Resume - The Extra Edge

This article about that extra bit you can add on to your resume to give you the extra edge over others. 
       This isnt the typical resume building block article but this will help you establish your identity in the company based on your resume



               Before reading the article I presume you have read my previous article on Resume - The Building Block Your resume should rightly say about you but it should always say what the company needs from you and what are you capable of giving the company.

         A person writing that He/She has taken parts in College Dance competitions on his/her resume is totally irrelevant if they are seeking for the job profile other dance teacher. I have seen resumes where people have written College Fancy Dress winner in their achievements (I mean WAT the HECK??!?!?!).


 
         Better you right things that focus or highlight the positives of you which will be beneficial to the company like

• Worked on College fest organizing team. 
• Headed some XYZ event in college.
• Was part of the technical quiz team. 
• Participated in IT competition in XYZ college.

       Now these things will tell the company that you are a team player, has leadership qualities, technically strong, eager to face challenges etc etc. I could judge just that much but a true HR will judge more. 

          Yes you may feel “Damm, I danced so well in that competition. It was so tough and still I can’t write that in my resume?” No worries you may include it but after the achievements which the company will notice.

       Write things the company wants to find in the resume. You many think that the requirements of the different companies vary. So what?!?!? I never said that you should have one resume for all the companies. Yes you need to tweak and edit your resume according to the companies. You can’t have a totally “.net” based resume in a “PHP” based company. You may be well qualified for the job but then your resume doesn’t say so.

           You should mention your skills accordingly, based on the company. Now you have a doubt on how to find what the company needs. Come on guys don’t be a joke, you are learned persons. You have been using the net for Facebook and Social life of yours; it’s high time you use the net for its rightful duty “Research”. Google about the company you are sure to find something. Browse the company site, search for keywords like “goals, objectives, and career options etc”. I myself had made 4-5 copies of my resume based on the companies I sent it to.

Now this is bit of my advice to you. 
Make sure your best things come first on your resumes.

Example of this

Table 1

Qualification	Year	Marks
Post Graduation	2012	72% (Distinction)
Graduation	2009	74% (Distinction)
HSC	2003	47% (Pass)
SSC	2001	74% (First Class)

And this one

Table 2

Qualification	Year	Marks
SSC	2001	74% (First Class)
HSC	2003	47% (Pass)
Graduation	2009	74% (Distinction)
Post Graduation	2012	72% (Distinction)

          Now if you ask me. In first glance of the resume I would surely say that the person with Table 1 marks is more apt and qualified for the job then the person with table 2. But if you look closely both the marks are the same. Just the ordering is changed. Table 1 just puts the Best first irrespective of the chronological order but Table 2 goes with the order.

         You may think “Yeh kya yeda bana raha hai”, but in reality the HR doesn’t have time to watch each and every resume closely in the first run. You need to make this tweaking in your resumes accordingly. And lemme tell you the above thing has worked in winning the HR persons mind and has put people in round 2 of the interview process.

        The mail which you send should preferably mention your qualification in the subject line. Example: - “MCA graduate with Distinction.” That sounds nice isn’t it??!

       I guess the 2 articles on resume writing are enough for you people. I can’t spoon feed you all, come on now your all graduates and post graduates. Go get a grip, learn for yourselves.

Do follow the blog as the next thing I am gonna write is regarding the job interview process.

Resume - The Building Blocks

Some call it resume. For some it Bio-Data, for others its CV and Nowadays its Profile.

Lets start some discussions on it. Hope at the end of the article you will learn few things





Scene 1:-
Person 1: " Hey HR mam, I have a friend for the developer position in our company. Should I refer him here".
HR: "Yes, Why not?! Tell your friend to send me his resume".

Scene 2:-HR after reviewing the resume.
HR to Assistant: - "Did you see the resume?? It’s so full of crap. How can I call this person for interview??"
Assistant: - "Yes mam. Nowadays people forget that resume is so important and all they write is crap, useless things."

         These scenarios and dialogues are common thing in today’s offices. The main reason for these things is the resume we write.
It is not exactly based on the resume we write but the things we write in the resume.

        The main important thing you need to keep in mind is that the resume is considered as your best representative, your best ambassador.

      Your resume has to tell the company a lot about you. Think about this example.

Consider

• Your college as a SHOP.
• You students as the Products.
• And your resume as your Salesperson.
• Company is the Customer.

       Now if a customer comes in to buy a product, and the salesperson is dressed funnily, has running nose, acts abnormally. The customer is discouraged from buying from that salesperson. The common notion will be “When the salesperson is so crazy, how will the product he shows?” And if all the salespersons of that shop are same alike then “What kind of shop is this?” Here you lost the customer (the company) and also the Shop (college or the institute you are in) lost its repute for that specific company.

       The above example must have given you idea about what position your resume holds in building your career and for the first step in corporate world.

       Below I am listing some points which are to be taken to be cared of while writing our resume.
      I am also not saying that you need to follow these points accordingly coz some points may work wonders for many but may bounce back for others.

• Keep the resume precise.
• The resume should not be very lengthy. Yes, you can keep your feelings for the love letters you may send to your loved ones, but this is a company and the emotions are of the organization as whole.
• Keep the resume accurate.
• Accuracy has to be maintained in the resume what so ever. Never bluff about yourself and your achievements in the resume. The HR’s are paid to get these things corrected and there is a high chance that they gonna catch you too.
• Proper grouping of sections.
• You should maintain proper grouping of the sections you make within the resume. Like, academic achievements, personal details, projects worked on, and extra certificates.
• Now the sequence of these things also matter. You can’t have academic achievements and personal details followed by projects worked on.
• The reader should gradually move from section to section, grouping of sections is important for that reason.
• Have achievable career goals (if mentioned any). The sentence” I would like to become a part of the integrated Company to explore my skills for the company benefit”, will put the emphasis on the reader. Also this sentence becomes common, no matter where your resume is and what you achieve in future.
• The font size or the variations in font size should be maintained.
• This isn’t your College project to have different varying fonts throughout the resume.
• Use minimal font variations but at the same time use those to highlight things which you think should hold more preferences.
• Use of Colors to be minimalistic.
• Plz plz plz I am not going to say anything on this but for god’s sake use minimum colors on the resume. It is completely ok if you don’t use any. But use the minimum (max 2) color pallet for the resume.

              I guess I am done with the basic things about resume writing. These are considered the building blocks of any resume. And are very much same in all different domains across the globe.
This article is for those who are just beginning to think about making there resume come to life.

My next article is mostly based on how we can sharpen our resume to get that extra edge over others