Image credit — Anna Tarazevich (Pexels)

Since past couple of weeks, I have been guiding a few fresh graduates in resume preparation, and I found out most of them who studied in tier 3 or tier 4 colleges (like me) make the same mistakes, as I did when I was a fresher.

So, from what I have learned over the years, I suggest a few basic things to all of them. If you’re a college student or a graduate, this post consists of a few basic things you need to do before you prepare your first resume.

A resume is the entry point for you to get an interview. The more time and effort you spend on preparing your resume, the better your chances will be in getting an interview.

Do your research and spend enough time on preparing your resume. Preparing a resume can be a tedious task at first. But it will be worth it when you get results. A great resume is the difference between a great job and no job.

Tell your story in a unique & creative way, and you will get enough appreciation and opportunities. I have been in many interviews, and most often the interviewers have openly told me my resume is very good. It is good because I spend so much time in meticulously preparing and crafting each word and sentence that goes into it, for each position I apply.

Here are some quick tips that would save you a lot of time:

1. Understand the difference between a Resume & CV: The CV (Curriculum Vitae — “course of life”) presents the full history of your academic & personal details, so the length of your CV is usually long and it varies. In contrast, a resume (French word for “Summary”) presents a summary of your skills and qualifications for a specific job, so it’s usually 1 or 2 pages max.
2. No titles: everyone knows it is a Resume or a CV. So you don’t have to put it in big letters on the top. It’s just waste of space and pointless.
3. No Objectives: You don’t need to write a big paragraph explaining what your objective in your life or career is or that how hard working you are. You can say all this when you get a chance to interview. If at all you want to have an objective, be specific and mention why you are the right fit for that role in a line or two.
4. No addresses: We live in 2021, the world is mostly digitized. Unless you’re applying for a Govt or any job that requires your whole personal, family details and address, there is no need to mention them in your resume. The only important details you need to mention are your email, phone number, current City, links to LinkedIn and any other coding profiles or portfolios (Github, LeetCode, Kaggle etc).
5. A resume usually has two orders: Chronological — starts with your most recent experience and goes down in the timeline. Non-chronological — starts with your basic education and followed by later education or experiences.
6. Remember the The “KISS” method. Keep it short & sweet (or simple). Not too much information or too little. Provide enough information to grab the attention of the employer. Too much is boring. Too little is ignorance.
7. Don’t mention anything for the sake of it or because someone else has it in their resume. Make sure every word you put in your resume is meaningful, and you can answer if it’s being questioned.
8. Get it Reviewed by someone. It’s always better to get your resume reviewed. You never notice your own mistakes.

And finally, don’t copy your resume. We are all lazy. We copied homework in school, assignments in college, answers in exam. But for the sake of your job, don’t copy a resume. It’s your own story, don’t copy someone else’s and make it your own.

Hope this helps. Reach out — if you want me to review your resume & for any career guidance. Good luck!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.