Resume Writing

A rsum (pronounced as rez-oo-mey) is your visiting card that announces your arrival. It is often the basis for initial screening. It is used as a reference point during the interview .

What should I cover in my resume?

Name, address, contact numbers and e-mail address(es) Job or career objectives - provided you can explain and/or defend them during the interview Educational background from Class 10th onwards Work Experience (employer, duration, designation, responsibilities, achievements) Projects undertaken during degree/diploma programmes Skills Extra-curricular activities Interests and hobbies Achievements References (not personal contacts)

How should I go about writing my resume?

Know yourself your qualities, your abilities, your achievements, your goals, etc. (Use the Personality Tree you have developed earlier to delve deeper into these areas) Understand the nature of the job and its requirements (e.g. for a sales manager position, one of the key requirements is effective listening skills) Identify common grounds between the key position requirements and your own competency set (skills, knowledge and attitude)

Prioritise the information to be presented so as to show a match between the position requirements and what you have to offer Select keywords that can best highlight the information presented (e.g. played basketball at the state level, Was among top 5 in a class of 120 students, etc.) Use phrases starting with action words to describe the information (e.g. Led the school delegation for the Republic Day parade in 2002, Established the first Chess Club in college during graduation, etc.)

Dos and Donts

Write your own resume, Cut & Paste technology is easily spotted Put your best foot forward highlight achievements Be brief Use words or phrases instead of sentences Use action words (e.g. participated, led, achieved, etc.) Avoid irrelevant information (caste, religion, parents profession, etc.) unless sought specifically Avoid stereotyped formats, be original Do not overstress academics, present a well-rounded candidature Avoid jargons, slang, repetition of words Make it easy to read font type, font size, layout, use of bullets, etc. Dont make it snazzy (decorative fonts, colours, etc.) Use simple words Avoid grammatical, spelling and typographical mistakes
Do sign your resume