A resume is the first impression that a candidate makes on an employer even before a meeting takes place. It is an account of one’s professional and educational journey that gives an idea to the HR managers on how capable a candidate is for a given position. A resume is a combination of both art and science and to make it perfectly appealing a balanced blend of both will achieve the desired effect.
Find out how art and science are both required to prepare a resume that proves attractive to recruitment companies in India who are pivotal in pushing your resume.
Resume Writing as an Art
Just remember this is the first opportunity to draw the attention of you recruiter. If it is the story of your life make sure it is well told. Find out how:
- Start with an impressive cover letter. By impressive it would mean, keep the language simple, and free of any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
- State how you plan to make a difference to the company that would recruit you.
- Make a list of things that you wish to highlight. Your career achievements, your experiences, etc., are the elements which you should consider including.
- Your resume should hold the attention of the reader without being monotonous or repetitive.
- Make sure there is an element of innovation in terms of presentation. It could be in alignment, text or even your writing style.
- Be very professional. By art it does not mean that you have to be frivolous.
- Use bullet points where needed, do not underline or use italics. Use charts, tables, columns and graphs.
Resume Writing as a Science
- Starting from the current job you are in, one after the other; trace the length of your career, duration and nature of work.
- Stick to facts if you are unsure of your writing skills.
- Compile all that you wish the employer to know. Make it sound as authentic as possible and do not exaggerate.
- The clarity of your thought should be visible in your resume writing.
- Your experience is your greatest achievement so discuss the job responsibilities and the projects you were involved with in your past companies. Your success and awards at work and how your presence made a difference to the company’s profile will help you in getting a good job.
Nowadays recruitment agencies greatly rely on keywords in resume writing. You should adopt this approach. Keywords are nouns or noun based phrases that again highlight your core skills. Some examples are:
- Technical expertise — your regions of expertise or skill strengths.
- Soft skills — your approach to the rest of the employees, your general behaviour and adaptability in office.
- Educational Strength — highlighting your academics.
Keywords should be innovative but relevant. They have to match the department and organisation and have to provide information on the company’s website, LinkedIn page and any other online media channel mentioned. However, don’t clutter your resume with keywords; make them appear once in every section. Use the most relevant keyword in maximum frequency.
Lastly, it is very important to have a summary at the end of your resume. A brief mention of your career achievements, goals, objectives and expectation from the prospective company will offer clarity on your candidature. Express your career purpose and ambitions but don’t sound overambitious. Restrict your resume to 3 pages at the most. Promote yourself with a hint of modesty and the art and science of resume writing will definitely hold you in good stead.