A brief “Yes” - “No” Guide to building a Resume

“Your resume says a lot about you! It determines whether you will be called IN for an interview or NOT”

Resumes serve two purposes:

1. Get shortlisted:

Get your resume selected from the crowd. There are companies which shortlist candidates based on the resumes in such cases you’ll have to have a relevant crisp resume. HR teams in these companies do not have much time to read though resumes in detail. So, your resume has to be crisp to grab attention of HR on quick glimpse.

2. The Interview:

There are companies which hire candidates in bulk bulk or have technical coding round in the beginning. These companies may not use your resume for shortlisting. Nonetheless it is still important to put in right information in your resume as the interviewer, as interviewers typically ask questions based on resume. Your resume could help you drive the conversation in your desired direction!

Having understood the purpose of a resume, now the question would be -

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A RESUME??

Here are a few important points that will make your resume stronger in terms of the technical areas and get you through the huge crowd!

• Create a dedicated Technical Skills section –Under this, you can list various technical skills you have learnt. ALERT!!! – Keep the skills very relevant to your job application and only those which you are good at. Make your technical skills the centrepiece of your resume!


• Prove it in your Projects -You can provide a brief description of your project, preferably in points. Also, having link to Github of your project work is great added advantage.
  NOTE: If you do not have more than one project or you are not having much activity in GitHub or any other public forum, then avoid including the link.


• LinkedIn profile -You can include link to your LinkedIn profile, provided your profile is up to date and you have Posts and have contributed to discussions.


• Certifications -Certifications may help you further your technical knowledge, which doesn’t mean you flood your resume with certifications!! Tweak your resume according to the firm you’re applying in. Hence only include a couple of certifications of utmost relevance and value.


• Work experience!Most important of all – Work experience! Well of course a fresher would have none. Yet, this is where Internships help. Give a brief description of the Internship you’ve done. In the description, talk about outcomes that you have been able to achieve. E.g. “The application I developed improved on boarding of customers by 5%" or say "My Project improved upon finding in IEEE paper and provided new insights". State outcome of your work and how it made an impact.
  Also, do not include any project or work that you cannot explain well if probed by the interviewer.

What are the few points that should not be a part of your resume?

DO NOT -

• Don't simply name your resume "resume" when you save the file. Use your name and date, so the hiring manager will know whose resume it is.


• Any personal data beyond your contact information:Do not include any personal information beyond your address, email, and phone number. Leave out your age, gender, caste, religion, etc... As it is irrelevant in the context.


• References available upon request:Do not include any references in your resume unless asked for it.


• Irrelevant Languages:Do not include numerous regional languages in your resume. Instead you can include relevant languages.
  For example – if you have learnt German, Spanish or any other language, if at all the company is based from a place relevant to the language you’ve mastered then go ahead and include it in your resume.


• More than 2 pages:A resume should not go beyond 2 pages. Keep it relevant and crisp!


• Format:Never send your resume as a word document. PDF is preferred as it can be opened in many devices and will not cause any formatting mess. This is the most common mistake made by fresher’s, henceforth be extra careful in this area.


• Proofreading:Always have your resume proofread by another person as wrong spellings or grammatical errors in resumes do not look good instead it shows your carelessness.


• Irrelevant Hobbies:Do not put hobbies just for sake of it. For example, watching TV. If a hobby brings positive side of you or highlights any specific skill of yours, only then include it.


• Excessive data:Do not put obsolete skills or projects which are not relevant to job or skills that you don’t have. Putting a big laundry list of skills will not impress the interviewer. Rather put those skills which you are good at currently.

Credentials:

• 1. https://resumegenius.com/how-to-write-a-resume/skills-section-writing-guide/technical-skills-resume-list
• 2. http://www.base36.com/2013/03/10-tips-for-a-successful-technical-resume/
• 3. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-not-to-include-in-your-resume-2063284