college, internships, or volunteering.

• Work Experience

  • A plus point if it supports the chance of getting the job opportunity

• Education

  • Include institution name, academic focus, school activities, clubs, or rewards.

Combination (Hybrid) Resume Format

• Begins with a skills overview supported by related work experience in reverse-chronological format.

• Requires qualifications and work experience.

Pros

• Shows professional and strong working qualifications and experiences

• Perfect for career changers with rich working experience

Cons

• Not an ATS-friendly resume format

• Takes a longer time to read

• Prone to repeat certain skills/ work experience

Elements:

• Contact Information

  • Name, email, contact number, LinkedIn (optional), Address (optional)

• Skills Summary

  • A paragraph of achievements with those specific skills and how they could be useful for the current position. Correlation between the skills and previous working experience

• Additional Skills

  • List any additional skills that you have left out in the previous section. Remember to include both soft skills and hard skills in the resume. It would be best to go through the job description so that you could cover most of the requirements made by the company.

• Work Experience

  • Include previous working experiences that support the skills sets you have mentioned in the skills section. You could include the specific scenarios of where and what you have achieved with those specific skills.

• Education

Other Alternative Resume Types

1. Infographic Resume

2. Resume with Profile

3. Targeted Resume

4. Nontraditional Resume

5. Mini Resume

Infographic Resume

• Uses graphics (icons, bar charts, timelines) to convey information.

• Suitable for applicants with art and design backgrounds.

• Emphasizes skills and creativity.

Resume with Profile

• Includes a short paragraph of profile description at the top.

  • Notable achievements, skills, years of experience.

• Appealing for those with strong relevant backgrounds.

Targeted Resume

• Tailored for a specific job opening.

  • Includes keywords from the job description.

  • Adjusts job responsibilities to match the position.

• Suitable for those with abundant work experience in the same field.

Nontraditional Resume

• Popular in creative industries.

• Uses pictures, graphs, and visual presentations.

• Important to consider the field of expertise, match job requirements, and keep a traditional resume as a backup.

Mini Resume

• Small in size.

• Popular for networking events.

• Includes contact information and career highlights.

The Job Interview

• A selection process to determine if a candidate has the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for the job.

• Also assesses the fit between the applicant and the organization's culture and values.

Common Types of Interviews

1. In-person interviews

2. Phone interviews

3. Virtual interviews

4. Panel interviews

5. Informal interviews

DO’s

1. Do your homework

2. Make a good first impression

3. Listen and respond accordingly

4. Prepare smart, open-ended questions to ask the interviewer

5. Sell your strengths and expertise

DON’TS

1. Speak poorly about your present or former employers

2. Falsify information

3. Speak over the interviewer

4. Assume it isn’t an interview

5. Let any past rejections infringe on future ones

Common Job Interview Questions

1. Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background briefly.

2. How did you hear about this position?

3. What type of work environment do you prefer?

4. How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?

5. Do you prefer working independently or on a team?

6. When you are balancing multiple projects, how do you keep yourself organized?

7. What did you do in the last year to improve your knowledge?

8. What are your salary expectations?

9. Are you applying for other jobs?

10. From your resume it seems you took a gap year. Would you like to tell us why that was?

While Waiting for the Job:

1. Study, focus, and be intentional in finishing strong.

2. Network (classmates, other programs, teachers).

3. Build technical skills (Canva, Excel, PowerPoint, Machine shorthand, Accounting, etc.) & soft skills (leadership, communication, team building, etc.).

4. Pray and surrender everything to God.

Yearly Planner

• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21

Quote

• "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - Walt Disney