CV / Resume Preparation Tips / Guidelines 2012 | Curriculum Vitae Resume Writing Tips | Top CV Writing Tips

Resume / CV is a tool which speaks for you in your absence. It portrays you as a professional and as an individual.

CV / Resume Preparation Tips

First impression is the best impression ; resume is your first entry into the organisation and is a platform which should highlight every achievement and relevant strength of yours.

Writing an effective and creative resume that gets results can be a daunting task. But if a few of the simple things are taken care of, your chances of being shortlisted for the interview enhance significantly.

As a prelude to a fruitful interview you should prepare a meaningful resume. Here are some valuable tips which will make it stand out amongst the many others. Resume has to have an optical appeal, it should be presented in a structured format and properly present the contents.

Optical Appeal

• The paper should be A4 size.
• The printout should be in font 12 (Arial or Times New Roman.)
• Printout should be taken on a Laser Printer.
• The overall optical appeal should be presentable.

Format

• Resume should generally not exceed two pages. For Software professionals it may exceed the limit to highlight team size, duration of project and assignment contents.
• Please note this is only an introduction to ensure an interview call and not your biography.
• Avoid making tables in your resume as far as possible. Either write it in sentences or columns without a border.
• Name must be the opening word of your resume. If the employer has to waste efforts to locate it, you have irritated him.
• For experienced professionals; resume should highlight work experience followed by educational qualifications; simply because the company will be interested in your work experience as compared to your educational qualifications.
• For freshers; resume should focus on the educational qualifications, and highlights therein, followed by summer training and academic projects.
• Mention your academic and professional achievements separately towards the end.

Contents

• Personal Details :
• Specify date of birth and not age as on date.
• State temporary address followed by permanent address.
• To facilitate speedy connectivity write telephone numbers with STD codes, fax number and E mail id.
• Mention best time to contact. In case of pp or c/o number write the name of the contact person.
• List languages known; they play an important role in the selection process.
• Avoid writing family details.

• Educational Qualifications:
• Bifurcate the qualifications into Educational and Professional along with specialisations.
• Specify name of the degree, name of the university; year of passing for every qualification.
• Marks obtained should be written if only particularly good.
• Work Experience:
• Should start with the present job, followed by others in reverse chronological order.
• Name of the organisation, its location, designations held, month and year of joining and leaving must be specified for each employment.
• Job profile or responsibilities handled play a key role in the selection process. List responsibilities point wise for quick comprehension.
• Few sentences about the company profile and its product may be included.
• Compensation:
• Never mention your compensation. This could be a limiting factor unnecessarily. You can always talk it over at the personal interview or may discuss with your consultant.
• If you are sending the resume to a placement consultancy do write cost to company in a covering note.
• You may add expected salary and location preferences too, confidentially.

Important Tips

• Here are a few of the tips that will be immensely beneficial for any candidate, irrespective of the industry or organization to applying to. These are some basic things that make a lasting impression.
• Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume and structure the content of your resume around that objective only. If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will come across as unfocused to those who read it.
• You don’t need to go into detail about every accomplishment. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview.
• The language should be simple, the flow of language lucid and grammar absolutely correct. The format must be chosen carefully and consistency should be maintained through out. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point..
• To improve the presentation and comprehension, use bulleted sentences. Resumes are read quickly ( a resume gets an attention of 30 sec. on an average) this bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it.
• To add life to your resume use begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored and presented.
• Take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
• Use the key words listed in the ad (Where the vacancy is advertised) and match them with the contents in your resume highlight your suitability for the job profile.
• Use some technical jargon, specific to your industry. If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field use them in your resume.
• Accent the positive and leave of negatives and irrelevant points. Lead with your strengths. Focus on the duties that support your objective.
• Rather than going into depth in one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge.
• If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.
• Limit the length of your resume to 1-2 pages. Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
• Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have someone review your job search objective, your resume and listings of positions that interest you.
• Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job. Most prospective employers decide whether or not they want to interview you after reading the first few lines.

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All The Best