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I have had the luxury, as an entrepreneur, of not having had to update my resume since 2009. Some would rightly call it shortsighted, as a resume that isn't periodically refreshed is an epitaph. (Keep that in mind.)
While my own resume may be overdue for an update, my resume skills have stayed sharp. Why, I have even enjoyed the challenge of crafting a professional-style resume for a movie star, an occupation far removed from the typical corporate career track.
Now, as someone who founded and runs a bespoke matchmaking service for elite singles, I get to see a lot more matrimonial bio data than CVs. Yet, as someone who remains hands-on with recruiting – inarguably one of the most important responsibilities of a CEO, especially at a small, growing business – I have useful insights to provide from the lens of a job-provider of fifteen years. This is apart from being able to draw on my own experience and lessons learned as a young professional.
So, it was with joy that I recently provided welcome resume writing tips to several college students approaching campus placement season at my alma mater, IIT-Madras. It is a pity that countless young professionals don't get such career guidance, let alone have access to a career services office on campus. (Please demand them, people!) It shows in the poor quality of resumes and job applications that routinely stream into my company's Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
It would also explain my being invited, some years ago, to pen job application tips for a management publication from a storied business school in Boston. The demand is real and recurring, among each new generation of young professionals.
I am pleased to have had the recent #GivingBack opportunity and to be able to counsel many more now through this column.
Here then are assorted resume writing tips to help you put your best foot forward as you apply for a job or to a degree program:
1. “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.”
So, a clean, well-formatted resume is a must. (In marketing lingo, you could call it a hygiene feature!) Why give time-constrained recruiters, faced with screening hundreds of resumes, excuses to weed your (poorly-formatted) resume out?
Use an ATS–scannable resume template, with a simple layout and only text – in a plain, professional, widely-recognized, and compatible font such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Do not include any images—not even your photo—or tables.
2. “Aim and shoot”; don’t “Spray and pray”!
Tailor your resume to each company, organization, or job profile of interest. Include relevant, appropriate keywords in your resume, to catch the recruiter’s attention and suggest a better fit. Your objective is not merely to show that you are a suitable fit for the opportunity, but that you may be the best fit.
3. Articulate your experience and skills
I often see ill-advised job applicants make the mistake, when outlining their work experience, of simply listing the job responsibilities assigned to them. The bullet points may well have been lifted from the description of the job for which they were hired. I can’t but then doubt the applicants’ competence and communication skills, both key requirements for any job. Eminently avoidable unforced errors!
A solution: Use the widely-recommended STAR framework to articulate your experience and skills. Explain the Situation > Task > Action > Result. Crisply.
4. Words matter
Use impactful, functional-role-specific action verbs. Google “action verbs for resumes” and you’ll easily find lists of recommended verbs to articulate your skills and describe your accomplishments. E.g., “Created/Devised/Prepared” instead of “Made”; “Implemented/Deployed/Delivered” instead of “Worked on.”
5. Less is more
Omit needless words. Timeless advice from The Elements of Style, by EB White and William Strunk, Jr.
The classic, an easy yet worthwhile read, is out of copyright and freely available online.
6. Use space—and spaces—well
Your CV/resume should be no more than a page long. Exceptions are when you’re applying for a position in academia (no strict page limit then, unless otherwise specified) or are a seasoned professional.
A rule of thumb: One page for every ten years of work experience. A Summary section at the top of your resume would make sense if you are an industry veteran. The appropriate thing then would also be to detail your Experience before Education, rather than the other way around as a young professional.
Whatever be the page length norm, it doesn’t mean that you stuff as much as possible within a page. Avoid clutter and ensure sufficient white space for readability. You can save some nice-to-include nuggets – as against must-include ones – as pleasant surprises for the interview stages to follow.
7. Avoid typographical errors
Don’t ruin an otherwise good resume with typos such as spelling or grammatical mistakes, poor or missing punctuation, or inconsistent case. Such avoidable errors may signal insufficient interest or a lack of attention to detail. Worse, it may also reflect poorly on the likely quality of your work – ”If this is their output on a document as important as one’s resume, then…”.
Avoid an eleventh-hour rush in updating your resume. Take a break, before submitting your resume, and do a quality assurance check with fresh eyes.
8. Take all available help
Get a trusted, competent friend or acquaintance to review your resume. Ideally, this person would be qualified to critique your resume for the industry, sector, or functional role of interest.
Leverage all the freely accessible resources online, including sample resumes—for inspiration—in hundreds of career tracks, downloadable resume templates, and even online resume builders.
I have dusted off and templatized my resume, which you are welcome to download and adapt, from: https://drops.FreeElective.com/f/D0pQJj (Firstname-Lastname-University-Resume-DDMonYYYY.doc)
The Word document adheres to the layout recommended by the Chicago Booth School of Business' Career Services office. (Don't have Word? You can upload the file to Google Docs and work on it there.)
Good luck with landing that dream opportunity and with all that lies ahead!
– Anil Kumar is the founder and CEO of Jodi365.com, a bespoke matchmaking service for accomplished professionals, business owners, celebrities, and scions of reputed families. A graduate of IIT-Madras, he also holds an MS from The University of Iowa, a PhD from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He lives in Chennai and tweets at @aktxt.