First impression is the last impression they say, but before making that first impression comes your resume!
A well articulated and presented resume can do wonders in job application. It is important that it presents your skill in such a way that you are able to sell yourself as a product. Below are the steps for beginners and experienced job holders on the ways to make their resume worthy to get that first interview.
Presentation style:
The presentation style of resume is the common placeholder for both freshers and experienced people.
- Make sure there are no spelling errors or grammatical mistakes in your resume. One of the biggest disappointments in a resume is writing error.
- Look and feel of the resume should give a reading vibe and a great first impression.
- Fonts should be clear (Any font which gives clear and professional look to the whole document).
- Themes and colour used within the resume should be of same colour pallet and be restricted to two or three.
- Length of the resume should be restricted to one – two pages and shouldn’t go beyond it. Otherwise it will make the reader lose their interest. Shorter and comprehensive resumes are preferred by the readers.
- Sections of the resume should be well defined and according to the skill set you have. Even if you have a particular format that you follow in an organisation, don’t keep sections which are irrelevant or have minimal information to add to your CV.
- Give a little introduction about yourself in the resume with job title position held and education, then start with detailing out your professional career.
Related: 9 Tools to Write an Eye-Catching Resume
Making a worthy resume
Presentation style is only secondary in nature, what grabs the real attention in your resume is the content you present. Even if you have average educational qualification and indices, don’t let them snatch the spot light from your resume. It is important to work towards a skill set that helps you become fit to the job role that you have applied for. Various add on for your resume are:
Live Projects:
Live projects are projects which will be worked on in real-time and with an outlined deadline. These projects offer a hands-on experience on any current work in a corporation. Live projects last for typically 2-3 weeks or a month and help the freshers or stream changers to get a hold on kind of work done in a specific sector.
Some of the platforms that provide an array of live projects ranging from subjects to timelines:
- in
- Awign
- Internshala
- LetsIntern
- Oysterconnect
Certifications:
Both online and offline mediums can be used to grab various certification courses so as to add to your CV and act as a credential that you earn to show that you have specific skills or knowledge. It is important to find a course that is in line with the skills needed in the job arena, the courses can range from basic software programmes (example Tableu, R, SPSS, excel etc.) to introductory sessions to a niche stream (financial management, environmental planning, digital marketing etc.)
Some of the websites which are well identified by the recruiters and used by organisations across the world are:
- Coursera
- EdX
- Undemy
- Several universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford have their own courses guiding the students towards niche sectors within which they want to make career.
Related: 5 Tips for Better Resume | Structure, Font & Work Experience
Social work:
Social service is important to organisations because it indicates that the person is:
- Is likely to be active on campus outside of office.
- Is likely to contribute to the organisation’s mission and CSR activities.
- Shares the humanitarian values.
Volunteering also demonstrates a level of civic awareness and empathy towards the community, and it can reflect issues that you’re passionate about. Together, this helps form a complete (and positive) picture of who you are as an individual.
A person can associate themselves with various NGO’s and NPO’s working towards the betterment of the society.
Extra curricular activities:
Extracurricular activities aren’t only an excellent way to demonstrate your interests and individuality, they additionally convince recruiters that you have a variety of valuable skills that a person might show while working in their company. It gives an insight to work life balance of an individual and towards a mental and physical well being.
The kind of extracurricular activities you should have on your resume can be: Whatever you’re passionate about ranging from Tour guide, orientation leader, Peer tutoring, Debate teams, Sports, Art, Music and any other leisure activity.
