One of the most crucial questions a job seeker has to face is how to build a resume. To build a resume, the job seekers will have to be honest, choosing the right font size, type,and layout. The right combination of information and attractive presentation make a resume interesting. During the career counselling for students, they get to know what excites them, and based on it; they can add some more information to their resume.
If you are looking for a job or job change and worry about how to create a resume, then here we are to guide you. For both experienced and non-experienced job seekers, a resume summarizes their professional and educational journey. An impressive resume can land you on a suitable and desired job.
Your resume is an important document, and you are expected to be creative and honest when you build a resume. Your resume will have to impress a recruiter to call you for a vacant post. As you know, nowadays, recruiters use job portals to fetch the best and most qualified resumes. On one search, they get thousands of resumes. Ideally, a recruiter doesn’t spend more than 3-5 seconds to make his mind to call the job seeker or not. Your resume should be unique and it has all the keywords related to your job on the first page to make a recruiter reach you. When you are to take care of so many things, it is evident that you will look a professional help to get the answer of how to create a resume.
Here we have compiled the steps that will help you to build a resume. If you are not getting interview calls, then it is time when you are to revise your resume and make some required changes to it.
How to Build a Resume- Guide
An interview-winning resume has only relevant information compiled in an attractive format. One of the most common mistakes that job seekers make isto copy a resume of their colleague or friend. A copied format doesn’t show your creativity, and it may not suit your educational qualification or experience. It is a must that your resume showcases your creative side, and only you can decide how to represent information about you.
Your resume carries the responsibility of leaving an impressive first impression of you on the recruiter, so you will have to invest some time in it. Recruiters believe a shorter resume is better. A person with good experience needs to mention the keywords related to the job on the resume’s first page.
The information about the keywords that job seekers need to mention in the resume is available on the job portal. When you create a resume, use bullets and give information about your achievements in points. It increases the readability of it and looks impressive too. You can also use your photo in your resume. It must paste a photo on a resume for a few posts like receptionist and in hotel and aviation industry. If you want to use your photo on your resume,put a passport-sized formal photo on its first page. Let’s check out the steps to build a resume to make this complicated work easy;
Steps to Build a Resume
When you divide the complete process of creating a resume, it becomes easy to mention all the information impressively. Resume building consumes time so divide the working steps to create a resume. Here are the steps that you will follow to create a resume;
1. Choose a Format
If we talk about resume building for five years back,most resumes look similar to the same Arial font and look. But now, professionals have started to show off their creative side in the resume. When you plan to create a resume, then first choose an ideal format based on your experience and skills. Ideally, a resume format can be one of these three popular formats; Chronological Resume Format, Skill Based Resume Format, and Combination Resume Format.
- Chronological Resume: The traditional and most adopted resume format is a chronological one. It has your professional history from the present to the first job. This type of resumes is more common for the manager or senior manager categories. It is not recommended for fresher as they don’t have much to show in this kind of resumes.
- Skill Based Resume: As suggested by the name, this type of resume highlights a job seeker’s skills. Here the candidate mentions the courses and certification he has done. This kind of resume is suitable for fresher and freelancers.
- Combination Resume Format: the third type of resume format is a combination of above mentioned two types of resumes. In combined format, the applicant highlights his skills and professional experience too. This type of resume format is perfect for executive-level professionals.
Based on your experience and skills, you can choose one of the formats from the mentioned ones. A format will make a recruiter to show his interest in a resume or not. You can have a font color rather than black to make the appearance of the resume attractive. Grey and Blue are the colors that can make your resume stand different in the crowd.
2. Choose a Font
Font type and size are the other essential things you need to keep in mind while creating a resume. Though Arial and Times New Roman both have become the most used font type for resume and other official work, you can choose Calibri. Arial font makes the resume look too formal so take a break from it. Georgia is also a suitable font type that you can opt to have an exciting resume. While resume building,avoid usingthe italic function. You can make the heading bold based on their importance. Choose a font based on its easy readability. All the essential things on your resume should be easy to read to a hiring manager.
