RESUME WRITING

Resume introduces you to a potential employer. It is a document that contains a summary of your education and work experience. It is typically used by an employer to screen applicants. Therefore, it has to be precise and clear. It should present your skills and work experience in such a fashion that an employer can see, at a glance, how you will contribute to the employer's workplace, if hired. An effective resume is clearly focused on a specific job title and addresses the employer's stated requirements for the position. It is well-organized and to-the-point. A resume is often the first line of contact. Thus it is an important document which establishes a first impression of a potential job candidate on the hirer. If written well it may convince the reader that the job candidate is ideally suited for the job. When coupled with an effective cover letter, the resume can be a very strong marketing tool. PREPARING A RESUME Your resume might not get you the job but it can certainly secure your chances of being seen and interviewed. Always treat it as a marketing tool. It should accurately convey your hiring value (for the specific position). Keep the following points in your mind before preparing your resume: It should not be difficult to follow. It should be precise and not very lengthy It should be well-organized so that it captures the employers interest.

Skills While preparing your resume keep in mind the post you are applying for. You should understand the needs of the position, and if you recognize the companys need.

As in any type of marketing material, it is important to present the information so that it captures your employers interest quickly. Your goal is to encourage the reader to stay with your document as long as possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to create a Summary Section at the beginning of your resume. This section will tell the reader about those personal and professional skills you possess and will highlight those skills that allow you to excel in post applied for. Skills should be listed in such a fashion that they set you apart from your competing candidates, particularly candidates with similar skills. Employer When writing your resume, keep in mind your specific reader, i.e., they employer/company. Listing information that will be of no value to the position or company being targeted is just a waste of time and space. Your potential employer is most interested in seeing how hiring you will benefit him/her and the company. Your resume should make them feel that you are the right person for the job. They should, while screening your resume, feel that they are making the right choice. Employers these days do not want to waste revenue on hiring and training people. So, they are very particular about who they are employing or rather even calling for an interview. The most effective way to do this is by identifying how you have benefited employers in the past and listing them cleverly in your CV. Let the reader know about your participation and accomplishments.

Presentation The layout of your resume is extremely important. Your resume needs to maintain a clean and professional appearance. It should allow the reader to access the information 2

with ease and quickly. Ensure that there are neat margins, adequate space between sections and subsections, and indenting to highlight text. Be careful while using bolding and italics. Overuse of these features often diminishes their effectiveness. Put your complete contact information as it is the most important element in the document. Make sure your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address are clearly visible. It should be ideally mentioned at the top of the document. It is beneficial to add your name and phone number on additional pages as there are always chances of these sheets to become separated and get lost. Length The standards for resume length have changed. Earlier resumes were to be one-page in length and not longer. But this would make the CV of the candidates with years of experience look messy and unreadable. These days this one-page rule no longer exists. Now, one can use as much space as you need to concisely, accurately, and effectively communicate ones education, skills, employment history, achievements, and other accomplishments. The length of a resume doesnt make a difference anymore till the time the information furnished is relevant and valuable to the employer. Mention in detail, your most recent employment and accomplishments. Always talk about your growth in a company where multiple positions have been held. Cite promotions and increased responsibilities. List positions held prior to this but there isnt a need to provide their details. This section is usually referred as Work Experience and is the most valuable part of resume. It has to power to entice the reader call you for an interview. If this section is not impressive enough then you might loose a good opportunity or a position. Once called for an interview, you will have an opportunity to expand on the information mentioned in your resume. 3

RESUME FORMAT Given below is the most frequently used format: CONTACT INFORMATION Name Address Phone, Fax E-mail id OBJECTIVE It should be short and crisp. It is a statement of your goals for employment, and is typically forms the first section of a resume. Stating an objective is optional. However, it helps convince employee that you know what you want and are familiar with the field. It can also mention the kind of employment you are looking for. WORK EXPERIENCE List your work experience here. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS Qualifications needs to be mentioned here EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Mention your extracurricular activities so that the reader knows what all you are good at and how actively you participate in other activities and programmes. It just gives them an impression about how enthusiastic you are. HOBBIES Informs the reader about the kind of person you are. REFERNCES If required 4

