Resume Writing Format

Its easy to confuse resume format with resume style. Cut through the confusion by remembering that a resume format is a diagram. Resumes are structured into sections. The difference in resume format is where employment experience, skills, and education are placed within the resume body. Resume sections include: 1. Your name Goes at the top of your resume 2. Your address Placed directly below your name. How you choose to place your name is a matter of the style. 3. Resume Objective Tells your employer what job you are applying for or whether you are submitting your resume for any job that fits your qualifications. 4. Profile or Summary of Qualifications - Your short statement of why you feel you are an appropriate candidate for the job. This section is an optional section. 5. Employment History - A reverse chronology of your work experience. Generally, your resume needs to list the details of only your last three positions or the last ten years of your employment experience. If you have extensive work experience, you may want to follow the employment history section with a bulleted list of additional experience, like that on the sample below. 6. Education - Unless you are still in school or a recent graduate, your resume needs to list only 1) the name of your college or trade school, your degree, and the year of graduation and/or 2) the name of your high school and the year you graduated. 7. Skills - Organize skills into the order they are most relevant to your job, or subdivide them into categories so that an employer can easily see what additional attributes youll bring to the job. 8. Activities - Another optional section for either professional or community projects in which you participated. Basic Resume Formats Most employers prefer you format your resume using one of three basic methods: chronological, skills, or combination. Chronological is the most common type of resume format and most often preferred by potential employers. However, unless an employer requests a particular resume format, choose your resume format based on your resume objective and the skills and employment experiences that best highlight your qualifications for the job. Chronological: The chronological resume format lists work experience first, beginning with your last (or current) job. After tracing your work history, the chronological format continues with your education and concludes with extra skills and interests that may contribute to your ability to perform the job. Skills Format: The skills resume begins with a list of skills that relate to the job for which you are applying. The skills resume format is exceptionally useful when 1) you are applying for a job in a different field than your work experience, 2) you have large gaps in your work experience or 3) you have little of no paid work experience.

The Combination or Functional Format: This format is useful in highlighting skills that are relevant to a particular field of work. It is best used to demonstrate improvement and achievement within a specific field of work. Two other resume formats are: Curriculum Vitae: A very structured, detailed and lengthy resume format, the curriculum vitae is typically only used by educators and scientists with broad academic and professional credentials. Besides employment, education, and skills, the curriculum vitae provides prospective employers with a list of the candidates publications, projects, and awards. For the average job search, submission of a curriculum vitae is best described as overkill. Electronic Format: Generally, this is the pre-formatted resume youll find at online job sites or resume distribution centers. Although some sites allow moderate customizations, frequently you just need to fill in the blanks. Some electronic resumes are entered into job data banks, meaning your chance of obtaining an interview (the main purpose of resume submission) is slim. Here are a few tips to help you along the way in writing a Freshers Resume:

Be very clear of the objective for writing the resume. As once the objective has been decided you can structure your resume around it. Without an objective, a Freshers Resume will appear unfocussed. Remember your resume is marketing a brand called you. It is a tool that you could use to your benefit if it is crafted well. See that you enlist your features and benefits that they just cant be missed. Think of what makes you unique and definitely include that. Make sure that all the relevant information is there. Remember that the resume is to get you an interview and not a job. So dont go into details for everything otherwise what will you speak at the interview. Be clear and concise. Generate enough interest for you to be called for the interview. Bullet your sentences. That will make it easy for the reader to pick out the important information and will automatically make your sentences shorter. Resumes are usually meant to be scanned and not read in detail initially. So bullets will make the information easy on the eye. Use action and power words to add life and zing to your resume. Try to use as many numbers as possible. This will serve two purposes. One is it will make the information stand out from the rest of it and two is it will let the interviewer know that you are stating facts. Arrange the information chronologically. Let your strengths lead the list. See that all your strong points are showcased right upfront and cant be missed. Follow the inverted pyramid format. Review the advertisements posted and use the key words in your resume to match with what the employer is looking for. You must showcase to the employer your relevant skills and qualification to suit that particular position. Use technical jargon that is specific to the industry/career stream that you are applying for or words that are used to show your competencies.

Highlight the positives. Play it smart. Put yourself in your readers shoes and visualize his reaction. If you feel it will not be the kind of reaction that you expect then keep out that bit of information. Focus on the duties that support the objective. Do not for sure include irrelevant data. Show what you know and how varied your knowledge base is. Highlight the skills you have picked up in different fields which could benefit you to multi-task. See that your resume reads easily. Format it carefully, use an appropriate font which is no smaller than 10. Limit the length to not more than two pages. Ask someone to review your resume before you send it so that any flaws can be picked out and rectified. Also ask them to ask you questions based on your resume so you can practice answering convincingly. RESUME SAMPLE

Amit Ghosh 789 White house Road, Koramangala, Bangalore 998 009, India Email: xxx@aol.com Phone: 91-80-45679987 OBJECTIVE: To secure a job in the IT industry where I can utilise my knowledge for the organisations growth EDUCATION B.Tech. Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai (20012005) Thesis Title: Efficient use of software in offices Advisor: Anne DCoasta Summary: Improvement in the use of the software that is used in offices at the moment. This was published in Graphics India magazine in 2005 St. Xaviers School, Bangalore (Graduated 2000) Ranked 2nd in school in 12th C.B.S.E. Board Examination. PROJECT WORK (B. Tech)

Built a computer that could work on solar energy.

TRAINEESHIP EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant, TIFR, Mumbai (Aug Dec 2004): Helped the professors to research and collate information on various computer related topics. Project Trainee, ABC Networks, Bangalore: (Jan 2005-present): Work as a project trainee for this start-up company. Implemented new projects and participated in them. Tested the new software.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Software: SQL Server, Apache, CVS, Mathematica, Latex. Also, audio/video formats and codecs. Languages: C/C++, STL, Python, Javascript/C# Platforms: Linux, FreeBSD, Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000.

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Best B.Tech thesis 2004. Dept of Computer Science. IISC Bangalore Silver Medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad at school. Ranked 10th in IIT Joint Entrance Examination 2000.

TRAININGS / CERTIFICATIONS

A six month course in C, C++ and Java from the National Computing Agency A ceritfication in multi-media and animation from Animation Toonz Communication skils workshops conducted by the British Agency in Bangalore

REFERENCES

Will be furnished when asked for.