3. Objective and Summery
All the resumes have the objective part, but not all the job seekers take it seriously. The objective is mentioned on the top of your resume, and it is the first place that can make the HR manager, or the hiring manager read your resume. IN a few cases, the recruiters avoid reading it, but it cannot be ignored because of this. If you can place the keyword like your designation in the objective, it will be easy for the job portal to fetch your resume for the recruiter. The HR managers read it to understand who awake the job seeker id about his resume. An exciting and realistic job objective can get to a job.
Like objective, the summary part of your resume should stand different than other resumes. It must have some quick information about the roles and responsibilities you have handled. All your achievements also you can mention here without highlighting them. For example, you can write,”I started my professional journey as an executive, and my hard work has earned the Manager designation for me.”
4. Experience
Mention your experience from the present company to the first one. You must mention a detailed experience, including the roles and responsibilities in the present company. You can also include your past company’s responsibilities to highlight your working experience in your resume, but don’t write the same contentagain and again. For an older working experience, you can mention the name of companies, your tenure, and designation. It is suggested to mention the keyword in the experience details. The Job portals and the apps that companies used to hire people work on analgorithm. The app or portalreadsthe keyword and then shows the resume to the recruiter. Make sure that you place the right keyword like marketing executive in IT or IT Sales manager.
5. Education Details
Your education details must be from your last degree to your schooling. Most jobs want candidates from a particular highest education background like MBA or MCA, so mention your highest degree first. It is suggested that you don’t mention the GPA or percentage in PG or UG degree.If you have a Master’s degree, then you can skip the high school part in educational details to save it from being lengthy. You can mention the job-related courses and diplomas also in this section. Avoid mentioning irrelevant details here.
6. Contact Details
Your contact details must be bold and easy to read. Check your mobile number;most ofthe recruiters prefer to contact the candidates by phone. When you mention your mail id,avoid some cheesy type of ids like cooldude or princess. You can create a mail id that you can use for formal interactions.
How to Create Your Resume
Now let’s connect all the dots to know how to create a resume. First of all, choose a suitable format; after this, start creating a resume. Your resume will be having your name first and then a self-written objective that reflects your dream and ambitions. After this, add the contact details in easy to read fonts and standard colors like Black, Blue, or Dark Grey.
Now it is the time to mention your career summary, where you will have to include how much total experience you have and your awards, recognition, and profile you can handle. After summery, you will have to enter detailed work experience. If you are not fresher or have a few details related to certificate or courses you have done, then you should skip mentioning about your hobbies in your resume. Many non-experienced candidates also mention their strengths and weaknesses; this can also be avoided to have a professional resume.
If you have two to three years of experience, then mention all the employers’ names. If you have 5-8 years of experience, then cut your career’s irrelevant employment history. After this, add your education contact details.
Proof Read Your Resume
As you are applying for a job and have to compete against many other candidates so, you are to be the best. In the cut-throat competition to get a job, a small spelling mistake of yours can ruin everything. So it is a must that you proofread your resume. Your resume should be error-free. Here have a look at the most common errors a job seeker makes in his resume;
- Spelling Mistake: One of the most common and stupid errors a resume has is spelling mistakes. Though it is a small error, it will ruin your first impression, and the recruiter will not call you for an interview.
- Grammar: Another mistake a resume can have is grammatical mistakes. Wrong use of is, am and was, were is among the most common mistakes. Reading a resume with grammatical errors is mood spoiling, and it can snatch away from you, a golden chance to get your desired job.
- Wrong Details: Many candidates update their contact details on a resume but forget to do the same on the job portal page; hence their chances to get an interview call get reduced. So make sure you update and proofread your resume and the information mentioned on the job portals’ page.
Save and Print Your Resume
After reading your resume twice, if you are satisfied with its look and the information, save it and take its print put. If you are to send a resume to any recruiter in soft copy, then prefer MS word format. Many professionals also use pdf format to send their resume, but if the recruiter does not have supporting software, then the resume will not open. A job seeker should offer easy to access information to the recruiter about his professional experience and qualification.
The Last Word
The article must have answered your query of how to prepare a resume. Your resume is like the first step towards the job. If a recruiter will like your resume and find it suitable for the post, you will only be able to take the matters in your hand by showing your capabilities to the hiring managers. Remember the interviews are not easy nowadays, and the interviewer can ask you anything you mentioned in your resume. Do read it carefully before you upload it on job portals or mail it to the hiring manager.
