Elements of a good resume!
Creating a perfect resume could be a daunting task. Well it should be, after all that one page is your first impression and sometimes the only impression for that dream job you want so badly!
Hence comes the question, ‘How should one approach it?’
First: Think of your one page as a plot in a really expensive real estate area, say South Mumbai. Now think about how would you want to use it.
Second: Think of it as a simple piece of paper; but in order to write every single word on it, you have to pay a hefty amount, say Rs. 1 lac. What would you want to write on it?
The point is, you have to maintain a balance between the page being too too crowded and too empty.
Below are a few things to keep in mind when creating a resume. I will look at it more as a check list rather than the step by step guide. Enjoy reading :)
- Keep it strictly limited to one page. If the CV of Google’s CEO can fit on one page, please make sure your does too :D
- If there is a template prescribed by your alma-mater or the recruiter, please use that; don’t try and stand out here. Trust me it will not do you any good.
- Let me explain why? While in any other walk of life it is good to stand out and be different, in this particular case it would be seen as i) not being aware of the instructions ii) not able to understand instructions iii) not following instructions (trust me no one likes to hire a rebel)
- It also means of the recruiter to put extra effort to understand what is written where in your resume; nobody is generally gonna do that for you :)
3. The biggest item on that page should be your name on the top. Not too big, but one or two points bigger than the headings in your resume.
4. Contact information is optional, especially for campus recruitment resumes; however if you are putting it anyways, ideally keep it limited to phone number and email id. Address is not required. If it is relevant, HR will reach out to you for it separately. Most of the jobs are given based on your qualification and suitability and not your address :P
5. Ensure to cover three sections in your resume: a. Academics b. Work Experience c. Achievements and Extra Curricular Activities
a. Academics:
i. Mention grades /ranks only if they are outstanding
ii. Scholarships, notable achievements such as making it to the dean’s list should definitely be brought out
iii. Avoid mentioning ‘A’s and percentiles in specific subjects, unless those subjects/courses are highly and directly relevant to the position
b. Work Experience
i. Quantify the impact of your activities e.g. $ amount saved, man-hours saved; % decrease in issues/tickets logged
ii. Keep units consistent across the document. For example, either use INR or $; don’t mix both. If you are using $, then use million/billion; if you are using Rs., then use lakh/crore.
c. Achievements & Extra Curricular Activities
<To be added; nothing came up to start with>
6. Resume should not be treated as a word doc; it should be treated as a PowerPoint presentation. What I mean by that is following:
- Don’t write whole sentences; rather write phrases conveying the same meaning
- Nothing ends with a full stop; in fact there should not be even a single full stop at any place in your resume
5. Be factually correct at all times but also be smart about what you write
- While recruiters will appreciate your honesty about what you wrote, if there is a smarter way of writing what you wrote it could also be seen as not being very articulate or client ready at your part
6. There are no statement which spreads across more than one line (max one exception is allowed in the entire document
- If you use a double line, please ensure that it is being used by more than 75%; you can’t use a double line for writing two words
(This is an evolving document. More items would be added in future. If you have any points which are missed here or any suggestions to improve what is written, please comment below. Also these are my personal views and hence should be taken with a pinch of salt.)
Hope you enjoyed reading and it was useful to you :)