How to write a resume?

How to write a resume? - Basics

Why is writing a good resume important?

If you want a job, the first thing you have to do is prepare a resume.

India is growing. The population is growing. There are more and more educated people everywhere. There are thousands and thousands of engineers, doctors etc. being created all over the country at a very fast rate. Because of all this it has become much harder to get a job.

Most of the companies want you to send them your resume as the first step of the job selection process. Now days, a good job offer attracts 1000’s of resumes. If you want to get selected for a job, you have to make your resume stand out from the rest. You have to get your resume read among the heap of other resumes. So, writing a good resume is a very very important first step when you want a job.

 

What is the purpose of a resume?

When preparing your resume, keep in mind that employers use resumes for several purposes:

Screen Applicants – Most employers will only look at a resume for about 30 seconds to determine whether or not an applicant is a good fit for their organization.

Develop Interview Questions – Statements on your resume can be used to formulate questions they may ask during an interview.

Communication Skills – Employers want to see how well you express yourself.

Qualifications – Employers will reference your resume when making hiring decisions based on how closely your qualifications match their needs.

Basically: Your resume should answer the employer's question, "Why should I hire you?" in 20 seconds or less. Because 20 seconds all the time your resume is going to get. The employer does not have too much time. He is not going to read though each and every resume in detail.

However, when writing a resume, the main purpose of a resume is to “get your self an interview” or reach the next step of the selection process.

 

The “key” to a good resume: Targeting!

A resume basically does what a good advertisement does. A good advertisement is always “targeted” for a particular part of the audience. For example, the soft drink companies know that their biggest consumers are the youth. So in all the soft drink adds you will see young “cool” people drinking the soft drink. These adds are designed so that they will appeal to the youth. These adds are targeted to the youth.

Note: To really understand targeting, check this article out. It is part of our “How to market?” article.

A good resume is also very similar. It is like a targeted ad. The only difference is here “you are the product” and the “target audience is the employer”. You have to appeal to the employer and his needs. You have to show the employer though the different parts of the resume that you and your qualifications are what he needs to satisfy the needs of his organization.

Simply put, a successful resume is not written only keeping you and your qualifications in mind. When writing the resume you have to keep, the employer, his needs and how you can satisfy those needs in mind.

Basic Do’s & Don’t of writing a resume!

Avoid any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.

Use simple fonts like Arial or Times New Roman.

Use 12 or 14 as the font size..

You must have a typed or computer printed resume instead of a handwritten one.

Always highlight your qualification and achievements so that they attract the attention of the reader. Highlight them by marking them bold or italics wherever necessary.

Don’t mark the complete sentence in bold or italics.

If you have no experience or have an experience of only 5 to 6 years make sure you have a resume of only “one page”. Let it not look like a thesis on you.

Do not use "I", "me" or "my" statements; use the telegraphic method and drop the pronoun to make it more active. Instead of "I wrote the 40-page employee manual", say "Wrote 40-page employee manual"

Do not include photographs unless you are a model or actor.

Using a “table” to state your achievements is a good idea.

Use power words.

 

What are power words? How to use them?

Power Words, also called Action Verbs, provide better emphasis in a resume. They create a more assertive and memorable statement. Words like “accomplished”, “developed”, “led” and “persuaded” show your employer that you are confident in your abilities.

Rather than making a bland statement (for example, “I was District Sales Manager of the Information Technology Division”), you let your experiences shine (“Increased sales 39% in 18 months as the District Sales Manager ). Use these words to show confidence and control.

Writing the perfect resume! - In detail!

The different parts of the resume:

Here we have given a part-by-part break up of the complete resume. 

Part 1: Personal Details

Write your:

·         Name

·         Address

·         Phone number

·         E-mail address

Part 2: The Objective

This is an important part of your resume….

Here you state what you would like to achieve out of working in the particular organization. Like, you may want to really learn how to be a good salesman and master the art of door-to-door selling. If you state this in your objective, it is conveyed to the employer that if he/she heirs you, he/she will get a master door-to-door salesperson or at least someone who is working to be a master salesperson. This tells them that hiring you might really help to increase sales.

You have state the objective in terms of what you would like to do for the organization once you are appointed. It should be clear and straight to the point. The objective should just be two or three lines.

Here is a sample objective:
Sales position in an organization seeking an extraordinary record of generating new accounts, exceeding sales targets and ensure close relationship with the customers.

 

What is the point of writing an objective?

If you don’t have an objective on your resume, you will just have a general resume. Your resume will not be targeted. Your resume will just talk about you and all your “great” accomplishments.

A resume without an objective will not be able to convey to the employer what you will be able to do for the employer. Such a resume, since it is not “targeted” to meeting the employers needs will not produce results.

Employers generally do not like to hire people who are working just for money. Employers like to hire people who are charged and motivated. Employers like people who have aims and want to accomplish or learn something.

If you don’t talk about your objective, you look like as if you want a job just for the sake of money. You will look like the kind of person who will not really work hard for the organization and give their fullest participation. So, it is very important that you have a “Objective” on your resume.

Also make sure you do not put in an objective just because it sounds good. You must understand your objective. You will probably be asked about your objective when you go for the interview if your resume gets selected.

 

Part 3: Educational Qualifications

Education qualification should be in a descending order i.e. on the top you would have your recent qualification.

Many and almost all of us have studied class I, V, VI etc ... so we don’t need to mention these classes but we start with the first board exam we had given or Class 10th results.

If you stood up with good marks, mention them along with the name of the school and the year you passed. If you had average score and you do not wish to include the same, leave it out (But remember the percentage you scored, the interviewer may ask you!).

