Visit: www.procatalyst.blogspot.com for free Resume making tips. For more detailed information, log on to: www.smartresume.in Contact Person: Abhishek kundu (9007008036)
From India, Calcutta
From India, Calcutta
Complete Guide on Resume Preparation
Resume's are called a variety of things (eg, curriculum vitae, CV). There is no universally accepted format. The most important attribute of a successful Resume is that it clearly explains to the reader what it is that you can do for them. Your Resume should be:
- A well-presented, clean, document your accomplishment, without grammatical mistakes
- A source of interesting, relevant information
- A script for talking about yourself
The purpose of your Resume is not to get you the job. Its purpose is to get you an interview, and after your meeting to remind the person you met with about you. Remember: you are not writing a Resume for yourself, you are writing it for the reader. So, as you write your Resume, put yourself in the shoes of the intended reader.
This section takes you through the content and detail of effective Resumes:
- A standard two-page printed Resume
- An online Resume
The decision to recruit is like a buying decision on the part of an employer. This creates a very clear picture of what a Resume must include:
1. It must meet the needs of the target organisation where possible. This means a single generalist Resume is unlikely to be sufficient.
2. It must highlight your achievements and how they relate to the job you are applying for. It must give the reader a clear indication of why you should be considered for this role.
To decide what to include in your Resume and where, follow these principles and guidelines:
1. Generally, the document should be of 2 pages. Sometimes, a one page summary is all that is required.
2. Your Resume should be honest and factual.
3. The first page should contain enough personal details for a recruitment consultant or potential employer to contact you easily.
4. Choose a presentation format that allows you to headline key skills, key achievements or key attributes.
5. Your employment history should commence with your current or most recent job and work backwards.
6. Achievements should be short, bullet-pointed statements and include your role, the action you took and a comment on the result of your action.
7. Where information clearly demonstrates your suitability for the vacancy you're applying for, and enhances your chances of being short-listed, include this information near the beginning of the RESUME.
8. Leave out information that is irrelevant or negative.
9. Include details of recent training or skills development events you have attended which could be relevant.
11. List all your professional memberships and relevant qualifications.
As we work through examples in this section, we will continually refer back to these principles and guidelines.
The most common contents of a Resume include:
- Personal Details
- Skills and Career Summary
- Key Achievements
- Qualifications
- Career History
Don't forget: The ultimate test of YOUR RESUME is whether it meets the needs of the person making the buying decision, and whether YOU feel comfortable with its content and style.
The next few pages will provide a detailed description of how to achieve this.
When you submit a printed Resume to a recruiter or a potential employer, it is likely to be the first thing they get to see or read of yours. Therefore, you need to present your RESUME well and make it user friendly. For example:
* Use a good quality paper, typically 100 gsm in weight and watermarked. In most cases, be conservative and print your Resume in black ink on white paper. Covering letters should use identical stationery.
* Lay your Resume out neatly
* Don't make the margins too deep or too narrow
* Resist writing lengthy paragraphs - be concise
* Careful use of bold type can be effective
* Typefaces such as Times New Roman or Arial are fairly standard
* Do not use a type size less than 11pt.
* Check for spelling or typographical errors - whoever actually types your RESUME, errors are YOUR responsibility. Don't rely on a spell checker. If you're not sure about a word, refer a dictionary. Sloppiness and lack of care could be heavily penalized.
Public Speaking
Public speaking is a desirable skill for many occupations. Impress potential employers by including a list of your speaking engagements, such as keynote speeches, workshop presentations and seminars. You may also include participation in work-related forums.
Computer Skills
The Resume Builder's Skills section allots 50 characters per skill. If you're in a technical field and would like to provide a longer list of computer skills broken down by category (e.g., networking, operating systems, hardware, etc.), use the Additional Information section to provide your list.
Training Completed
You may list professional development/continuing education in this section.
Willingness to Travel
If your availability to travel domestically or internationally would help sell you to potential employers, mention this in the Additional Information section.
What to Omit
Omit personal information such as marital status, age, number of children, etc. Also, avoid listing hobbies unless they are related to your goal or reveal character traits employers would find desirable.
Key Skills/Competencies/Attributes:
Summarise the things about you that are relevant to this role. You can present the information as a list of achievements, a summary of skills, or a list of key competencies (this choice should be made in consultation with your career consultant). Give as much evidence as you can to suggest that you are suited to the career that you are pursuing.
A reminder: You will find a list of your skills in the summary pages.
