You could be the top applicant for the job you are looking for. But, there are times when you get neglected just because your resume doesn't meet the expectations of the employer. The reverse is equally true as you could get the best opportunities if you manage to create the perfect resume. This is the reason why preparing an amazing resume should be your top priority. If you can make an elegant and professional-looking resume, that is suitable for the job you're applying for, your odds of getting an interview call will increase dramatically.
How to prepare a resume (The right way!)
A solid and steady resume is a vehicle for ‘getting your foot in the door’ and acts as one of your most important adverts. It is undoubtedly the most priced procession for your career. And, it needs to be done in an effective way. It may sound daunting already, but don’t fret yet, we will disclose, step by step, how you could easily prepare your resume, like a walk in the park.
The first thing to do is to make it employer-friendly. There are 3 important aspects that a recruiter is looking to get answers to from your resume - What? Why? How?
What have been your achievements and accomplishments in your past roles?
Why should I consider your candidature and call you for an interview?
How will you be able to meet the expectations from the role you are being considered for?
And, if your resume succeeds in answering these, you have a good chance of getting an interview call by a recruiter. Question is, how do you prepare a resume that does all of it.
Here’s how.
Remember these important aspects while preparing your resume:
1. Choose a good format
There are multiple resume formats, but we can divide them into 3 broad categories – chronological/reverse-chronological, Functional and Hybrid. Try to make it as per your qualifications. The most used format is reverse-chronological. It highlights your current status in your career and also gives a pattern of your experiences.
2. Open with the basics
Always start your resume by introducing yourself, including your name, role or designation and contact details. It is helpful for the recruiter to easily get in touch with you.
3. Divide it into bite-sized
Sections like Profile Summary, Career Timeline, Education, Certifications, Training, Skills, Achievements, Accomplishments, Work Experience, Responsibilities and Projects etc.
4. Top it up with your interests and hobbies (if you don’t have much content for sections described above)
If you are a fresh grad and don’t have much to write about your experience, you can use this section to give an idea to potential recruiters about your personality. This can help the recruiters know what else interests you besides the job. This way they can analyze your personality and compatibility with the organization.
5. Proof-read your resume
This is the most crucial thing to do as grammar and spelling mistakes can make a really bad impression. So, always check your resume thoroughly.
6. Make it easy to read and comprehend
The formatting of the resume and its visual appeal is to be taken good care of in the preparation. Choosing a neat font style that is professional and a font size that is easily readable will help the recruiter. And also try not to use jargon and keep it simple to understand.
Resume content - what to mention on your resume
It’s important to know what content should be included in it. A resume must include:
Your name and contact details
Profile summary or Objective statement
Technical and personal skills
Work experience
Qualifications and education
References
Achievements
Community and volunteer experience
Interests
Job-specific information.
Resume Preparation- Do's and Don'ts
Do's
1. Less Experience
If you have a few years of experience, keep it to 2 pages maximum. If you are a fresh graduate, a one-page resume is generally good. If you have a higher level of experience and find it important to capture your achievements and accomplishments, you may stretch the resume to a third page.
2. According to Job
Craft your resume according to your industry. Select your abilities and experience matching with the job you have applied for.
3. Resume Format
Pick the correct resume format. Customize your resume in the correct order. The most used format is reverse-chronological.
4. Proper Content
Follow the right resume content, including personal information, education, work history, abilities and achievements.
5. Pick the correct text style
Times New Roman is perhaps the most regularly used text style. However, you may find that Cambric or Calibri are better choices for advanced applications. The ideal font size is 11. The HR manager will examine your resume so it should be overall quite simple to peruse.
6. Keep it Perfect and Clean
Keep it neat and clean. What that means is that the content should not be crammed into the page. The reverse is equally true. Don’t leave too many white spaces on the page as this will send out the wrong message to the recruiter. Each segment ought to be plainly presented and it is likewise a smart thought to use good quality paper when printing your resume.
7. Always add keywords
It is very important to use the right kind of keywords related to your industry, role etc. but do it judiciously. Keywords help in the resume being identified by the applicant tracking system (ATS) used by large organizations around the world.
8. Relevant Information
Add your competencies, certifications etc. as they allow you to stand a chance for better opportunities. Exclude information that makes little difference to the job you have applied for.
