Your guide to success.

1. RESUME WRITING
By Namrata

2. PURPOSE OF RESUME
Why resume?
What ‘s the use?

3. Here's an imaginary scenario!!!
You apply for a job . You send your resume prospective employer Plenty
of other people too apply for the jobA few days later, the employer is staring
at a pile of several hundred resumes. A job offer often attracts between 100 and
1000 resumes, so you are facing a great deal of competition. This person going
through this pile of dry, boring documents & they dig in. After a few minutes,
they are getting sleepy. They are not really focusing any more.

4. On an average,
every resume gets a glance reading for about
10 –15 secs max.
In this given time, the recruiters decide,
whether or not they should read your resume
further,
should call you for a face – to – face
interview or not.

5. THE NUMBER ONE PURPOSE OF A
RESUME
to win an interview
o A resume is an advertisement. Nothing less, nothing more.
o A good resume does only tell what you have done so far.. But advertises you, in a
more assertive way –
If you buy this product, you will get these
o specific,
o direct benefits.
o It presents you in the best light.

6. OTHER REASONS TO HAVE A RESUME
o To pass the employer's screening process
o provide contact information.
o To establish you as a professional person with high
standards and excellent writing skills, based on the fact
that the resume is so well done.
o To put in an employer's personnel files.
o To help you clarify your direction.

7. WHAT IT ISN'T!!
o A history of your past
o A personal statement
o Sort of self expression
So,
Do not write it keeping in mind that you are putting down all that you have done so far..
BUT YOU WILL WRITE IT SHOW CASE ALL THAT YOU
ARE CAPABLE OF DOING NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

8. WHAT IF I'M NOT SURE OF MY JOB TARGET?
oYou are probably going to wind up doing something that
doesn't fit you very well
oThat you are not going to find fulfilling
oThat you will most likely leave within five years.

9. HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE RESUME:
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOWBEFORE WRITING
RESUME:

10. Resume division
In the 1st, you make assertions about your abilities, qualities and
achievements
oYour name
oContact details,
oThe crux of your professional achievements/ experience/ objective
oEducational qualifications ( Basic Academics)

11. Resume division - Contd.
The second section is the evidence section - elaborates the claims made
in the first section.
oYou list and describe the jobs you have held.
oYour education (graduation & post Grat.)
oSoft skills/ Area of expertise/ Professional skills
oAwards and achievements.
oProjects and trainings.
oEtc…

12. Resume Misconceptions
Resume is a professional document and, therefore,
oshould not include any personal details except your name and
contact details.
oYour date of birth, father’s occupation, age, marital status etc are
unnecessary.

13. Resume Focus
FOCUS ON THE EMPLOYER'S NEEDS, NOT YOURS - Try to find
out what the organization is looking for, and match those traits with your
competences and offer the benefit.
HOW???
o Read the JD (job description), Job specification,
o talk to the company employees, recruiters.
o Go through their mission, vision, value statements.

14. MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF RESUME
CREATING THE RIGHT HEADER
oDesigning a heading that makes your name stand out.
oIncluding the right contact information.
oWriting a concise job objective statement to get the job you want.
oSubstituting a professional title for the job objective statement.

15. Writing a concise job objective statement to get the job you want.
By starting your resume with a statement of your Job Objective, you
immediately tell your potential employer:
o What position you’re looking for.
o Who needs to get your resume
o How to interpret your resume.
It demonstrates the clarity of direction in you.

16. Example scenario!!
Suppose the owner of a small software company puts an ad in the paper
seeking an experienced software sales person. A week later they have
received 500 resumes. The applicants have a bewildering variety of
backgrounds. The employer has no way of knowing whether any of them
are really interested in selling software.

17. Few example objectives: scenario!
i. Looking forward to work with an organization, where I can utilize my skills
and abilities and grow with the organization.
ii. To work with a reputed organization where I can explore and in the HR field
while still effectively contributing to the organization’s development.
iii. A software sales position in an organization seeking an extraordinary record
of generating new accounts, exceeding sales targets and enthusiastic
customer relations.
NOW, that’s a wake up call. They are now interested to read your resume further.

18. What do you actually do?
o Find out what are the two or three qualities, abilities or achievements that
would make candidate stand out as truly exceptional for that specific job.
o Find out what product demand they are looking for, and sell the benefits.
"a position where I can hone my skill as a scissors sharpener." or
something similar. –
The employer is interested in hiring you for what you can do for them,
not for fulfilling your private goals and agenda.
Objective of objective - The point of using an Objective is to create a
specific psychological response in the mind of the reader.

19. Objective dos & don'ts
o Be sure the objective is to the point.
Not more than 2 to 2 – half lines.
o Do not use fluffy phrases that are obvious or do not mean anything.
“allowing the ability to enhance potential and utilize experience in new
challenges.”
o An objective may be broad but cannot be undefined.
"a mid-level management position in the hospitality or entertainment
industry.“ – it is a wish statement, not an objective – objective will be clear on
what exactly you want, how/ when/ what you offer/ benefit (core
competency, skill).

