Resume is your first and most important step while applying for job. Having a
strong and effective resume can greatly increase your chances of getting your
ideal job opportunity.
You don’t have to be William Shakespeare to write a good resume. Follow
the tips given below and you will be on your way to building a great resume.
Tip # 1: Font Type
and Size
R Use a
basic font type such as Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, or Verdana.
R Font
size of 11 points or 12 points is easy to read.
R Capital
letters, and features such as Bold, Italic and Underline should be used
sparingly.
Tip # 2: Bullet
Points
R Employers
don’t have the time and patience to read long paragraphs of information.
R Writing
your resume in a bulleted format will enable the manager to scan your resume
quickly.
R Bulleted
job descriptions are faster to read than long paragraphs.
Tip # 3: Contact
Information
R Make
sure that your contact details are clearly listed on your resume.
R If you
have more than one pages of resume, then it would be a good idea to display
your name and contact details on all the pages.
R Include
your full name, address, email address, mobile and home phone number.
Tip # 4: Length of
Resume
R Most
employers and recruiters prefer a resume that is one to two pages in length.
R Employers don’t have time to read lengthy resume.
R The
shorter your resume, the better.
Tip # 5: Action
Verbs
R Action
verbs help in clearly communicating your achievements, accomplishments and
skills. Positive action verbs make your achievements sound more impressive.
R Few
action verbs are: accomplished, administered, managed, enforced, lead,
analyzed, rectified, formulated, illustrated…
Tip # 6: Resume Format
R Depending
on your skills, work history and job requirements, choose the best resume
format.
R You may
choose -
◊
Chronological resume
◊
Targeted resume
◊
Functional resume
Tip # 7: Keywords
R Your
resume should be tailored as per the job description. The easiest way to find
keywords for your profile is to use a job search engine (Naukri, Monster, etc.)
and search for job listings.
R This
will make your resume match the given requirements, and will increase your
chance of getting an interview call.
Tip # 8:
Customizing Resume
R This is
a time consuming process, but it is worth the time and effort. Writing a
targeted resume will highlight the skill and knowledge you have that is
pertinent to the job applied.
R Edit
your resume according to the job description. Take the keywords that appear in
the job posting and add them in your resume.
Tip # 9:
Prioritizing Content
R Make
sure that you list the most relevant and important work experience first.
R Put
yourself in the employer’s position, and decide whether the information in your
resume makes you a worthwhile candidate for the given job post.
Tip # 10: Resume
Objective
R Objective
is the first thing on your resume after your contact details. A good objective
can convince the hiring manager, that you know what you want to do and achieve.
R If you
are applying for a specific position in a company, your resume objective should
match up with the position you are applying for.
Tip # 11: Pronouns
R Your
resume should not contain pronouns such as “I” and “Me”.
R Resume
writing is a form of business writing, and thus use of pronouns should be
avoided.
Tip # 12: Statement
Length
R A
resume must consist of short and crisp statements.
R These
statements do not necessarily have to be complete sentences.
Tip # 13: Statement
Language
R Use
plain and simple English.
R Avoid
usage of jargons and keep away from normalizations (i.e. nouns that are built
around verbs to make a bulky statement).
R Example: “Provided support in the facilitation
of ....” can be replaced by “Helped facilitate ....”
Tip # 14: Name
Prefix
R If you
have a gender neutral name such as Kiran, Viral, Ashwini, etc., make sure you
include prefix (Mr. /Ms. /Mrs.), so that the employer will not get confused
about your gender.
Tip # 15: Listing
Achievements
R Avoid
using expressions like “Responsibilities included”, “Duties included” or
“Responsible for” in your resume.
R Describing
your professional achievements and accomplishments are more important than
listing your roles and responsibilities.
Tip # 16: Using
Facts and Figures
R Employers
like the numerical facts. Using numbers, percentages, and figures, help in
making your achievements more remarkable.
R Example:
Instead of saying “Increased annual revenue of my department”, you can say
“Increased annual revenue of my department by `1.5 cr.”
Tip # 17:
Professional Email
R A silly
email address can make the employer think that you are not serious in your job.
R Avoid
using unprofessional email addresses such as iamcooldude@xyz.com,
partygirl@xyz.com, crazyforbeer@xyz.com.
R Use email addresses that contain your name.
Tip # 18: Usage of
White Space
R White
Space is the blank area of your resume page where text is not printed. Make
your resume clutter free.
R Avoid
using unnecessary dates, parentheses, articles (a, an, the), and statements
such as “References: Available upon request”.
Tip # 19:
Proofreading
R Before
sending your resume to the employer, proofread your resume.
R Spelling
mistakes, punctuation errors, and grammar mistakes create a negative
impression.
R Also,
have a friend or two read your resume to provide second opinion.
Tip # 20: Take
Professional Help
R If you
are having trouble writing your resume, then you may reach out for professional
help.
R Professional
resume writing and editing services can help you craft your resume from
scratch.
Career Nurturer provides professional resume writing services for freshers, mid level, and senior level positions. Please feel free to reach out to us.
Best
Regards,
Farzad
Minoo Damania
Career
Counsellor & Corporate Trainer
Career
Nurturer
Email: farzad.damania@gmail.com
Mob:
9833971773
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