We are living in a highly competitive world where getting the right kind of job is very difficult. So writing a good resume is the first step towards your destination. It is the first document that will introduce the jobseeker to the potential employer, so the first impression should be good.

Difference between resume and CV

A resume is always shorter than a CV. Resume has to be precise and it should not exceed two pages . Resume is a short summary of your qualification and experience whereas Curriculum Vitae is detailed and can run into more than two pages.

Tailor your resume to fit the openings

Your resume should catch the immediate attention of the recruiter. Never frame one resume and send to different openings. Design your resume from the perspective of an employer. Your resume should be a blend of hard and soft skills. Hard Skills – The domain knowledge, qualification, any kind of training, internship , all come under the ambit of hard skills. Soft Skills are your personality traits. It includes confidence, communication skills, leadership qualities, team building, gender sensitivity and many more.

Steps to write a resume

1.Doing a self -assessment

• Enlist your strengths, your soft skills. There are some generic personality traits which are required by all the recruiters like honesty, loyalty, leadership, team spirit.

If you are experienced then different job responsibilities mentioned, will reflect these traits. If you are a fresher then organising different events during college days can reflect leadership qualities.

• Make a list of the courses and trainings done. Enlist the seminars and the workshops attended.
• Enlist the achievements. Your achievements will exhibit your strong will power and determination.

2. Researching the company

Research the company who has advertised the post. The information can be gathered from company websites, financial reports, external blogs, profile etc. The area of research can be the core business ,custom, product, services, financial status, competitors, plans, vision , SWOT analysis of company. The knowledge about company will help to weave your strength in the resume in such a way that an employer can easily see the benefit of hiring you.

3. Sell yourself in the job market stating the benefits of hiring you.
4. Organizing

Parts of Resume

• Name: Write your name in bold, do not underline.
• Address: Your address should be clearly mentioned. Include your email address too. Ensure that the email id is formal, not like decentcoolraj@gmail.com. This kind of email looks highly informal. Include your telephone number.
• Career objective

Write a crisp, realistic career objective. A very generic statement in this section can give the impression of a weak and incoherent personality who is not clear about the goals. You can write the position and highlight how the organisation can benefit from you not that what you will gain.

Never sound needy. Show that you will contribute to the growth of organization.

Wrong: To obtain a position that will allow me to grow professionally. Right: An entry- level position in sales department where strong leadership and good communication skills are needed.

• Educational Qualification. Use reverse chronological order. It means to mention the recent ones first. Mention the year, grades with your majors and minors.
• Experience: Write this too in reverse chronological order. Mention the name of employer, position and the year.
• Achievements : It can include name in Dean’s list, scholarships, grants, prizes, nominations etc.
• Summary of skills: Mention your strengths. It can be a blend of hard and soft skills.
• Hobbies: Mention the hobbies that really interests you. Do not write, love reading books if you do not read books.

5. Presentation:

 Your resume should be visually appealing. Do not use various kinds of fonts and sizes, that can make it  difficult to read. White space makes it easy to read. Set margins.

6. Write concisely and vigorously

Avoid exceeding one page. Focus on your unique qualities. Do not use personal pronouns like ‘I’. Use present or past imperatives. Do not repeat the verbs. Use action verbs.

Resume is a critical tool that can help you generate the desired results. Be cautious while making one, do not copy paste stuff from internet. The information provided should be authentic,