20. Substituting a professional title for the Job Objective statement
oLess is more! You need to say everything as concisely as possible,
starting with your Job Objective statement.
oPutting your Job Objective statement near the top of your resume is the
clearest way to tell the reader what you want for your immediate
future.
ostatements like “challenging position,” “room for advancement,” and
“opportunity to grow.” are good. But they are not clear…
oIt pitches on what you want AND NOT WHAT YOU CAN GIVE.

21. Stick to what’s important!!
o The job title you’d like next, if you know it (for example, Manager or Sales
Representative).
o The area of work you want to be in (for example, Marketing or Sales).
o You might include an area of specialization (for example, “with an emphasis
on new business development” or “focusing on graphic design”).
o If you clearly understand the demand of the organization, focus on those
competences as benefits to offer in the objective – may as traits you have/ or
as looking forward to develop etc.
o If you know the exact title of the job you’re applying for, by all means use that
in your Job Objective.

22. not very clear on what you exactly want!!! ….
a title effectively says:
o“This is what my profession is.”
o“This is what I want to be.”
o“and this what I can offer now and what I am capable of
offering in the future.”
all of this / most of this whichever is appropriate.

23. RESUME CONTENTS
Usually, after the objective, many people follow many different formats to
write resume. Experienced people might follow formats like
oEDUCATION
oSKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
oACCOMPLISHMENTS/ RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS/
INITIATIVES TAKEN/ ACHIEVEMENTS
oAREAS OF EXPERTISE/ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
oCAREER HIGHLIGHTS/ PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS/
SUMMARY/ PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
oPERSONAL DETAILS

24. Sometimes, the order might differ to project the most critical quality.
For EG.
If the I feel that I have skills that best suit the company requirement, and my
job Work experiences not very relevant or if I am looking for a career
change, then I project my skills and academics first, then my achievements,
then my work experience, finally the summary.
If I feel that my work experience is a perfect match to the company’s
requirement, then I might want to project my professional summary first,
then my work experience, achievements, educations, skills etc.

25. Fresher’s resume formats/ contents
Since there is no work experienceand so no career summary or work
initiatives..ideally,a fresher’s resume will have the following in its
structure.
oCONTACT INFORMATION
oOBJECTIVE
oEDUCATION

26. INTERNSHIP/ SUMMER TRAINING/ ON-JOB TRAININGS.
Internship or summer training details should be as precise as
possible.
They will only include the following details.
Company name AND position held.
Time worked – either in days/ months or from – to format (always use one
specified format through the resume. If you use only dates, use only dates
every where. – eg. 06/17/2011 – 02/01/2012).
Very brief description of job role/ responsibilities: use power words like
recruitment and selection, automation of engineering tools, research of
microprocessor tools, quality testing of the electronic division, etc. than story
telling.

27. PROJECT DETAILS
– live projects & desk projects.
final year project, workshops conducted, researched projects, demonstrated
projects are all live projects.
Paper presentations, seminars, lectures given and I.V are desk projects.
SUMMARY OF SKILLS/ AREA OF EXPERTISE/ COMPUTER
PROFICIENCY
– either soft skills (communication skills, analytical, creative),
technical skills (computer efficiency, other technical knowledge), work
essential skills (focus on details, management skills, team skills,
presentation skills etc.),

28. SOFT SKILLS - example
o Do not use big jargons/ complicated terms –
- “excellent in written and oral communication skills” ; - “hard working nature”
- “positive thinking attitude” ; - “Good analytical skills for problem solving and
excellent decision making skills”
o Use smart and short words to describe your potential/ and use power words
- “Analytical skills”; - “Communication skills” ;- “creative skills” etc
o For all the skills that you put in the resume, make sure you have a skill statement
to back up/ proof statement. (but in the resume, you will highlight only the skill,
not the skill statement, unless, it is one of your achievements.) – contd.

29. EG FOR MAKING PROOF STATEMENTS:
Skill: AnalyticalSkills
Skill Statement: Analyzed programming code for Microprocessor 8085 for the functioning of
the trafficsignalsand improvised it to be used for motors too.
Skill: CreativeSkills
Skill Statement: Wrote mechanical procedure support scripts that decreased experiment lab time by 51%.
Skill: CommunicationSkills
Skill Statement: Expert in technical and business communication writing.Participatedand won in many
nation and international level debating competitions.
Skill: Organizing & scheduling Skills
Skill Statement: Scheduled, organized national level technical symposium on behalf of Department
initiativesas President of the Technical Club.
Skill: Profit OrientedThinking
Skill Statement: Saved 52% of the investment cost for symposium by replacing the traditional stage
decoration & food arrangement methods to unconventional and more appropriate ways.

