Format Your Resume
Resuming our conversation on a good resume, today we will discuss the layout of a standard resume. But before we do that, here are some points on keeping your resume light. Qualifications and work experience will help in making the cut but it is more important to keep the resume clutter-free. How?
Here are a few things that should NOT be a part of your resume:
1. Irrelevant work experiences - Mention only work experiences that directly relate to or support the job profile that you are applying for.
2. Blatant Lies - Focus on what you can offer rather than the skills that you cannot. Lying to get a job might be an accepted practice but do remember that the recruiters are trained to see through all the lies and misguided facts might put your name on the company’s blacklist.
3. Fancy fonts & too much text - A document with too much text crammed in is hard to read and understand. Moreover, adding fancy fonts is a complete no-no. The overall look of the resume should be tidy by keeping it short and simple.
4. Why me - The resume is not a place to write about why you are the best fit for the job and so on. Save that for the interview and put only facts on the resume. The points are taken from this article so refer to it for more such tips.
There are no strict rules regarding the resume format but here is a standard structure that you could follow:
Header
The header is top of the resume that contains your name, contact credentials, address, and most importantly your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile is the extension of you, it’s a digital resume. If you haven’t created your LinkedIn profile yet or need help in polishing it, then refer to the links below.
Performance Summary
Do away with the objective. The hiring manager knows that you aspire to be in the role and in the field that you have applied for. Replace it with a performance summary. List your professional accomplishments that
complement the job role you have applied for. This is the first section right after the header so make sure to highlight your key achievements and make it hard-hitting. Do not make it too dense with fluff words. If possible, keep it concise and trim any fat around it.
Education/Skills
If you have less than 5 years of experience then preferably make a table of your educational background. Follow this with a section on skills like language proficiency, software, or any soft skill that will be useful for the job role. If you have more than 5 years of work experience then swap the sections.
Work Experience
This is the most important section of your resume. It should have the name of the company, your designation, time duration, and the key roles at that company. Keep this section also neat and add only important points. Adding a lot of points does not mean that your resume is impressive. Here is a hack to make your work experience stand out. Edit
your resume according to the job you are applying for. Scan the job description for keywords and use them in your work experience to get the attention of the recruiter.
The Last Section
You can have the last section on certifications, projects, white papers, etc; whichever option is suitable for your job role. Leave out personal reference and make it on request.
P.S - Creativity is good but not too much on your resume. I am talking about the headlines and section headings. When the heading says work experience then the content below should be about your work experience and vice versa.
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