Then your Class 12th marks, your graduation, post graduation, and any other qualification you have achieved.

Use bullets to mark your qualification, but remember not to use very stylish and fancy bullets, they might create a negative impact on the person reading your resume.

 

Part 4: Experience

Now, it’s turn for the experience you have. If you don’t have any work experience, don’t worry, companies do hunt for freshers!

If you have any, remember to write them in descending order (the most recent place you have worked first and so on…) just like your qualification.

When mentioning your work experience, make sure you mention:

·         The name of the company you worked for.

·         Time OR duration you worked there.

·         The designation you were appointed for.

 

Part 5: Achievements

As stated earlier, using a table to state your achievements is a good idea.

What does the achievements section include?

If you played any sport at state, national or international level, any competitions you took part in and won etc. then they will all come here.

Try to mention those achievements that the employer would care about right on top. Like, if you are applying for a marketing post then it would be a good idea to mention that you won a marketing competition.

A long list of unrelated achievements would be of little value.

Not all achievements have to be big, but they have to show that you got results as you carried out your responsibilities. Many of your routine activities can be quantified and written as achievements that demonstrate your experience and knowledge. They can be proof of how you’ve HELPED the company! They should show the employer how he will be able to fulfill the needs of his organization by hiring you.

Here are some things to consider when naming achievements. (Quantify whenever possible.) For instance, did you:

·         Save the company money? How much and how?

·         Help improve sales? By how much?

·         Improve productivity and efficiency?

·         Implement any new systems or processes?

·         Help launch any new products or services?

·         Achieve more with (same or fewer) resources?

·         Resolve a major problem with little investment?

·         Participate in any technical/operational improvements?

·         Exceed accepted standards for quality or quantity?

·         Identify the need for a program or service?

·         Prepare any original reports, studies or documents?

·         Serve on any committees? What was the outcome?

·         Get elected to any boards, teams or task forces?

·         Resolve customer problems?

·         Get rated as outstanding in performance reviews?

 

Part 6: Concluding section

Strength and Hobbies:
Mention your strengths and hobbies here. When talking about your strengths, again it would be good if you can show the employer how your strengths would benefit his/her organization. If the strengths are related to the job you are applying for they will have a better effect.

Finally mention:

·         Your date of birth

·         Father’s name

·         Your name

·         E-mail id

·         Telephone number

You could also take the help of pre-defined templates in or use the Resume wizard in MS-Word or Open Office software’s to make your resume. Once you build your resume you can format your resume using the appropriate font and font size.

Checklist for the perfect resume...

Is your resume well laid out? Is it pleasing to the eye?

Is your resume less than one page if you are a student or new to the workforce? Is it less than three pages if you are an experienced professional?

Have you chosen legible fonts throughout your resume or do the fonts detract from the context of the resume?

Have you used spell check and/or dictionary to ensure that there are no spelling errors?

Has someone else (outside of yourself) read your resume for grammatical errors?

Does your resume use proper English?

Is your resume memorable? Does it stand out in a crowd (but in a positive way)?

Is your resume “targeted” to the type of position you are seeking?

How do you come across when your resume is read? What will an employee think of you?

Are you pleased with your resume? Does it do a good job of telling an employer who you are and why you are a good candidate?

Do you have your name, address, and contact information clearly displayed on your resume?

 

Objective:

Did you limit your objective to just one or two short sentences?

Is your objective clear and concise? Or is it ambiguous?

Is your objective focused? Does it make sense?

Is it targeted?

 

Education:

Is it clear from a quick look at your resume that you have obtained a college degree, if you graduated?

If you did not graduate, is it clear that you do not yet have a degree?

Are all the educational requirements of the job fulfilled and clearly shown?

 

Professional Experience:

Is your work experience presented logically?

Have you limited your work experience to no more than 4-5 previous positions?

Have you accounted for any gaps in your work history that an employer might question?

Do the name of the company, your job title, and dates of employment for each position stand out for easy identification?

Have you limited the information in each position to those that are the most relevant and targeted to the position to which you are applying?

Is your professional experience accurately and honestly conveyed?

 

Strengths and hobbies:

Are the strengths & hobbies you have listed relevant and targeted to the position to which you are applying?

Do the skills listed accurately convey your experience and knowledge in each area?

 

Other Sections:

Do any other sections included in your resume enhance your presentation? Are they relevant to the position to which you are applying?

After writing the resume..

Review, edit, and proofread like a maniac. One of the biggest resume mistakes is typos or grammatical errors. These errors may seem trivial, but they can cost you the interview, and ultimately the job. After all, if you can’t be bothered to make sure that your resume is 100% accurate, what guarantee is there that your job performance will be high caliber?

 

Final important note:

Though out this article we have talked about targeting targeting targeting! We have said and said again that your resume should be targeted. Your resume should show the employer how you will be able to satisfy his organizations specific needs. It should not be a general resume. It should not just talk about you and your accomplishments. It should be TARGETED!!!

All this means that you cannot just send one resume to 100’s of employers. Usually, though the internet job sites etc. that becomes possible. You are able to send the same resume to 1000’s of employers.

But, ach employer has different needs. If you send the same resume to everyone, it will NOT be targeted. It will just be a general resume. Your resume will not stand out and you might not get the job. The more targeted and to the point your resume is the more the possibility is that your resume will stand out and that you will get the job.

It will be much more work, but don’t just send the same resume to everyone. Target the resume. Send a targeted resume to each employer!!