What is an Effective Resume?

Each one of us has goals set for different phases of our life - good schooling, good degree, good job and a well-settled career for a settled life. A well-settled career is thus important to live a peaceful life. To get a good job, we not only need good education and skills, but we also need to present the same successfully. The employer cannot understand your potential unless you present it to him/her. Now when it comes to presenting, one cannot start giving a speech about his/her skills and qualifications. They need to list it down systematically, in a document known as a Resume. A resume is thus a systematic account of one's educational and professional skills, put forth in a way that it helps the applicant get a good job. However, not all resumes get the needed attention. To help your resume get the required attention, you must know what an effective resume is.

To make your resume impressive, you must know what the employer expects from a resume, or what he/she does on seeing a resume. The answer to these questions is as follows:

  1. You send your resume to the employer. However, the employer does not get only one resume; rather he/she gets many such resumes everyday. Thus, any mistake in the resume or trying to cajole the employer via a cover letter can be easily understood by the employer. He/she knows all about a perfect resume, and thus cannot be fooled.

  2. When they get so many resumes, they cannot afford to read every resume completely. Thus, they just take an overview of the resume, and they are so good at it that with a glance they can short-list the resume.

These are the two most important points to be remembered. The employer thus needs a resume that gives an answer to all his/her questions, within a few seconds. The recruiter has every right to get rid of your resume, reject your candidature, and does not even need to give you an explanation.

We have highlighted the problem above. In the coming paragraphs, we will thus provide you with a solution. To help you make your resume more impressive, read the checklist for resumes given below.

Checklist for resume to clear the resume screening round:

  1. Keep it Precise:

    As mentioned above the employer does not have all the time in the world to read your resume. An ideal resume should thus be a maximum of 2 pages, 3 in case of a highly experienced individual. If your resume has more than 3 pages, it would probably end up in the trash bin. The employer would not turn pages to get his/her required information.

  2. Legible:

    Would you like to read something that looks clumsy, and gives trouble to your eyes? No. Similarly, the employer would not read something that is not legible and easy to read. Do not try to clutter everything. Include only what is needed to make your resume look neat.

  3. Jargons:

    Including keywords like - degrees, skills, software used, techniques used, etc., is essential. However, only using such jargons is not useful. You might be an Automobile Engineer, but the recruiter might be an Arts graduate with an MBA in Human Resources. Understanding these jargons is thus difficult for him/her. Mention these jargons, but try to explain it in simple language.

  4. Design and fonts:

    You might be excited to use some of the best and latest fonts, good page borders, etc. However, it is a strict advice to curb these ideas. The resume is a professional document, and thus has to be kept simple. Some fonts might look great, but should never be used for formal writing. Times New Roman and Arial are the preferred fonts, and are quite legible.

  5. Customized resume:

    Your resume can be customized for every job that you apply for. Your basics remain the same, but the way you present the information should change with the company you wish to apply, and the requirements put forth in the advertisement.

  6. Portray yourself as a strong candidate:

    An employer usually will not like a person who is dependent on others for every task. He/she would prefer a person who can take his/her decisions, solve problems, etc. Portray yourself as a problem solver, rather than an information seeker or a help seeker.

  7. Number Speak louder than words:

    Try to use numbers to put forth your achievements. Mentioning 'over achieved targets' and mentioning 'achieved 150% of the target' makes a big difference. It promptly highlights your achievements and quantifies it.

  8. Salary:

    Do not mention the current or expected salary in your resume unless asked for it. You might lose a good opportunity because of a high salary demand, or even miss out on a good salary because of your low expectations.

  9. Personal Information:

    Personal information like marital status, religion, nationality, children, etc., need not be included in your resume, unless asked for. Hobbies should also be avoided. However, if your hobbies relate to your work, you can mention the same.

  10. Proofread:

    Check your resume twice or thrice for spelling or grammatical errors. You can also request your friend or colleague who is good in written communication and grammar, to review it once for you.

The above-mentioned ten points will help you make a flawless resume. This will definitely boost up your resume, such that it clears the resume screening round. Reading a few examples of resumes given in the links on the right hand side will clarify the concept further.

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