Resume writting

Resume Writing is an acquired skill. The first thing that represents you to an organization is your resume. It is the deciding factor, if you will get that much-awaited call from the Recruiter or not. I have been a Recruiter for the last seven years and have reviewed thousands of resumes for different skill-sets. Each recruiter does not spend more than a few minutes on reviewing your resume, then what can you do to be the one to catch their eye? How can you make your resume stand out?

RESUME WRITING TIPS:

  • Brevity: Ensure your resume is not more than two pages long. Ideally, it should only be a one-page resume, but it is also essential to capture the essence and breadth of skills earned over the years.

 

  • Language: Use simple English, be direct and explain your skills, achievements, and experience in bullet points only. Avoid writing long paragraphs as it takes time to read and one can lose interest easily.

 

  • Voice: Always write the resume in the third person. Example: “Jack has 7+ years of experience in Recruitment and Human Resource Management”. Avoid using personal pronouns like “I”, “me”, “we” etc.

 

  • Key Words: This is the most important part of resume writing. In the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) using the right keywords is essential. Organizations receive thousands of resume each day for different roles they are hiring across the globe. Hence, they use artificial intelligence to shortlist resumes that come into their database after applying. The shortlisting of those resumes are based on keyword search. Example: if one is hiring for sales and content development skill in one role, they will prepare an algorithm that will only shortlist the ones with these words in the resume and rest all automatically get rejected.

 

  • Content: Keeping the above in mind, it is necessary to curate the content and subheadings for your resume. The usual subheadings used are:
    1. Personal Details – includes Name, Date of Birth, Email ID, Contact Number, and Social Media Link, Links to any publications.
    2. About Me: Use this session to write a short synopsis about your total years of experience, personality traits and strengths in a short paragraph format or story-telling manner.
    3. Education Details: Graduation and Post-Graduation with the year of passing
    4. Skill-Set/ Core Competencies – Technical and Non-technical, Team Handling,
    5. Achievements – mention any accomplishments, recognition received or appreciation at work
    6. Employment Details – Designation, Employer Name, Start Date and End Date.

 

 

  • Resume Style: While choosing a resume style make sure that it reflects your personality. Don’t just use the resume format that is popular or one that is copied from your colleague. Make it as original as possible. When recruiter sees that you have put some thought into creating your resume, it shows you are serious about the opportunity.

 

  • Tweak your resume for different roles: When you are applying for an organization, always look at the job description carefully. See the keywords used, the skills that are important to them and then tweak your original resume accordingly, before you submit the same. Each requirement is unique and when your resume appeals to the job description, it has higher chances of getting selected.

 

  • Proofreading: Always proofread your resume. Keep checking it for any grammatical or spelling mistakes. Ask a friend or family to share their feedback and thoughts. This helps to get an unbiased opinion and a chance to improve your resume further.

 

  • General Resume Writing Tips:
    1. Use professional email id like – jack.parker@gmail.com, not – jackissmart@gmail.com
    2. Font size should be between 10-12
    3. Font style should be professional – Arial, Times New Roman etc.
    4. List your experience and educational qualification in reverse chronological order, that is current or latest one on the top.
    5. Don’t use the phrase “reference available on request”. It is not relevant here.
    6. Only list responsibilities that are important and matches the employer’s job description.
    7. Use action verbs like persuaded, handled, and participated.
    8. Use numbers to emphasize your accomplishments. Example: Increased the sales by 12%.
    9. Choose the File Name of your downloaded resume wisely. Example: Resume – Jack Parker – Recruiter
    10. Save your resume in a PDF format.

A resume is a reflection of who you are. It’s your voice. It’s an amalgamation of your personality, experience, and achievements. As a job seeker myself, I know how frustrating it is when you don’t hear back from the organization. Even though you did everything to create the perfect resume, you receive no call or even worse an email that states your resume has not been shortlisted. Making a perfect resume is not a surety to get that call or the job, but it sure improves your chances. Lastly, use your resume as a way to narrate your work history and story. The more you incorporate these simple tips into creating your resume, the better chance of you having an ideal resume and job too.

You may also want to read other article written by the same author ‘Career tracking while on a career break‘, ‘Career restarting for a woman on a career break‘, ‘Is returnship right for you?‘, ‘Five things to consider before a career break‘, ‘5 reasons why working moms are highly productive‘, ‘4 Questions to know yourself better and find a suitable career path‘, ‘5 most frequent challenges that women entrepreneurs face‘ , ‘Financially Stable and how?’ ,  ‘Be aware of your emotions and its effects on you‘ , ‘How to be your own goal keeper‘ , ‘What is the best way to say No to Office House Work‘ , ‘ Finding your work life balance‘ , ‘Six top challenges women leaders face at work‘  ‘ How to master the Art of Assertive Communication‘  .

About the author:

The first time Susan Kutar (Tamang) realized that words could touch lives, she wanted to be a writer and blogger. She has 9 years of experience in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. She likes to write about topics that impact people, which is educational and leaves the reader with something to mull over.

(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)

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