Resume BestPractices

1. Best practices of resume preparation
12th Jul 2022
An IIMB NSRCEL & Goldman Sachs Supported Firm

2. Resume best practices - Agenda
ü Recruiters’ focus : Why, How & What
ü How to structure the resume
ü How to write points : Academic, PORs/ Extra Curricular, Hobbies, Role Specific
Points
ü Master & Variant resumes
ü Dos & Donts

3. My experience
ü 6 Day Zero Shortlists – 2 IB/6 Consults
ü 15+ rounds of iterations for summers CV

4. The spike!

6. Recruiters’ focus - How
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

7. Recruiters’ focus - How
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

8. Recruiters’ focus - How
Headings
Sub sections
Left side
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

9. Recruiters’ focus - What
Basic details
Last job details, if any
Education
Spikes
(if you have shown
them)
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

10. 2 key things which matters to recruiters…
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Talent | Potential
Competence for
the job

11. Resume not getting shortlisted – frequent reasons

12. Resume not getting shortlisted – frequent reasons
• “Absence of fitment (IT/ Non IT, work experience range, skills etc.)”
• “Resume is all over the place”
(hence missing out on highlighting what is required in JD)
• “Resume is very generic and hence is not able to stand out from its competitors”
• “Resume was difficult to read”
( hence could not get what they were looking for or anything of interest)
• “The resume was very technical”
(meaning the resume could not show the transferable skill which candidate might
have)
• “Some of the claims were unbelievable”

13. Resume not getting shortlisted – frequent reasons
Missing
Focus
Fitment
Missing
“Why Me”
Missing
Business
Language

14. Resumes for freshers and students with work ex
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Freshers
• Leverage your internships/ projects (live/ academic)
• Club/ PORs activities
• Competitions
• Innovativeness/ creativity/ frameworks used >> Show uniqueness of
your work
Work-Ex
• Above + work-ex

15. One page?
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

16. SAR
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Action
Emphasize on skills
used
Situation
Context
Result
Business results

17. SAR Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Reduced cost by INR 3 cr through innovative contract packaging in
purchase of INR 10 cr key telecom equipment at Ericsson
Legends:
Red – Results | Green – Context | Blue - Actions

18. How to write points?
1st way
• Reduced cost by INR 300 cr through innovative contract packaging in
the purchase of INR 10,000 cr key telecom equipment at Ericsson
2nd way
• Purchased INR 10000 cr key telecom equipment for Ericsson; saved
cost by INR 300 cr through innovative contract packaging
Legends:
Red – Results | Green – Context | Blue - Actions
Recruiter
focus Structure Content
Case
studies Relevance Plan

19. Prioritizing key messages (L to R)
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
1st way : Prioritizing on cost reduction message
• Reduced cost by INR 3 cr through innovative contract packaging in
purchase of INR 10 cr key telecom equipment at Ericsson
2nd way : Prioritizing on telecom industry
• Reduced cost by INR 3 cr through innovative contract packaging in
purchase of INR 10 cr key telecom equipment at Ericsson
Legends:
Red – Results | Green – Context | Blue - Actions

20. How to write points?
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
1st way
• Responsible for developing and managing vendors for product development
activities for Maruti
2nd way
• Developed 30 new vendors for critical parts required for the production of
Maruti’s first-ever Commercial Vehicle

21. How to structure points
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Left to Right
SAR Tangible Aspects

22. Tangible aspect
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
1st way : Generic message not impactful
• Responsible for developing and managing vendors for product development
activities for Maruti
2nd way : Point with more tangible aspects of work
• Developed 30 new vendors for critical parts required for the production of
Maruti’s first-ever Commercial Vehicle

23. How do I write Technical points?
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
1st way : Technical
• Operated as Automation tester in Oracle Financial ERP of JAPAC region for
International Client Westpac, Australia
2nd way : Business Aspect without diluting technicalities
• Saved INR 10 cr by automating 30% of testing efforts in Oracle Financial
ERP
• Consulted Global client Westac, Australia in a JAPAC region of Australia

24. Academic projects
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Leverage this space to showcase your relevant projects incl. live projects
• Projects signal your interest in particular subject/ area & action towards them
Example
Live project
• Analytics model for Forecasting in-patient food consumption at Apollo Hospital
• Analyzed 1000+ patient and food data points to design a forecasting model
Strategy
• Created a “Profitability Improvement “ strategy for UltraTech Cements
• Understood the unique value proposition by Applying Porter’s model and Value Chain
analysis
• Suggested differentiation strategy to compete in the industry