Contact : Abhishek for resume Development
From India, Calcutta
Resume's are called a variety of things (eg, curriculum vitae, CV). There is no universally accepted format. The most important attribute of a successful Resume is that it clearly explains to the reader what it is that you can do for them. Your Resume should be:
- A well-presented, clean, document your accomplishment, without grammatical mistakes
- A source of interesting, relevant information
- A script for talking about yourself
The purpose of your Resume is not to get you the job. Its purpose is to get you an interview, and after your meeting to remind the person you met with about you. Remember: you are not writing a Resume for yourself, you are writing it for the reader. So, as you write your Resume, put yourself in the shoes of the intended reader.
This section takes you through the content and detail of effective Resumes:
- A standard two-page printed Resume
- An online Resume
The decision to recruit is like a buying decision on the part of an employer. This creates a very clear picture of what a Resume must include:
1. It must meet the needs of the target organisation where possible. This means a single generalist Resume is unlikely to be sufficient.
2. It must highlight your achievements and how they relate to the job you are applying for. It must give the reader a clear indication of why you should be considered for this role.
To decide what to include in your Resume and where, follow these principles and guidelines:
1. Generally, the document should be of 2 pages. Sometimes, a one page summary is all that is required.
2. Your Resume should be honest and factual.
3. The first page should contain enough personal details for a recruitment consultant or potential employer to contact you easily.
4. Choose a presentation format that allows you to headline key skills, key achievements or key attributes.
5. Your employment history should commence with your current or most recent job and work backwards.
6. Achievements should be short, bullet-pointed statements and include your role, the action you took and a comment on the result of your action.
7. Where information clearly demonstrates your suitability for the vacancy you're applying for, and enhances your chances of being short-listed, include this information near the beginning of the RESUME.
8. Leave out information that is irrelevant or negative.
9. Include details of recent training or skills development events you have attended which could be relevant.
11. List all your professional memberships and relevant qualifications.
As we work through examples in this section, we will continually refer back to these principles and guidelines.
The most common contents of a Resume include:
- Personal Details
- Skills and Career Summary
- Key Achievements
- Qualifications
- Career History
Don't forget: The ultimate test of YOUR RESUME is whether it meets the needs of the person making the buying decision, and whether YOU feel comfortable with its content and style.
The next few pages will provide a detailed description of how to achieve this.
When you submit a printed Resume to a recruiter or a potential employer, it is likely to be the first thing they get to see or read of yours. Therefore, you need to present your RESUME well and make it user friendly. For example:
* Use a good quality paper, typically 100 gsm in weight and watermarked. In most cases, be conservative and print your Resume in black ink on white paper. Covering letters should use identical stationery.
* Lay your Resume out neatly
* Don't make the margins too deep or too narrow
* Resist writing lengthy paragraphs - be concise
* Careful use of bold type can be effective
* Typefaces such as Times New Roman or Arial are fairly standard
* Do not use a type size less than 11pt.
* Check for spelling or typographical errors - whoever actually types your RESUME, errors are YOUR responsibility. Don't rely on a spell checker. If you're not sure about a word, refer a dictionary. Sloppiness and lack of care could be heavily penalized.
Public Speaking
Public speaking is a desirable skill for many occupations. Impress potential employers by including a list of your speaking engagements, such as keynote speeches, workshop presentations and seminars. You may also include participation in work-related forums.
Computer Skills
The Resume Builder's Skills section allots 50 characters per skill. If you're in a technical field and would like to provide a longer list of computer skills broken down by category (e.g., networking, operating systems, hardware, etc.), use the Additional Information section to provide your list.
Training Completed
You may list professional development/continuing education in this section.
Willingness to Travel
If your availability to travel domestically or internationally would help sell you to potential employers, mention this in the Additional Information section.
What to Omit
Omit personal information such as marital status, age, number of children, etc. Also, avoid listing hobbies unless they are related to your goal or reveal character traits employers would find desirable.
Key Skills/Competencies/Attributes:
Summarise the things about you that are relevant to this role. You can present the information as a list of achievements, a summary of skills, or a list of key competencies (this choice should be made in consultation with your career consultant). Give as much evidence as you can to suggest that you are suited to the career that you are pursuing.
A reminder: You will find a list of your skills in the summary pages.
Contact : Abhishek for resume Development
From India, Calcutta
How To Write A Good CV
A well-presented CV is vital in searching for a new job. It will not only get you the job, but a good CV makes the difference between getting an interview or your application being thrown in the bin. With your CV being one of many, recruiters will only read it for a short space of time, so it is extremely important that it is structured clearly,with common and frequently used words, with your best selling points presented in a logical manner and the most relevant information readily identifiable.
