DON’T LOSE THE JOB BECAUSE YOUR RESUME SAYS YOU ARE A FRESHER

Before you sit down to put your thoughts together on the preparation of a resume, you should clearly know the meaning, the motive and the importance of a resume.

A resume is a testimony of one’s achievements, skills, interests and inherent strength, manifested through different sections like career objective, education, experience and skills for the purpose of getting called for the interview, not the job. Your personal interview will get you the job.

It is therefore of paramount importance that all the relevant data and facts are put down in an easy to read manner to look credible enough to grab the eyeball of the employer.

Whether you are applying for the first time after your college studies or changing your career midway or aspiring for a higher post, a resume is one instrument that will set the ball rolling if you market it in a professional way.

There is no right or wrong way of writing a resume. There are no set formulas or pre-determined formats. All resumes whether for the accomplished or freshers, need to have the basic information of qualifications and experience for the employer to perceive their competence for the job.

Very often the question in the minds of freshers is, what do I say which is substantial to warrant a call? Yes, you do not stand a chance for a job that requires experienced and skilful people, but you can stand out among the crowd as a unique person who can make a difference.

Therefore a fresher will need to modify his resume slightly as per the employer’s need to make up for the lack of professional experience and career objective

Companies are always in search of young people who can add new dimensions, infuse fresh ideas and create opportunities in innovation and creativity to boost up the company profile.

Here I would add what many think is not relevant but is very essential:  The idea of creating an image of yourself in the mind of the employer. The employer does not know you as a person.  The resume will give him a flash about your qualifications but not about your strengths and your inner traits. That you will have to, in order for him to be convinced of your role in the organization. The image that he forms will determine your future. If he forms an image of you as one who is committed to achieve goals, as one who can add value as a team player, as one who can complete the jobs within the time frame, as one who does not keep staring at the clock,  then your resume will come alive to him. You will sell yourself as a person and not vacuous words and that will set you apart from the others.

Eg: Personal qualities:

• Ability to work with others in any environment
• Take complete responsibility to meet deadlines
• Solid organizational skills with attentions to details
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Enthusiastic and dependable with a positive outlook

Do not use pompous or high sounding words to describe yourself, but support it with your co- curricular activities and interest that should relate to the job applied for.

Here are a few points to be kept in mind while preparing a resume.

Sections: The important thing in any resume is to use sections to split into different segments as they help the employer to focus on specific information and qualification which he is wanting to. Avoid too much text within the small area.

Personal details: A vital aspect of your resume is the personal details.  However good and attractive your resume may be, and you may be the right candidate, but your resume will go to the bin if the employer is not able to contact you.

Career objective:  A career objective displays whether the aspiration of the candidate is in sync with the requirement of the employer. Therefore what you bring to the table about what you can do for the company is vital, not what you expect the company to do for your personal growth. And this objective will make your resume unique.

eg : if you have completed an IT course, your objective can go as follows:

Looking forward to a challenging job in a reputable organization where my analytical skills and creativity can be utilized to the utmost to solve problems or develop new ideas in computer software programs.

• Or a graphic designer:

To attain a respectable position of a Designer in your organization where I can utilize my “out of the box” creative and innovative ideas in designing, thereby adding to the development of the organization.

• Or seeking for an internship

To apply my creative designing skills while gaining some hands-on experience through an internship position and thus help in taking your company to a higher level.

Do not copy verbatim from the web pages but rather use them to formulate your own.

Academic Qualifications: This is the most important segment in your resume in the absence of any experience.  So play around it as per the requirement of the company, highlight it, adorn it with facts and if there is any other skill to go with it, especially if you have any internship or any project related achievement linked to the job, or any interest that you want to showcase,  then highlight it. This is what will catch the employer’s attention.

1. Internship proof:

I’ve done an internship where I worked for a PR team on research for the company. My responsibility was going through all the newspapers, magazines and on line resources to gather information on all the coverage the company was receiving.  This brought me in direct contact with all the reporters and editors of many newspapers and magazines. Today I am well versed with the in and outs of newspaper and magazine reporting.

1. Project undertaken:

Led a team of 15 college students for a campaign on “No smoking” in colleges around Mumbai city, and was highly appreciated by the Chief Minister too. The campaign was taken to different states too at the behest of the Governor.

And finally don’t be in a haste to send an incomplete, haphazard document with false facts. Remember the interviewer has gone through thousands of resumes and he can easily recognize the chaff from the wheat.