It could be a piece of paper or a word file but a resume is a lot more. It is a definitive statement, which provides the observer a clue and insight into the person behind it. And hence allow him or her to make necessary judgment about the candidate’s suitability for a particular position. The other perspective is that in a ultra competitive scenario like the one today, the resume is among the crucial barometers of differentiation or competitive edge that a aspirant can gain. Having stressed on the importance of your resume to your career, allow us to provide you with some valuable tips regarding the same.

Before we do that, do remember that the recruiters know that most candidates will not meet all their requirements, so they do accept candidates who do not meet all the requirements

With few simple guidelines you can craft your resume.

Be factual: Be factual and mention all your accomplishments. However, do not lie or exaggerate the same.

Be professional: Resume should be easy to read and professional looking. Avoid any typing and grammatical mistakes. Do not over format your resume like fonts in bold or italics, underlines and different fonts etc. Use Arial font in 11-12 point size. Use either bold or underline to highlight specific details, but don’t use both. Make sure you have indented it properly.

Be focused: Your resume should be brief, about 1 to 2 pages. Recruiters prefer the precise resumes rather than long ones. Do not include your salary expectations, references, certificates and training details unless it is asked for.

Be unique: Use your resume to target specific jobs. Avoid sending resumes to many companies. Write a cover letter that is brief and customized to the job you are looking for.

Other tips to consider once the resume is ready

• Let others go through your resume before you send it to anyone.
• Re-check for all grammatical and spelling mistakes.
• Re-read to confirm that the flow is there and formatting is right.

To make it easier, we have provided a sample resume format below. Customize it to your requirements. And you sure will catch the observer’s eye and who knows, land that dream job too?

SAMPLE RESUME FORMAT

Personal Information

• Name
• Full address including postal code
• Home and office (if any) telephone numbers
• Fax number
• Internet address

Education

• List education in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
• Provide names and locations of schools (usually post-secondary only)
• List degrees and month/year obtained or expected
• Summarize important/relevant courses
• Summer school courses
• Night school courses
• Special workshops or seminars

Experience

• Write your experience in from most recent company.
• Highlight your accomplishments in this section.

Skills

• Mention any other details such as proficiency in foreign language, any technical skills, your typing speed or any other activities that you are involved in.