Resume is a document which speaks for you even before you have met the recruiter. About 80% of the applicants get rejected during Resume Screening itself. Good Resume serves as a ticket to the next round of a selection process. So if you want this ticket to pass the scanner without any hurdles, here are 3 basic factors to take care of:
A. One Golden Copy: Contrary to popular advice of tailor making resumes for each position, I recommend having just one version of your resume, and having ALL of your experiences and expertise listed on that resume. This is the case even if you resume ends up being 5 or 6 pages or more. It's also important that your most impressive experience, expertise, education and certification are listed on the very first page, as most recruiters only look at the first page.
B. Relevant Content: What is the difference between a Biodata and a Resume? What parts of my personal profile are relevant to the recruiter? Be very careful of what NOT to add in a Resume. Always remember – Resume is a document used only for professional purposes, so adding irrelevant personal information like Birthdate, Gender, Marital Status, Religion not only can irritate the recruiter but also can prove you unfit for the corporate world. With the changing trends, ideas like Career Objective, References, Declaration, Photo (unless explicitly specified), Hobbies have also lost their presence from a Resume. A recruiter on an average spends only 6 secs on a Resume. Thus, only Relevant Information can do the Magic…!!!
C. Format: What is the most ideal way of presenting my information? Answer to this in one statement will be - Dividing relevant information in sections like Academic Qualifications, Work Experience, Internships, Certifications, Achievements, Extra-Curricular Activities and presenting the details under each header in reverse chronological order using bold feature for important words and figures is the ideal way. Resume is not a place to experiment with colors, graphics, stylish fonts etc. Check the next blog “LOOK & FEEL of a Good Resume” to know more in detail about this. Just remember - Simplicity is the key…!!!