25. Academic projects of Undergrad
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Technical way
• Conducted research on the different soil types and their characteristics such
as mineral level & density
• Tested multiple soil samples from different geography and calculated there
soil moisture and soil density level

26. Academic projects of Undergrad
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Bring business/economic impact
• Developed Automated Irrigation system module to optimize the usage and
cost of water for agriculture
And/ or
Show tools/ analysis which you have used
• Used excel modeling for calculating soil moisture & soil density level for
multiple soil samples from different geography

27. Extra curricular
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Important for roles which require diverse experience/ interests/ freshers
• Bucket your Extra curricular
• Give tangible and/or quantified work/ achievements etc.
Example
Club activities
• Elected member (representing 100 students) of Seminar club at IIM
• Conducted 10+ industry expert visits and knowledge sharing sessions
NGO
• Initiated community welfare program ; educated 300+ labor families

28. PORs
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Bring So what aspect
• What you have done
• Election/ Selection

29. Hobbies & Interest
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Bring so what aspect
• Show if you have achieved something there
• Khokho (?????.....)
• Playing badminton – Played state level badminton…...

30. Some examples : For work experience
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

31. Some examples : For work experience
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Handled end to end SDLC
• Buckets could be Software Development, Client Management, Support
• No impact: Example could be
“ Developed a Supply Chain module for a US based Airline client; Saved USD 1 mn p.a. by automating
its entire P2P process”
Ø Use buckets to improve readability
Ø Make it crisp
Ø Bring impact
Ø Bring specifics than generalities

32. Some examples : For internship Projects
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

33. Some examples : For internship Projects
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• What is your impact for the company
• How did you arrive at this impact/ your approach
• Any innovative approach/ framework you have used showcase that
• For e.g “Identified a unique competitive advantage of cyber security solutions provided by
Provyze amongst its 10+ US/Indian competitors”
• There are 3/4 buckets of work you have donehere : Market Research, Competitor Benchmarking,
Lead Management, Project Implementation
Ø Use buckets to improve readability
Ø Bring impact/ specifics first and then tie up you activities with it
Ø Show uniqueness/ creativity/ frameworks etc. of your work

34. Some examples : For research projects
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

35. Some examples : For research projects
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Created a Revenue Maximizing Strategy for Indian telecom industry by using innovative ways
of leveraging emerging technologies : 5G/ IoT
• Identified 3 innovative ways/ use cases – X,Y,Z for increasing the revenue
• Designed a Fraud minimization system in XYZ using BlockChain Technology
Ø Showcase your uniqueness/ innovations/ Out of the box idea etc.
Ø Use buckets to improve readability
Ø Make it crisp
Ø Bring impact
Ø Bring specifics than generalities

36. Other points
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• One pager
• Ideally any resume point should not exceed one line
• Avoid first person/ full stops
• Please check all the hygiene factors such as Facts, Grammar and Typos

37. Resume alignment with required job description
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

38. Alignment with required JD
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Strong and consistent academic credentials combined with distinctive professional
achievements
• At least some professional experience in strategy consulting or a company related industry
• Extensive experience in working with international teams/cultures
• Outstanding analytical and conceptual skills
• Distinctive entrepreneurial and global mind-set
• Strong interpersonal skills and team orientation
• Convincing communication skills

39. Align honestly with JD
h"ps://www.pinterest.com/alexputman1/recrui6ng-cartoons/

40. Type of role and hence resume – Overview (indicative)
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Consulting • Show spikes
• Show impact
• Show key words/ business jargons
• If possible show experience in emerging technology as well
GM/
Leadership
• Leading a team
• Initiatives/ clubs/ extra curricular activities
• All round personality is preferred
Technology
Consulting
• Show understanding of any technology/ tool/ function/ industry
• Show experience in emerging technology as well
• Client management skills, if you have
Sales/ BD • Show impact in terms of revenue earned/target met etc.
• Clients handled/ Accounts managed etc.
• Show marketing research, marketing aspect of your work

