01 March,2011 08:52 AM IST | | FYI
A good resume is the first step towards creating the right kind of impression on a prospective employer. Very often, we end up committing blunders on our CVs. Here's how you could avoid the best-known errors:
'u00a0State your purpose right in the beginning of the CV. Your objective for applying has to be clearly stated before the reader gets anything else. What are your aspirations from the job? Where do you target at reaching? All this should be clear to your new employer before s/he proceeds onto further details mentioned on your CV.
'u00a0Avoid a long, meandering CV. It has got to be short and crisp, even if you've got three years of work experience and has quite a number of nice things to say about yourself. So don't get carried away and avoid swamping your reader with unnecessary details. Your CV should ideally not exceed two pages because hardly anyone would have the time to go through any document lengthier than that.
'u00a0Highlight details. This should be in keeping with the job requirement, of course. Nobody's going to be interested in digging out your diamonds unless you bother to show them off a bit. Remember, it is not what your job description said, but what you achieved while performing the usual duties that will grab the attention of the employers. Employers don't care so much about what you've done as to what you've accomplished in your various activities. Ideally, this should be one of the first components on the CV. That's the perfect way to generate interest in your prospective employer.
'u00a0Avoid irrelevant information at any cost. For instance, you might have been a state-level throw ball champion, but it doesn't really help your case when you are looking for a brand manager's position in an organisation. Also, the percentage you scored in the Board exams will make no sense if you're already an MBA and are applying for a position as an investment banker.
'u00a0Never forget to include information about any kind of work experience that you might have had in the social, non-government sector. Companies have corporate social responsibilities, and your worth just goes up a notch higher if you've engaged in such activity in the past.
'u00a0If you've been out of job in between, be extra careful. Your employer will always be interested in knowing what you did when you were in-between jobs. Be careful and smart about what you write in there. You'll most likely be questioned about it.
'u00a0Everything else set aside, your CV has to be visually neat and contemporary. Things like page alignment, bullets and numbering and font should be decided wisely.
