Writing a good resume is a prerequisite for getting the job of one's choice. There are many resume writings tips that would certainly help a person in writing his resume. Resume writing is nothing but a form of presentation of a person’s personal, academic, and professional profile, in an organized and formal manner which plays a very important role in job appointments alongside the interview. There are various important points that one must keep in mind while writing a resume, and a few resume writing tips would always help you in putting together a decent resume and increase the chance of getting the job of your choice. You must have sufficient practice of resume writing and proofread the resume before submitting it.
The Elements of Resume Writing
For effective resume writing, one should always keep certain points in mind which would help in writing a good resume. The first thing to keep in mind is the heading of the resume, which would occupy the topmost part and attract attention before anything else in the document. This part should have the person's name, email address, other contact information, and communication address. While writing a resume, a summary is very important. The summary comprises the various skills and achievements that a person has in the form of a short paragraph with a few sentences. The professional experience follows the summary, which would comprise the experience that a person has in the relevant field. The educational qualifications, hobbies, and skills should also be highlighted. One must always proofread to ensure quality, and make sure the resume is free of grammatical and spelling errors.
Resume Writing Format
Since a resume contains a lot of information about a person, the format is very important to ensure the information is conveyed in a systematic and organized manner. Resume writing tips would help in deciding the best resume writing template. The three types of resume include combination, functional, and chronological resume, which is accompanied by a cover letter. The chronological resume format is most frequently used which lists the career, and achievements of a person chronologically, from present to past. The functional resume focuses more on the skills of a person than the work experience of that person and is ideal for those who are just starting with their career. The combination resume is as the name suggests a combination of the previous two formats and states the skills as well as the strengths of the candidate and is a balanced view of the two.
Other Types of Resume
There are three additional formats of resumes that are less commonly used. The Infographic resume employs various design elements to display information and uses various layout, colours, and font styles. Targeted resume displays only the required skills and information and is a very specific approach. Other unorthodox resume formats use graphs, charts, etc. to make a resume that can either be in a written or a video format.
Cover Letter
A cover letter must accompany a resume and is a description of the candidate, and his or her interests along with the reasons for wanting to join the particular organization. The cover letter provides an opportunity to the candidates to describe his or her variation in interests, aspirations and preferences. Thereby, it allows the candidate to elaborate upon the information provided in the resume. The cover letter is similar to a normal letter having the contact details, introduction, body, and conclusion.
Resume Writing Example
Following a resume writing example is the best resume writing tip that would help the candidate write a good resume. A resume writing example is as follows.
Raja Das
70 B MG road, Mumbai
Pincode-400702
9876543221
name@domain.com
Objective: To get a job as an engineer at M.S. Chemicals
Education: Carnegie Mellon University. New York
B.Sc. Chemical engineering
Jersey High School, New Jersey
High School Diploma, May 2016
Experience:
UG research at the University of Houston, 2015.
Have attended various student meetings.
Done various presentations on Chemistry.
Skills:
Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Origin Lab.
Knows English, French, Hindi.
Project:
Used Python to design a racing game.
Honours:
College reporter of the year-2017
Did You Know?
Some resume writing tips are bound to help you write a proper resume. Firstly, you must carefully choose a resume format and adhere to that format throughout the resume. The application status should also be kept in mind and choose the format accordingly. One should always be honest while writing a resume since providing wrong information may have adverse consequences.
Solved Example
Q1. Why Does Experience Play an Important Role in Deciding the Resume Format?
Ans: The resume of a fresher would have only academic details while an experienced person would provide career experience alongside academic qualifications.
FAQs on Resume Writing
1. What are the Various Resume Formats?
Answer: The resume format plays an important role in deciding how the information would be presented and understood. The first main format of the resume is the chronological format. In the chronological format, information is presented in chronological order with the work experience remaining in focus. The various jobs and experiences a person has had are presented from the past to the present, in order. A functional resume, on the other hand, focuses more skill than work experience and is the most relevant for people just starting in their profession. The combination resume is a combination of the features of both functional and chronological resumes providing a balanced perspective.
2. What Should be Mentioned in the Resume?
Answer: A resume should have all the necessary details concerning the achievements, qualifications and experience of a person justifying why he or she is best suited for the job. First comes the heading of the resume where the name and contact details of the candidate are mentioned along with the address. The summary follows, which is a small paragraph of not more than five sentences emphasizing on the various achievements and skills of the candidate. After this, comes the educational qualification where the candidates provide his or her academic details. Professional details, the various skills and achievements should also be mentioned in the resume.