30. HOBBIES AND PERSONAL INTEREST
– Hobbies are not something that you do in your free time. They are things
that you want to do coz your passionate about doing it.
– Please do not write chatting, talking with friends, sleeping, watching
TV, roaming around as hobbies.
– Probably – networking instead of chatting, travelling instead of roaming
around etc
– Use power words.
– Please be prepared for questions – might be asked to explain about
your hobbies. Don’t jus write anything.

31. A FEWGUIDELINES FOR A BETTER PRESENTATION
oThe resume is visually enticing - Simple clean structure. Very easy to
read. Symmetrical. Balanced, uncrowned.
oThere is uniformity and consistency in the use of italics, capital
letters, bullets, boldface, and underlining - Absolute parallelism in
design decisions.
oThere are absolutely no errors. No typographical errors. No spelling
errors. No grammar, syntax, or punctuation errors. No errors of fact.

32. All the basic, expected information is included - key
information
–your name, address, phone number, and your email address
at the top of the first page,
–listing of jobs held in reverse chronological order,
–educational degrees including the highest degree received in
reverse chronological order.
–Additional, targeted information

33. Jobs listed
–include a title, the name of the firm, the city and state of the
firm, and the years.
–expected to include some mention of education (professional
study or training, partial study toward a degree, etc.)
acquired after high school.

34. It is targeted.
– A resume should be targeted to your goal, to the ideal next step in
your career.
– First you should get clear what your job goal is
– Then you should figure out what key skills, areas of expertise or
body of experience the employer will be looking for
– Gear the resume structure and content around this target, proving
these key qualifications.

35. Strengths are highlighted / weaknesses de-
emphasized
–Focus on whatever is strongest and most impressive.
–Make careful and strategic choices as to how to organize,
order, and convey your skills and background

36. •It has focus
–Don't make the reader go through the whole resume to figure out what
your profession is and what you can do.
•Use power words
•Show you are results-oriented.
–Wherever possible, prove that you have the desired qualifications through
clear strong statement of accomplishments, rather than a statement of
potentials, talents, or responsibilities.
•Writing is concise and to the point.
–Keep sentences as short and direct as possible.
–Eliminate any extraneous information and any repetitions.
–Don’t use many examples. One would suffice.

37. •Vary long sentences (if these are really necessary) with short punchy
sentences.
–Use phrases rather than full sentences
–start sentences with verbs, eliminating pronouns ("I", "he" or "she").
–Vary words: Don't repeat a "power" verb or adjective in the same
paragraph.
–Use commas to clarify meaning.
–Remain consistent in writing such as use of abbreviations and
capitalizations.
•Make it look great.
–Use a laser printer or an ink jet printer that produces high- quality results
•Include Telephone number, email ID that will be answered

38. Shorter is usually better.
–Most Fortune 500 prefer have a one- or two-
page resume.
–The larger your accomplishments, easier to
communicate them in few words.
–Resume - ad to market you, not life history.
Don't bore them with the details.

39. Watch your verb tense.- Verb tenses are based on accurate reporting.
–Use either the first person ("I") or the third person (''he," "she")
point of view, but use whichever you choose consistently.
–Accomplishment completed - past tense. Task is still underway
- present tense.
–If the skill has been used in the past and will continue to be
used, use present tense ("conduct presentations on member
recruitment and trade associations").
–A way of "smoothing out" transitions is to use the past
continuous ("have conducted more than 20 presentations...").

40. • The word "Resume" at the top of the resume
• Fluffy rambling "objective" statements
• Salary information
• Full addresses of former employers
• Reasons for leaving jobs
• A "Personal" section, or personal statistics (except in special cases)
• Names of supervisors
• References
WHAT NOT TO PUT ON A RESUME

41. QUESTIONS YOU WOULD ASK YOU WRITING RESUME –
ANSWER ALL!!!
• What key qualifications will the employer be looking for?
• What qualifications will be most important to them that you possess?
• Which of these are your greatest strengths?
• What are the highlights of your career to date that should be emphasized?
• What should be de-emphasized?
• What things about you and your background make you stand out?
• What are your strongest areas of skill and expertise? Knowledge? Experience?
• What are some other skills you possess--perhaps more auxiliary skills?

42. •What are characteristics you possess that make you a strong candidate? (Like
"innovative, hard-working, strong interpersonal skills, ability to handle multiple
projects simultaneously under tight deadlines")
•What are the three or four things you feel have been your greatest
accomplishments?
•What was produced as a result of your greatest accomplishments?
•Can you quantify the results you produced in numerical or other specific terms?
•What sorts of results are particularly impressive to people in your field?
•What results have you produced in these areas?

46. Can be still improvised by
oBulleting the profession summary.
oOrganizing the internship details better.
oProjecting the strength – skills and accomplishments.
oIncluding project details
oAvoiding details like DOB, Language (optional), location preference etc
and including personal site like professional LinkedIn site/ personal website.

47. Thank you..