9. Proof-read
Your resume properly before sending it anywhere.
Don'ts
1. Don't Lie in adding anything that is not what you are, is the worst you could do. Abilities, accomplishments no matter how much they are should always be your own. The employer will most probably verify your history before they roll out the offer. Regardless of whether you bag the position or not, there's a solid chance that the truth will be revealed in due course.
2. Never include information that is personal in nature like information about your IDs, relationships etc.
3. Don't miss to include a cover letter, as the cover letter plays a vital role even before a recruiter opens the attached resume.
4. Never hand-write your resume (though it’s pretty rare these days, but still happens). The recruiter will most likely be unable to peruse your application.
5. Don't clarify gaps in work history. The appropriate time for such clarifications is during the interview.
6. Never add negative info. Adding negative comments about your previous boss or colleagues will create a bad impact. And you'll be facing challenges in getting recruited, don't give HR any motivation to dispose of your application.
7. Don't use jargon. When you want to flaunt your vocabulary, it’s a good idea to resist that temptation as much as possible. It's always preferred to keep your resume easy to understand. You will get the opportunity to flaunt your mastery, once you get recruited.
Resume preparation for freshers / fresh graduates
Landing your first job and the perfect position is a good feeling. Yet, there are a few things you need to consider prior to going after your first position. Your search for a job begins with drafting a great resume. You have only 6 seconds to establish a connection with the recruiter. This is because that an HR manager ordinarily gives not more than 6 seconds to a resume to make a preliminary decision on whether to read further or not. Thus, it is important for you to make an ideal resume and present it nicely.
Resume Preparation for working experienced professionals
Experienced applicants need a resume design that showcases everything about where they've been, what they've achieved, and what they've realized en route. Yet, you can’t put everything on your resume. So use the space judiciously. Always go for reverse-chronological format and list your achievements and experiences wisely.
A professional experienced person often tends to forget how important it is to provide his career journey into the resume. Your resume may not have the desired impact even if you are probably the best in your field unless you meet every single one of the parameters of a good resume.
Why do you need professional resume preparation services?
A professionally crafted resume has a higher success rate when you are all your hopes are directly related to each job you apply for. When a professional who has expertise in this field, prepares your resume, they’ll use all the tools available to them to make your resume stand out. They know how the recruiter perceives your resume. They also know how the ATS reads your resume. And they have exceptional writing & designing skills. They have the knowledge of the right content and language that should be used in a resume. They research the in-demand skills in your industry and can therefore add the essential keywords. That is how they can easily compose a great resume for you.
With the experience in this field, they also know how to make it visually appealing and customize for a specific job post. At CV Guys we make sure to give promising results to our clients as we understand the importance of a resume and have the requisite know-how to deliver a great resume.
We create a resume that can be modified to your preferences and abilities, aside from making your skills outshine your competition. If you need our help, you can simply reach out to us.
HOW IT WORKS
FAQ’s
1. What's the importance of resume preparation?
A resume is the most important factor for an interview process. On the basis of your resume, you will either get an interview call or in the worse case, not get it. So yeah, resume preparation is very important.
2. What information should I add while preparing a resume?
Your work experience, achievements, accomplishments, skills, education, knowledge, professional objective, and contact details are unquestionable requirements on your resume.
3. What mistakes should I avoid when preparing my resume?
The worst mistake of all is to provide false information on your resume. Then, not being able to structure your resume properly and making it messy is another mistake you can avoid. Avoid grammar or spelling errors. These are the most common and worst mistakes. If you want your resume to not get thrown into the ‘Scrapped’ folder of a recruiter, just avoid these mistakes.
4. My resume is excessively long. How should I shorten it down?
Whenever you attempt to stuff an excess of data onto your resume, it will get jumbled and become extensive. Two pages are sufficient while formatting your resume. And try to write your resume by removing the insignificant information. Get an opinion from a friend or family member. Getting someone else to look at your resume will help you get a non-biased perspective on your resume.
5. What is the purpose of a resume?
While the end goal of a resume is to land a job, it has many steps in the process. You use your resume to apply for jobs in a systematic manner; your resume gets shortlisted among hundreds and even thousands of other resumes; you interview with recruiters and finally land a job if the interview is successful.
Comentários