Resume Writing

Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a "career obituary"! And it's not a confessional.

It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.

While writing your resume there are few points that you should remember. Don’t ever leave out your Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Have a clearly stated goal. Decide on a job target (or "job objective") that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Don’t use more then 5 to 8 words, because telling more indicates lack of clarity.

There are times when you have gaps in your work experience. Don’t be afraid about the gaps. Include everything you did in those days rather than saying that, you took a gap. For example, you can include all the work done even if unpaid or charity. Or Maternity leave, Study leave, etc. Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, such as "Spring 1996" or "Summer 1996" rather than 6/96 to 9/96. This adds lots of freshness to the resume. Add every small detail like promotions activities, etc. But it is also to be remembered that over doing or writing may led to rejection. Just go around 6-7 years back not more than that unless its very big or important activity that you have done.

The best way to impress an employer is the “Problem – Action – Result” Method. First you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what you did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results. This adds lots of importance to your resume.

Including hobbies in a resume is a nice idea. But don't include hobbies on a resume unless the activity is somehow relevant to your job objective, or clearly reveals a characteristic that supports your job objective. For example, a hobby of Book Reading (vocabulary, grammatical skills) might seem relevant to some job objectives (Secretary) but not to others.

Now some minute detailing that needs to be remembered while making that very important resume. Always mention the prefix “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Miss” before your name. If your name is Kiran or a name which is common in both sexes, the employer might get confused while addressing you. Mentioning all the degrees you have is not enough! You must also mention the extra activities done by you. It will add to the treat if the activity is related to the work you are applying for.

Use simple while or ivory paper for your resume. Using a fancy or think paper out does the content of the resume making it look like a brochure with only design and no content (unless you are applying for a designers post)