Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Resume Tips - Session 4


Present your work history in an order. Ensure that your work history is listed in a particular order. You can either use a chronological series or in a functional order. Ensure that the work experience that is most relevant to the job opening is at the clearly visible.
.
Use proper spacing: Never use double spaces between words and use just a single line space between lines. This ensures that the text is legible. Too much or too less space between words and lines impact readability
Use margins to give your resume a neat look. The margins can vary from 0.5 inches to 1 inch. Also, remember to justify the text in the body so that the content looks neat and attractive.
Be concise. Ensure that you have just the relevant information in your resume and not a complete laundry list of what all you have done in life. A lengthy resume decreases your chances of getting an interview just because the recruiter may not find time to go through your resume.

Apart from the points mentioned above, remember to be conservative with words. Ensure that you have just the relevant information in your resume and not a complete laundry list of what all you have done in life. A lengthy resume decreases your chances of getting an interview just because the recruiter may not find time to go through your resume. Keep these points in your mind when creating a resume and see how the number of interview calls you receive go up

FORMATTING
Recommended fonts: Caliber or Ariel; Size 10 or 11
 • Use left margin justification i.e. keep all text in the main body left-aligned.
• Use single line spacing between the lines.
• Use straight lines to break sections and also to give an outline to the resume, if you wish to.
• Simple bullet points under each category head give a neat format.
 • A resume should ideally be two pages in length, and a cover letter strictly one page.
  Senior or IT resumes could run into three pages.
Use a readable font: Courier, Times New Roman, Caliber, Helvetica, and Arial are safe bets. Keep the font size anywhere between 10-11 never use decorative or cursive fonts as they affect the readability of text
Always use a black font and again avoid using varied colors or any kind of graphic embellishments. As far as possible avoid italics, shadow or shading effects. Also do not use condensed or expanded spacing between the letters
Things to avoid
Do not be monotonous. Try and avoid long paragraphs and lengthy bullet lists. Try to segregate information under different heads so that scanning your resume is easy.
Avoid too much white space. Use white spaces to distinguish between different sections, but do not overdo it. It will just add to the number of pages and a recruiter may not take the pain to go through the entire bunch of pages.
Avoid using a table with multiple columns. If you have to use a table, stick to 2-3 columns. Too many multi-column tables give your resume a monotonous look.
Don’t include graphics, background images or pictures in your resume. These give your resume an unprofessional look and also make it heavy and difficult to send through e-mails.

Avoid keywords just as you would on a resume

  • extensive experience
  • innovative
  • motivated
  • results-oriented
  • dynamic
  • proven track record
  • team-player
  • fast-paced
  • problem-solver
  • entrepreneurial
  • Responsible for

No comments:

Post a Comment