At an average, an employer spends not more than 6 seconds per resume. This is what makes it extremely imperative to make yours worth the glimpse! Although the question that arises here is how do we make it count? There can be hardly a disapproval when it is emphasized that the foremost thing that will speak in your resume is what you have studied, achieved and experienced.

Once that is sorted out, only then can you move onto understanding how you need to represent that information. Once you have completed your studies, the world of job search opens up. There are millions of career options after you completed your studies and they have one thing in common. Which is a resume?

A resume is your only representation to get noticed in the eyes of the employer before making it to the further rounds of selection. This makes it crucial for job seekers to focus on this often-neglected aspect of the job application process. People with the greatest of experiences also lose out on opportunities simply because their resume is not presented in the best way to suit the requirements of the company. Often job seekers’ negligence on their resume building process leads to a backlog in the amount of opportunities they are offered.

The most capable of potential employees to a firm also tend to lose their chance to a less qualified individual since they lack that competitive edge that the resume gives on the overall profile of the candidate.  In this article, you will be able to gain valuable insights about job application, resume building and making an impression in a step by step format. So let’s dive deep into how to draft a resume for job seekers!

Master Resume Preparation

Master Resume is something that contains everything. Your educational qualifications, work experiences, skills, accomplishments, awards and lots more. This master resume forms the base for any format that you choose for your resume presentation. Once you have a master resume you can do a need based selection on what you want to showcase to your interviewer. Once this is done, here are the key factors that you need to have keep in mind and represent within your resume.

1. Add a professional email address: An unprofessional email address in the resume of a candidate often leads to disqualification. Even if your overall application is impressive, the contact details are something you add on the top of your resume. Make sure the email id is not an unprofessional one.
2. Write a resume not biography: Resumes exceeding a page or at max two are not paid much heed to as it is not meant to be a biography. Try to concise all details and experiences to a single page document and not more than that.
3. Cover Letter: A short cover letter could have specific experiences and skills which would match the particular job opening and not a generic summary. It helps give an edge to the overall application.
4. Uniform Resume Template: A resume that is too colourful comes out as an unprofessional application. The template you choose is very important in deciding the overall look of your resume. Too many colours or designs can make it seem improper.
5. Sequence of Information: The order in which different sections are presented in a resume matter a lot. Try to order experiences in a way that the latest and the most relevant to the job description appear first.
6. Need Based Selection: Do not add something you did very long ago if it is not pertinent. Irrelevant experiences from the point of view of the job opening or extremely old record of things seem to be a page filler and not of much importance to the employers.

Resume Format

There are thousands of formats available only and all of them are good in their own way. You need to select the correct format according to your need and the company you are apply for. All resume formats available online have a similar sequence of information. Therefore, here are some basic things you should keep in mind when you are inculcating your data into your resume.

1. Professional Photograph: If a photograph of the candidate is attached to a resume, it should be a professional one and not necessarily a social media candid picture. Maintaining a professional decorum is crucial when applying for any job. This showcases your dedication towards your profession as well.
2. Clear Language Use: Just like Beatrix Potter has said, “The shorter and the plainer the better”. Using clear and understandable language is supremely important in the resume text. Avoid explanation and use key points instead of long sentences. Also, don’t try to stuff too many complicated words in the resume. Employers do not appreciate it, instead just use decent vocabulary to summaries.
3. Arrangement and Sectioning: Make defined sections to accommodate various segments like education, experiences, skills, etc. This is a continuous process so keep updating your work experiences and highlight achievements from time to time. So, resume building is not a one-time task, you need to keep updating.
4. Keywords: Ensure that the keywords used in the resume are relevant to the field of application. Customizing your resume in accordance to the position you are applying for is important. Put you job relevant experiences on the top for a better suitability of your candidature.
5. Skills: Mention both technical as well as soft skills in your resume. Also, knowing languages and other extracurricular diversify your resume. It shows your overall personality as well as adds to your skills.
6. Removing Errors: Don’t use grammar correcting software. The best way is to read it yourself multiple times and keep making necessary changes accordingly. This way you will be able to figure out what to keep and what to remove.
7. Skill Ranking System: One can quantify the skill capabilities on a scale of 1 to 10 for a better understanding of how well one knows a software (for example: Microsoft Word-7/10, Excel-6/10, Python-8/10 and so on). Don’t overrate yourself as that might make recruiters doubt your skill rating.

“The simpler you say it, the more eloquent it is.” —August Wilson

Remember that the foremost objective is to make those few seconds count by selling yourself on paper to your potential recruiters. So, keep it simple and presentable. Whenever you feel that your resume is perfect and cannot be improved further, hand it over to a friend or a colleague and use their feedback to upgrade it! This tip will help you to get an outsider feedback which might help you with something that you might be overlooking. These were some of the tips and tricks that you must keep in mind while drafting and improving your resume for securing the job of your choice!