Everybody writes and presents their CV as they like, there is no right or wrong way. However, with these words of advice we will help you produce a clear and concise CV that will increase your chances of being invited for an interview.
Key Attributes of All Resumes
Regardless of the type of resume you create, a number of key elements overlap all successful resumes.
1. Contact Information. postal mailing address, email address, home phone number, cell phone, etc.
2. Objective: your objective i.e in short what you want to see yourself after couple of years.
3. Resume Summery : Its the brief summery of yourself.
4. Experience: Cronological order with the present job in the first place. Mention the accomplishment
5. Education/Training. Include all the pertinent information regarding education, degrees, training, and certifications. Spell out names of degrees. Include the educational institution's name and location. If currently enrolled in an educational program, list expected graduation month and year.
6. Appearance. The first impression of your resume -- and of you as a job-seeker -- comes from your resume's appearance. Your resume should be well-organized with consistent headings, fonts.
7. Avoidance of Typos/Misspellings. Take the time to carefully write, rewrite, and edit your resume. Be sure to meticulously proofread your resume for misspellings and typos.
8. Targeted and focused. Tailor your basic resume to specific jobs and specific employers. There is simply no excuse for having one generic resume anymore.
From India, Calcutta
A well-presented CV is vital in searching for a new job. It will not only get you the job, but a good CV makes the difference between getting an interview or your application being thrown in the bin. With your CV being one of many, recruiters will only read it for a short space of time, so it is extremely important that it is structured clearly,with common and frequently used words, with your best selling points presented in a logical manner and the most relevant information readily identifiable.
Everybody writes and presents their CV as they like, there is no right or wrong way. However, with these words of advice we will help you produce a clear and concise CV that will increase your chances of being invited for an interview.
Key Attributes of All Resumes
Regardless of the type of resume you create, a number of key elements overlap all successful resumes.
1. Contact Information. postal mailing address, email address, home phone number, cell phone, etc.
2. Objective: your objective i.e in short what you want to see yourself after couple of years.
3. Resume Summery : Its the brief summery of yourself.
4. Experience: Cronological order with the present job in the first place. Mention the accomplishment
5. Education/Training. Include all the pertinent information regarding education, degrees, training, and certifications. Spell out names of degrees. Include the educational institution's name and location. If currently enrolled in an educational program, list expected graduation month and year.
6. Appearance. The first impression of your resume -- and of you as a job-seeker -- comes from your resume's appearance. Your resume should be well-organized with consistent headings, fonts.
7. Avoidance of Typos/Misspellings. Take the time to carefully write, rewrite, and edit your resume. Be sure to meticulously proofread your resume for misspellings and typos.
8. Targeted and focused. Tailor your basic resume to specific jobs and specific employers. There is simply no excuse for having one generic resume anymore.
From India, Calcutta
Catalyst's Top 25 Tips for a Better Resume
1. Be neat and error free. Catch all typo's and grammar errors. Make sure to have someone proofread your resume, preferably someone attentive to details. Even the smallest error could land your resume in the electronic recycle bin.
2. State specific objectives. Form a solid, clear objective that will help you carry a focused message throughout the resume. The objective summarizes your skills and emphasizes your strengths.
3. Why does the employer need you? Focus on highlighting accomplishments that will arouse the interest of employers who read resumes asking themselves: "What can this candidate do for me?" Remember that the goal is to get the interview.
4. Make a good first impression. On average, employers spend less than 30 seconds scanning each resume. Most employers are more concerned about career achievements than education. Place the most interesting and compelling facts about yourself at the beginning, such as a list of accomplishments in order of relevance.
5. Emphasize your skills. Use a skill-based resume format that is organized around the main talents you have to offer. Prioritize everything.
6. Use keywords. Include specific key words and phrases that describe your skills and experience, such as Product Launch, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales, Account Management, C++, Visual Basic, Word Processing, MS Excel, Adobe Illustrator, Graphic Design, and Advertising.
7. Use buzzwords. Use industry jargon and acronyms to reflect your familiarity with the employer's business, but not to the point where it makes your resume hard to read or understand. Spell out acronyms in parentheses if they are not obvious, such as TQM (Total Quality Management).
8. Use action verbs. Portray yourself as active, accomplished, intelligent, and capable of making a contribution. Examples: Managed, Launched, Created, Directed, Established, Organized, and Supervised.
9. Avoid Personal Pronouns. Never use personal pronouns such as 'I' or 'me' in your resume. Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phrases: "Coordinated and published a weekly newsletter concerning local community events."
