Resume is a key piece of material that will accompany all the various applications you send out all through your career. It can sometimes feel too daunting a task to prepare a resume. But it isn’t that difficult to put together a stellar resume if you follow these handy tips:
Order matters
It is important to order your experience in a manner that highlights your most relevant achievements. A general rule of thumb is to ensure that your most important previous experience is within the first half of the first page. While it is typical to order your experience in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent), the best HR outsourcing solutions in Mumbai that we have spoken to advised against it. They suggest to put the most relevant jobs first and then put the remaining in reverse chronological order.
Numbers catch the eye
Recruiters are screening tons of resume every day. Something that will make them stop and read your resume is if they see numbers among the bullet points describing your experience. IT signals to them that you have not simply copied this from JD provided by the company. HR consultancy firms in Mumbai that we surveyed uniformly suggested that adding numbers need not mean a career in economics – simply saying “handles a team of 7”, or “responsible for a budget of Rs. 50 lakhs” can go a long way in securing that all important interview call.
Remember skills are transferable
When applying to a job outside your immediate skillset, make sure that you frame your experience to showcase skills that can be transferred to the new job. Being able to multitask, managing multiple stakeholders, handling stressful situations are some broad skills that almost any role will require.
Mention specific contributions
Instead of simply listing all your duties, mention what you specifically did to contribute to your role. This could be an award you won, a process you automated, an improvement you achieved that was included in the best practices. Multiple HR outsourcing solutions in Mumbai that we interviewed stress that employers are more interested in knowing what you as an individual can bring to the table and not what were the duties your previous assignments forced on you.
Be creative with the design
Recruiters see the exact same resume template all the time. You have to be a little creative and make your resume stand out in its presentation as well. This will make the recruiters remember you well. But don’t go overboard and make it too complicated. Just a little creativity can go a long way in landing you the prized interview.
Don’t include everything
A resume is a snapshot of who you are, and why you are a match for what the employer is looking for. So, do not make it overlong by including everything under the sun. If you have already worked for a few years, what you did in high school may be irrelevant. If you are applying for a job in content management, your achievements as a software developer are less important. Only include what the employer will find relevant for the role being considered.
Use keywords
HR consultancy firms in Mumbai that we surveyed informed us that most of the companies today employ AI for initial screening of resumes. These AI programs depend on keywords used in the resume to find relevant candidates. Therefore, it is important to include the keywords from the job posting in your resume. But don’t just stop there – make sure you exemplify each of these. Talk about incidents that highlight the key capabilities.