Resume Writing Skills

In this time of recession, many people are searching for jobs.
This shall help in searching better.
Though, this article is not targetted only at them.

Resume is an art..
A resume portrays one’s personality and his skills.

If an employer will hire you, he only has your resume to look at.
And so how the resume is drafted is immense.

Anyone can write a resume. But the resume that gets a job, is the one that makes the difference. A job is one and the applicants are hundreds with perhaps the same skills.
The difference is the presentation..

Lets get started..
What is covered in this article..

This article is drafted in following sections.
1. Resume Format
2. Example Format of a Resume
3. Do’s and Dont’s
4. Sites to Target
5. Conclusion
6. Appreciation

(1) Resume Formats

Gone are the days when only the traditional paper format resumes were only preferred.
Now video resumes are being preferred.

This is due to the fact that the employer/ recruiter can see who he is hiring, and can also hear it, right from the horses mouth.
In this fashion, the option of a fraudulent resume is ruled out to quite an extent.

The words on the resume can be searched through the search engines, and hence more exposure to you.
Also, all sites may not accept video resumes, and so paper resumes are necessary.

Paper resumes are not ruled out and they have their own importance.
Believe it or not, even if the content is there on your resume, but it’s in shabby format, it will not catch the eye of the viewer.
The few words on your resume should be good enough to encourage the recruiter to go through your resume.

Let me share a fact here..

Fact : A recruiter scans hundreds of resumes in a day, about 10-30 seconds per resume.
Does that ring a bell..

Your resume should have that key feature, to get shortlisted, in that few seconds..
The words on your resume should be used carefully, to ensure they are industry buzz words.
This will ensure that your resume props up on the search result of a recruiter.

To add, an ideal resume should be 1 to 2 pages maximum.
The recruiter will not scan through, all what you have written.
It’s not your life story but only professional work described in short, which many people forget while writing the resume.

I personally suggest keeping 2 resumes, a short version of 1-2 pages and the exhaustive version having 4-5 pages to the maximum.
When a recruiter really wants more detailed look at your work, he may ask for the exhaustive version.
Otherwise, only a shorter version should be used.

(2) Example Format of a Resume :

A suggested format of a resume should look like this.

1. Cover Letter
This should be separately mailed along with the resume.
The cover letter should It should briefly describe why you should be selected.
It should be also show your keen interest in the job.

2. Contact Details
This should be there right at the top of the resume, clearly showing your contact details (Email, Cell phone and mailing address).
Do avoid writing jazzy email addresses. Ideally it should show your first and last name, to ensure it’s easy for the recruiter and depict a professional approach.

3. Summary
This should summarize what a person has worked on.
It should highlight the key skills and hint what work he is looking for in the next job.
It should have client names, key achievements and certifications.
Bottom line is the summary should be good enough to highlight your strengths effectively.

4. Skills
In this section, one’s key skills should be highlighted on what he has worked on.

5. Experience
This is a key portion of your resume.
This is where most of the people get confused and really make the resume look messy.
One should highlight project wise, the client, the duration, and the role one has played.
One should mention even the environment and softwares used for a technical resume.
For each project, Responsibilities should be highlighted very clearly.

Important Note here -> If there are many projects done for a company, one may combine and present the projects together..
Else it may run ‘n’ number of pages, which no one wants to read.
As a person grows in seniority, he may not need to highlight all projects at lenth.

6. Personal Details
This shall help the recruiter know a person better, whom he wants to hire.
Items which should ideally fall in this section are :
Date of Birth, Marital Status, Sex, Passport Number, Visa Validity.

7. References
I would put this as an optional section.
If some one wants to use it, I suggest to use www.LinkedIn.com site.
This way you can show your references easily.
Please do ensure that your resume on LinkedIn and your word resume match.

(3) Do’s and Dont’s
Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts for the resume.
Do’s :
· Clearly mention your contact details.
· Use Industry buzz words in the resume.
· Keep the resume concise, and to the point.
· Be careful while using client names, if you have signed the Non Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s) with the
client.
· Highlight your mentorship or leadership roles with the number of people you have led.
· Highlight your certifications/ achievements/ trainings.
· Give clear references, using sites like LinkedIn.
· Request your previous reporting manager to post a recommendation on the LinkedIn site.

Dont’s :
· Don’t make the resume too lengthy.
· Avoid using comic/ funny mail ids.
· Do not put picture on your resume. Don’t forget it’s not your marital proposal. If required, you shall be
asked for by the recruiter.
· Don’t put details likes Height/ Weight in the Personal Details section.
· If you are adding Hobbies in the ‘Personal Details’ section, put 2 or 3 at the maximum.

(4) Sites to Target :
One should be targeting the following job sites, for the job hunt.
www.monster.com (For most countries)
www.dice.com (for US)
www.net-temps.com (for US)
www.naukri.com (for India)
www.timesjob.com (for India)

Important Note :->
How do you keep your resume latest and always on top of recruiter search.
Your resume will come on top of the recruiter search, if you login to the jobsite daily.
Also, you should update your resume daily, to figure on top of the search.
This gives assurance to the recruiter that you are actively looking for job.

(5) Conclusion :
Resume writing has been the most complex jobs, which most people find boring to work on..
One should maintain the practice to update the resume, as you get an achievement in your career or reach a milestone.
Jobs are in plenty..
Its just to search the right place at the right time, to get your dream job..

A sincere suggestion would be, to not to look for change of jobs in the current scenario and stick to their jobs.

(6) Appreciation :
Appreciate your reading.
Hope this article would have added 2 cents to your skills.

Thanks.