41. Type of role and hence resume – Overview (indicative)
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Operations/
SCM
• Operations Management
• Operation Design
• Operation improvement
• Project/ program management
• Leading a team
Product
Management
• Showcase product development experience even if it is creating a new module in some
ERP
• Showcase your involvement in any of the phase of PM including conceptualization,
validation, development, support, product roadmap, monetization, customer
engagement, analytics etc
• Design (UI/UX) experience
• Do live product projects and showcase
Analytics • If you have worked in any analytics project, ETL project, BI project, data visualization
project etc., showcase that

42. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) - Consulting
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Consulting • Show spikes
• Show impact
• Show problem solving skills
• Show industry/ functional words to show relevant
industry/ function/ tools knowledge/ skills
• Client management skills, if you have

43. Consulting resume
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• XX+ years of experience in Operational Excellence and Asset
Optimization at xxxx capacity plant
• Demonstrated the consistent track record of professional excellence
o Received “Star of Business” out of 1000 employees at xxxxx Group
based on <<Consultant name >> assessment
o Rated as the Excellent performer for consecutive three years 2014-17
• Received ‘Gold Medal’ for Academic excellence in xxxxx institute
• Showcasing relevance: “Operational Excellence”, “ Asset optimization”
• Clear spikes : professional and academic excellence

44. Impact Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Bringing impact in a crisp & front-loaded manner
Original
Introduced and executed dealer tie up
which doubled the car-loan business
from INR 150 Cr in March 2019 to
INR 260 Cr in December 2019
Recommended
Increased auto-loan business by INR
110 Cr (2X growth in 6 months) by
introducing & executing 100+ dealer tie
up

45. Example – bring client profile
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Specify client name/ profile useful for consulting roles
Original
Handled xyz solutions for the client
Recommended
Handled xyz solutions for a large (or a
US $ xyz bn) US based steel client

46. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) – GM/ Leadership
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
GM/
Leadership
• Leading a team
• Initiatives/ clubs/ extra curricular activities
• All round personality is preferred

47. Showcasing GM/ Leadership experience
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Projects
• Team size
• Vendors, Geographies
• Emergencies
Examples
• Led a 3+ team as unit-in-charge for the operation of a xxxx unit, generating INR xxxx mn in
revenue per day
• Managed 5+ vendors as category manager to streamline supplies of critical raw material
worth INR 100 mn for 15+ plants across India
• Lead Organizer - “Samantran” – a business conclave; hosted 20+ industry leaders and
managed a footfall of 1000+ participants

48. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) – Technology Consulting
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Technology
Consulting
• Show experience in any technology/ tool/ function/ industry
• If possible show experience in emerging technology as well
• Client management skills, if you have
• Bring business impact using technology please

49. Example
Part of any ERP/ Technology/ Digital solution implementation
• Functional expert for manufacturing domain in implementation of xyz
ERP across organization
• Core team member in implementation of warehouse bar coding system
implementation project
• Automated end to end warehouse spare receipt process reducing manual effort
by 90%
• Coordinated with xyz consultants for design , testing and delivery
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

50. Example – Use industry jargons (not throw industry jargons!!)
Bringing more industry term will help (use only if you understand)
Original
Led cross functional, multicultural teams
of 15 developers, in end to end
implementation of new e-commerce
website and backend integration
Recommended
Managed entire SDLC of new e-
commerce website development &
backend (system/ platform) integration
for a USD XX bn US based Retail client
• Led a team of 15+ cross functional
and multi national developers
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

51. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) – Sales/ BD
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Sales/ BD • Show impact in terms of revenue earned/target met etc.
• Clients handled/ Accounts managed etc.

52. Example – Show numbers
Show impact in numbers (sales, sales increase etc.) in BD roles
Original
Managed multiple RFPs
Recommended
Won (or Helped won) USD 1+ mn deals
by providing inputs to 10+ RFPs in
collaboration with pre-sales and sales teams
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan

53. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) – Operations/ SCM
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Operations
/ SCM
• Operations Management
• Operation Design
• Operation improvement
• Project/ program management
• Leading a team

54. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Operation Design
• Designed and launched new deliver capability across 5 metros for ensuring
“Same Day Delivery” for key household items
Operation Management
• Led a 3+ team as unit-in-charge for the operation of a xxxx unit, generating
INR xxxx mn in revenue per day
Operation Improvement
• Reduced transport cost by 10% through supply chain network optimization

55. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) – Product Management
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Product
Management
• Showcase product development experience even if it is creating
a new module in some ERP
• Showcase your involvement in any of the phase of PM including
conceptualization, validation, development, support, product
roadmap, monetization, customer engagement, analytics etc

56. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Product Management
• Developed a monetization strategy for “xxxx” product
• Segmented ~ 10000+ customers by their transaction analysis
• Designed payment wallet app integration feature for the product
• Resulted in improved customer experience by lean product interface
Team Management
• Led 5+ team developing a SaaS product for analyzing customer drop
rates
• Showcasing relevance: “monetization strategy”, Customer segmentation,
app integration, SaaS product, customer experience etc.
• Team management skills

57. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Trying to showcase product angle
Original
Led the design of integration framework of
WMS with 6 other value chain modules in
P2P/O2C cycle – In collaboration with senior
domain experts to design flow and inventory
reconciliation
Recommended
Designed integration architecture (or
framework) for WMS with 6 P2P/O2C cycle
products (or systems) in collaboration
with senior product (or domain) experts

58. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Non Technology Product
• Showcase your collaboration with sales/ marketing/ customer support team/
customers
• If you are using any tool (simulation, CAD/ CAM/ modeling etc. show that)
• Showcasing leading team/ P&L/ Category etc. is very helpful
• Showcase emerging technology IoT, sensors etc.

59. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) - Strategy
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Strategy • Industry knowledge
• Skills of prior consulting/ report analysis/ any policy making
work etc.

60. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Strategy
• Devised “Long Term Fuel Import Policy” along with external consultant PwC
to ensure fuel security for 15000 MW power plants
• Devised business case for “IoT Centre of Excellence” and convinced top
management for an investment of USD 1 mn
• Different type of business cases: Cloud adoption, AI-Ml use cases & adoption,
Pilots etc.
• Any Entry Strategy, BD project, set up of a capability etc.

61. Type of role and hence resume (indicative) - Analytics
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Career Resume
Analytics • If you have worked in any analytics project, ETL project, BI
project, data visualization project etc., showcase that

62. Example
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Analytics
• Led a team of 6 & created 2 supply chain applications for XYZ cloud-based
platform
o Created a Network optimization tool for designing optimal supply chain
o Created an Intelligence tool to take supply chain decisions based on the
dynamic real-world conditions
o Provided inputs to the sales team for selling applications on a subscription
model to 2 Supply Chain clients
• Used Python, GCP, Tableau etc.

63. Creating relevant resume points during the course
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
• Live projects
• Competitions : Microsoft, Diamond, Amazon Customer Excellence challenge
• Tools : Financial Modeling, R, Tableau
Live Projects Examples
• Live consulting project :Forecasting in-patient food at Apollo Hospital;
o Analyzed patient & food data to design a forecasting model
• Live IoT Analytics project : Data analysis for Air Compressors to model predictive maintenance for the
company
• Customer Pick up Model at xxxx : Evaluating company’s proposed Customer Pick up model for reducing
logistic cost and improving customer experience
Competition Examples
• Runner-up (2nd out of 8000 ) in Amazon Customer Excellence (ACE) challenge; devised marketing strategy for
Amazon Prime

64. How many resume?
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Variant resume
for each target
industry/ function/
role & later on for
each JD
Master resume
Highlighting your
strengths / a base/
repository for your
future resumes

65. How many resume?
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Master Resume
1. Create an excel
2. List down all your work
3. Structure the work in “SAR” framework
4. Finalize the functional buckets
5. Use the resume template
6. Create a good quality resume
7. Get it reviewed multiple times by multiple people
8. Re work and go to step 6

66. Steps for resume(s) building
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Variant Resume
• Understand the requirement of target industry/ company / role
• Finalize the buckets
• Highlight the relevance in career summary and functional/ role wise
buckets
• Leverage the Master Resume points with focus on prioritizing the
relevant experience

67. Conclusion
Recruiter
focus Structure Content Relevance
Case
studies Plan
Resume
structure
Recruiters’
focus
Content
structure
Aligning to JD Plan
• Quick
assessment
• What matters
to them
• Chronological
• Functional
• SAR
• L to R
• Tangible |
Quantifiable
• Responsibilities
& KPIs based
JD analysis
and resume
alignment
• Honest
alignment
• Excel based
worksheet
• Quality Master
resume
• Review and
finalization
• Variants
• JD based
alignment
Hygiene Factors – Truth | Formatting | Spellings | Grammar