10. Highlight key points. Although most formatting such as bold, italics and underlining is lost in an electronic resume, you may use capital letters, quotation marks, even asterisks, to emphasize important words or section titles.
11. Summarize information. While electronic resumes may exceed the traditional one to two page limit of paper resumes, in most cases, it should not exceed three pages.
12. List only recent information. The general rule of thumb is to show your work experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.
13. Quantify your experience. Numbers are a powerful tool. Instead of saying "Responsible for increasing sales in my territory," use "Increased sales in my territory 150% in 6 months. Managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M."
14. Be organized, logical and concise. In addition to reviewing your experience, employers also use the resume to get a sense of whether you are organized, logical and concise.
15. Just communicate. Abandon the utilization of exorbitant, exquisite vocabulary. In other words, don't try to impress employers with the depth of your vocabulary. Use words everyone can understand as the recruiter will not process you.
16. Omit salary information. Never make reference to salary in your resume.
17. Avoid questionable subjects. Never make references to personal information such as race, religion, marital status, age, political party, or even personal views. In all but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues. Also, avoid the use of humor and cliches in most resumes.
18. Be honest. Lying or exaggerating your abilities will always come back to haunt you. Since employers usually check into serious candidates, you will want every detail to check out.
19. Sell yourself. Do not under-emphasize your strengths and experience. Portray yourself in the best possible light. Skills that come naturally to you, others may never grasp.
20. Write your own resume. Be personal, yet professional. Create a resume that is personalized to reflect you.
21. Personal traits. If you decide to include personal traits, such as "Dependable, Highly-Organized, Self-Motivated, and Responsible," make sure they are applicable to the position desired. Will the employer consider them valuable?
22. Show consistency. To de-emphasize glaring gaps in your work history, consider using a Functional resume, which focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than a Chronological format, which emphasizes the progression of your experience.
23. Be balanced and neat. The effective resume is balanced, neat, visually appealing and flows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize section titles. Leave sufficient blank space between sections for easy reading.
24. Stick with common section headings. Use common section headings. Examples: Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses and Certifications, Honors, Personal, Additional, and References.
25. Be positive. Remove any negative comments or feelings conveyed in your resume, especially when it comes to previous employment experiences. Emphasize a positive, can-do attitude.
From India, Calcutta
1. Be neat and error free. Catch all typo's and grammar errors. Make sure to have someone proofread your resume, preferably someone attentive to details. Even the smallest error could land your resume in the electronic recycle bin.
2. State specific objectives. Form a solid, clear objective that will help you carry a focused message throughout the resume. The objective summarizes your skills and emphasizes your strengths.
3. Why does the employer need you? Focus on highlighting accomplishments that will arouse the interest of employers who read resumes asking themselves: "What can this candidate do for me?" Remember that the goal is to get the interview.
4. Make a good first impression. On average, employers spend less than 30 seconds scanning each resume. Most employers are more concerned about career achievements than education. Place the most interesting and compelling facts about yourself at the beginning, such as a list of accomplishments in order of relevance.
5. Emphasize your skills. Use a skill-based resume format that is organized around the main talents you have to offer. Prioritize everything.
6. Use keywords. Include specific key words and phrases that describe your skills and experience, such as Product Launch, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales, Account Management, C++, Visual Basic, Word Processing, MS Excel, Adobe Illustrator, Graphic Design, and Advertising.
7. Use buzzwords. Use industry jargon and acronyms to reflect your familiarity with the employer's business, but not to the point where it makes your resume hard to read or understand. Spell out acronyms in parentheses if they are not obvious, such as TQM (Total Quality Management).
8. Use action verbs. Portray yourself as active, accomplished, intelligent, and capable of making a contribution. Examples: Managed, Launched, Created, Directed, Established, Organized, and Supervised.
9. Avoid Personal Pronouns. Never use personal pronouns such as 'I' or 'me' in your resume. Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phrases: "Coordinated and published a weekly newsletter concerning local community events."
10. Highlight key points. Although most formatting such as bold, italics and underlining is lost in an electronic resume, you may use capital letters, quotation marks, even asterisks, to emphasize important words or section titles.
11. Summarize information. While electronic resumes may exceed the traditional one to two page limit of paper resumes, in most cases, it should not exceed three pages.
12. List only recent information. The general rule of thumb is to show your work experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.
13. Quantify your experience. Numbers are a powerful tool. Instead of saying "Responsible for increasing sales in my territory," use "Increased sales in my territory 150% in 6 months. Managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M."
