A team of trapeze artists used to work for a circus company. Their primary job was to perform aerial shows, this involved hopping from one trapeze to another. It is one of the riskiest performances in any circus. The entire act is done by remaining suspended in the air. The artist has to let go of the trapeze they are holding to catch another trapeze coming towards them. This is the basic rule of the game, a risky one. In the event of missing to catch the trapeze, the only hope is the safety net beneath them. Some of the circus shows did not provide the net, the sheer thrill associated with this stupidity used to attract heavy crowds & revenues. In one such show, the circus owner had situated a lion’s den beneath them instead of a net. The trapeze artist wore animal costumes, they dressed as black bears, lions, or tigers to entertain young kids. Unfortunately, in one of the shows, the trapeze artist missed to catch the trapeze & fell right on the den beneath him with a THUD. The agitated lion in the den came out roaring, and the artist stood alone & trembling. He tried to push away the lion using silly tactics to scare him, all in vain. The undeterred lion came too close to the trapeze artist & whispered something. The artist stood dumbfounded.
The lion was just another trapeze artist in disguise. He whispered into the ears of the bear, “Maybe my resume made the DIFFERENCE!!.
Well, writing a resume can be an experience by itself, it’s almost like a trip down memory lane if you are writing one after a long while. Today, the market is flooded with manifold resume writing options, readymade templates, resume writers & so on at competitive price tags. However, every resume has a story to say, and no one but the owner of the resume can say it BEST.
A few weeks back, we shared an interesting blog on the tips to ace an interview [“Ten 10” – Tips to ACE an interview!]. The blog was well received & it only felt natural to then share our insight about scripting a robust resume. The blog is a ready-reckoner and the “13 tips” are given as bullet points in a specific order. The same order can be maintained while building your RESUME. Irrespective of the experience, position, or level, the tips remain relevant & valid.
1). LENGTH – The resume should not exceed 3 pages, a page refers to a single side of a leaf or sheet of paper.
- To write in brief & use crisp points throughout
- Simple templates to be used. There is a variety of readymade & well-built templates on the internet.
NOTE: Anything beyond 2 to 3 pages poses a challenge to the ATTENTION SPAN of the reader. On average, a recruiter spends approx. 7 min to read through a resume. Unfortunately & usually, a long resume gets pushed for a “deferred” read or straight to the “RECYCLE BIN”, to never be recycled.
2). LANGUAGE – The language of the resume should be simple & toned down.
- To avoid complex sentences
- To avoid “RICH” vocabulary
- Usage of standard fonts/ size is recommended [Times New Roman/11, Calibri/11 & Arial/9]
3). OBJECTIVE – Always START the resume with a crisp & clear objective. The following should be covered in the objective as a short script
- What is the career objective?
- Why did you choose this profession & what is the GOAL?
- No “BIG” adjectives to be used, it can put off the reader!!
4). SKILL SET – This is the area where HR tends to probe the candidate a lot. It is recommended that you mention 3 each of the following
- Key traits [eg. Integrity, Empathy, Sincerity, Self-discipline, etc.]
- Key behavioural competencies [eg. Emotional Intelligence, Execution skills, Interpersonal relationship, etc.]
- Key functional skills [eg. Analytical ability, Financial acumen, Selling skills, etc.]
5). WORK ACHIEVEMENTS – This is the most read section in any resume. To ensure the achievements are put in bulleted points with clear mention of the name of the company in the following manner
- As an Individual Contributor
- As a Manager/ Leader
- Details of the situation, proposed action & the result achieved
NOTE: Try to quantify the results into a relevant unit of measurement, such as cycle time reduction, % cost savings, % efficiency improvement, etc.
6). EXPERIENCE – You could use a pie chart to describe the experience gained in various assignments in your career.
- To put it industry-wise, if worked in multiple industries
- To define every assignment as Individual Contributor/ Managerial / Leadership, as the case may be
- To mention the span of control in each assignment
- Special/ unique exposure related to a specific technology, skills to be mentioned against each assignment, if relevant
7). EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE RATING – If you have received any, make a mention of it in the resume in the following manner
- Actual rating awarded
- The performance rating system used [eg. 5-point rating scale]
- Contribution for which the rating was awarded
8). LEARNING [Non-academic] – Mention the details of the following in a few lines, if relevant to your profession
- Certifications obtained
- Lectures / Seminars attended
9). PERSONAL DETAILS –
- Age, gender, marital status & other family details – It is up to your discretion to mention/ avoid these aspects in the resume. The absence/ presence of these doesn’t impact the quality of the resume.
- Languages – If one is conversant with multiple languages [polyglot], do mention the same. The chance of such resumes getting shortlisted for jobs in Sales, Marketing or HR, etc. is high.
10). ACHIEVEMENTS – Non-work-related contribution, if any, can be mentioned in the resume [NGO, any specific contribution to society or a social cause]. This gives a peek into the personality of the candidate.
11). PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES – It is best to avoid mentioning the same in the resume. Sharing of references can be done post the preliminary interviews, preferably once you seek some confirmation of your short-listing.
12). SALARY/ REMUNERATION – Current CTC & the expected remuneration are best avoided in the resume. It can be discussed after being shortlisted/ selected in the interview.
13). HOBBIES – Write down the hobbies that are specific to you [eg. gardening, shooting, running marathons, astrology, cooking, yoga, any specific type of painting technique, etc. Avoid mentioning generic hobbies [eg. playing cricket, listening to music, reading books, etc].
Remember, it’s the resume that first hits the desk of the interviewer, not you. The first impression is the best & the last one. Own your resume, every letter, every word in it!!
Last, but not least,
“A good resume gets your foot indoor, good performance in the interview gets you the job”.
All the very best!!
Nageshwari A & Venkatakrishnan R