DATE AND SIGNATURE Given below is a sample resume of an HR employee:

Rati Singh
House no:112, RM Road, Pitam Pura, Delhi Tel no.: 91-999933333 (M), 011-3294410 (R) Email: [email protected] OBJECTIVE To continuously enhance my knowledge base and be an active contributing member in an organization that provides me challenging work and growth opportunities. ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS PGDBM (Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management) from MNA, Delhi (2004-2005) MA in Economics from ABC University (2002-2004) B. Com (Hons) from X College, University (1999-2002)

WORK EXPERIENCE I.

XYZ Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

Designation: Period: Job Responsibilities: Team Member November 2006-till date

Screening and scrutinizing candidates profile on the basis of their expertise Updating and maintaining the database of ABC for the given specialized verticalHR. Sourcing candidates from References and Head Hunting. Conducting preliminary interviews, and responsible for short-listing suitable candidates. Short-listing of resumes as per client requirement from current database. Delivering HR Mandates demanded by our Clients efficiently in time. Exhaustive Resume mining on Job Portals like Monster India, Naukri, Times Jobs. 5

Evaluating & generating the report providing the detailed information of clients mandate handled by me. Conducting telephonic interviews of prospective candidates. Preparing MIS Reports.

S. N. Sons and Co.

Designation: Period: Job Responsibilities Co-ordinating Recruitment Process in the organization Handling all pre-joining & joining formalities followed by Induction Program at all levels. Conducting reference checks. Maintaining leave records and absenteeism data of employees Verifying title documents of customers of our clients (like Citibank, SBI etc.) from a legal perspective and preparing reports thereon. Drafting of Mortgage Deeds. Preparing presentation for clients. Coordinating Training Sessions. One point contact for clients regarding service quality and general queries. Senior Executive Assistant May 2003-October 2006

SKILLS Good Public Relation skills Quality team player Strong analytical abilities. Well polished business etiquettes

ACHIEVEMENTS & ACTIVITIES Scored highest marks in HR project in PGDBM. Topped in Economics in final year of graduation. Pursued positive attitude and public speaking course from Postive thinking Executive Member of Dramatics Society in College (1999-2000)

PERSONAL INFORMATION Date of Birth: Languages Known: Marital Status: August 10, 1982 English and Hindi Single 6

Interests:

Making friends and listening to music

Date

Rati Singh

COVERING LETTER
A cover letter is a letter that you send along with your CV when you apply for job. An impressive covering letter along with a good resume might improve your chance of selection. The cover letter is the first thing that the recruiter reads when short-listing resumes. It is much shorter than a resume and, if well-written could grab the attention of the person reading it. Your cover letter should highlight the value you offer to meet the employer needs. In a covering letter, briefly introduce yourself, state what position you are applying for and where you saw it advertised. You could also specify the type of work you are looking for; explain why youre interested in this type of work, demonstrating an understanding of what its likely to involve. Highlight the ways in which youre suitable for this position. Take the opportunity, if necessary, to explain any anomalies in your background, such as any time gaps or any ways in which you dont match the selection criteria. Here is a sample covering letter for you: Dear Madam, I recently shifted to Mumbai and am looking for a job. I have 4 years of experience in mainstream publishing of which last 2 years has been with Write & Co Pvt Ltd. I have masters in English Literature from ABC University. Please find attached my resume. Kindly let me know if you have an appropriate position for me. I would love to be a part of your organization. I look forward to hear from you. Thank you With regards Roshini Mehta

Assignment: 1) What is a resume? What do you think your resume should reflect? 7

2) What are the important contents of a resume? 3) A resume has to be to-the-point and easy to follow. Discuss. 4) Draft a resume of a sales executive seeking an employment as Senior sales executive ABCL Ltd 5) You are a marketing executive seeking a position of the marketing manager in pharmaceutical company. Draft a covering letter highlighting your skills.