14. Be organized, logical and concise. In addition to reviewing your experience, employers also use the resume to get a sense of whether you are organized, logical and concise.
15. Just communicate. Abandon the utilization of exorbitant, exquisite vocabulary. In other words, don't try to impress employers with the depth of your vocabulary. Use words everyone can understand as the recruiter will not process you.
16. Omit salary information. Never make reference to salary in your resume.
17. Avoid questionable subjects. Never make references to personal information such as race, religion, marital status, age, political party, or even personal views. In all but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues. Also, avoid the use of humor and cliches in most resumes.
18. Be honest. Lying or exaggerating your abilities will always come back to haunt you. Since employers usually check into serious candidates, you will want every detail to check out.
19. Sell yourself. Do not under-emphasize your strengths and experience. Portray yourself in the best possible light. Skills that come naturally to you, others may never grasp.
20. Write your own resume. Be personal, yet professional. Create a resume that is personalized to reflect you.
21. Personal traits. If you decide to include personal traits, such as "Dependable, Highly-Organized, Self-Motivated, and Responsible," make sure they are applicable to the position desired. Will the employer consider them valuable?
22. Show consistency. To de-emphasize glaring gaps in your work history, consider using a Functional resume, which focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than a Chronological format, which emphasizes the progression of your experience.
23. Be balanced and neat. The effective resume is balanced, neat, visually appealing and flows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize section titles. Leave sufficient blank space between sections for easy reading.
24. Stick with common section headings. Use common section headings. Examples: Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses and Certifications, Honors, Personal, Additional, and References.
25. Be positive. Remove any negative comments or feelings conveyed in your resume, especially when it comes to previous employment experiences. Emphasize a positive, can-do attitude.
From India, Calcutta
Whom to choose for Reference
A reference in a Resume , is some one who can verify your credentials and all or part of the information you have written in your resume. References are usually contacted in the last stages of the job selection procedure. Probably after the candidate has attended the first interview.
You have to know your references well and be sure that they can give a good feedback, to anybody asking questions about your past.
Resume references can be:
* Former teachers or professors
* Clients
* Former project managers or supervisors
* Other contacts from industry associations
No personal reference ( Like father, brother,sister, maternal uncle, or any relative)
I.e in short those who knows you professionally for more than a year.
Don't give unless you are asked for.......
Resume references have to be able to answer questions on the following subjects:
* Professional Conduct / Personal Character
* Academic Qualifications
* Work Experience (job titles, responsibilities, employment dates)
* Communication Skills (oral and written)
* Strengths & Weaknesses
* Management / Leadership Skills
* Attitude (attendance, punctuality, dependability)
In a resume you generally do not list your references unless it is specified in the job advert. The phrase 'references available upon request' is one of the most common phrases in resumes. In case you do make sure they are reliable references. A good reference can substantiate the contents of your resume and can be the decisive factor in your job hunt.
Some employers now a days even give the 'No Comment' when being asked about an employee. Still others spill their guts on your negative aspects. So be sure to check any references you list in your resume or give to a potential employer after the first interview. Ideally references have known you for more than a year.
From India, Calcutta
A reference in a Resume , is some one who can verify your credentials and all or part of the information you have written in your resume. References are usually contacted in the last stages of the job selection procedure. Probably after the candidate has attended the first interview.
You have to know your references well and be sure that they can give a good feedback, to anybody asking questions about your past.
Resume references can be:
* Former teachers or professors
* Clients
* Former project managers or supervisors
* Other contacts from industry associations
No personal reference ( Like father, brother,sister, maternal uncle, or any relative)
I.e in short those who knows you professionally for more than a year.
Don't give unless you are asked for.......
Resume references have to be able to answer questions on the following subjects:
* Professional Conduct / Personal Character
* Academic Qualifications
* Work Experience (job titles, responsibilities, employment dates)
* Communication Skills (oral and written)
* Strengths & Weaknesses
* Management / Leadership Skills
* Attitude (attendance, punctuality, dependability)
In a resume you generally do not list your references unless it is specified in the job advert. The phrase 'references available upon request' is one of the most common phrases in resumes. In case you do make sure they are reliable references. A good reference can substantiate the contents of your resume and can be the decisive factor in your job hunt.
Some employers now a days even give the 'No Comment' when being asked about an employee. Still others spill their guts on your negative aspects. So be sure to check any references you list in your resume or give to a potential employer after the first interview. Ideally references have known you for more than a year.
From India, Calcutta
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