There are thousands of people who are looking out for a new job and the resume is the first point of entry that he / she can make to the company. So, it is very much essential that the resume reflects the person’s capabilities and achievements and gets the attention of the recruiters.
The following guidelines will help in drafting an employable resume:
- Keep it Brief and Concise
Recruiters spend only a few minutes screening the resume. So, ensure that your resume does not run into pages. Highlight in brief your achievements.
- Reverse chronological order
There are different ways in which the resume can be organized but the traditional way of stating items in reverse chronological order is always preferred by many. Do not leave any obvious gaps.
- Career break
If you have taken a career break, do not try to hide it. Specify the activities that you have done during the break period, even if it may not be completely relevant.
For example, you could have completed some certifications, or been part of some community drive or even participated in some event in your neighbourhood school.
It is essential to stay updated during the break period. If you haven’t done it, start reaching out and explore what is interesting to you before you start looking for a job. Get enrolled in refresher course. State it in the resume to show what you have done to stay relevant in the field.
- What You See Is What You Get
State only what has been done by you and ensure that you are able to describe it in detail when requested for. Quantify your accomplishments as much as possible. For example, State what percentage was the sales target met, how many people were mentored.
Stick to the realm of reality. While specifying the positive aspects of the work accomplished, stay honest and do not oversell.
For example, your project could have been involved with developing an application for a Supermarket. If you were involved in business requirements collection of a specific module, explain in detail about your role and state in brief about the project.
- Do not stick to Templates
Add sections as appropriate for the work that you have done. Not every person’s resume will look the same.
- Cover letter
If you do not have relevant experience, draft an attractive cover letter stating your strengths and capabilities and specify as to why you are apt for the job.
- Proof read and Save as PDF
Factual errors, Grammatical or spelling mistakes show poorly about you. So, Proof read your resume well. Send it to recruiters in PDF format to prevent any accidental edits.
Ensure that you do not include any controversial interests.
- References
Do not include references even though it can vouch for your credibility. State that references can be provided on request.
- Get help from Professional
If design is not your forte and you are not able to write the resume in a satisfactory manner, get the help of a professional. The additional help is very much worth taking up if you are serious about landing up the job of your choice.
Hope these tips are helpful for you to land your dream job!!
You may like to read other article written by this author ‘The power of assertive communication‘
About the author:
Sudha Divakar – A Proud stay at home mom. She has worked in the IT industry for 15 years and has taken a break to take care of her priorities. She is an avid reader and enjoys watching movies with her tiny tots at home. She believes that life is full of beauty and must be lived one day at a time.
(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)
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