Also read How to Crack your Campus Placements and How to Rock your Interview?
Having a good interview with a superb resume is vital for a sure campus placement. Now apart from the many things that a good interview needs, first step is that you got to build that amazing and neat resume.
Step 1: Remember and record all your achievements
- Resume should not only make the interviewer feel good about yourself, but you yourself should feel good when you look at your resume. Its not just about giving those 2-3 printed pages to your employer and expecting them to feel impressed!
- Collect each and every certificate, marks card, conduct report, medal, award, trophy that you received since 1st standard till date. From whatever you have, arrange all of them in chronological order, or if you are a multi talented person, then arrange them chronologically according to categories like academic awards, sports, singing, etc.
- Remember this part is very important. All this is your resume itself… only difference is that its not on paper yet! Make sure you have your academic, co-curricular, extra-curricular and other certificates and awards, all organised well.
- If you have lost some certificates, then forget it. Only if you had won some REALLY important awards or prizes, remember them properly, then write the exact name and description of that on a sheet of paper with the date, place and any other details and save that paper as your substitute for those missed out certificates.
- Check again whether all your certificates are arranged neatly. Make sure the creases (if any) are not very visible. Remove folded corners (dogs ears) and make them look neat. Keep the awards and prizes section separate and all your marks cards separate. Keep your 10th, 12th, graduation/post graduation marks cards safely.
- Make sure all these are arranged neatly in a file or files, with proper separation and easy access. Preferably use the files with those thin transparent plastic cover insulations to keep certificates (or at least the important ones) inside them.
- That’s it. Your resume is done! Now you only have to type it all on paper.
Step 2: Choosing a format for your Resume
- This may vary from person to person. But anyone can follow a general format and change only a few sections in it depending on your achievements and for which company or post you are applying for.
- Note the difference between Resume, Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Biodata:
Resume: A summary of your academic and work history, your achievements, projects, etc.
CV: A summary of your academic and work history mainly. Focusing on your ‘curriculum’
Biodata: A summary of your personal details. Your family relationships, education etc. - Biodata’s are best suited for marriage proposals, CV’s for internships or to get company funded school/college
projects, and Resume is what’s needed for getting jobs and for career. - Here’s the format in DOC and PDF. You can add certain categories suited to you. For example if you are a sports person, you might have won many awards in sports only. So you can include a section ‘Sports Achievements’. You can ignore any section if you don’t have big achievements in it or just write few lines. If its only one and two which are very minor, better you skip that section.
- Add all this information to your resume based on Step 1. Keep a chronological order in each section.
- Again balance all your sections. Some have good academic record, some in sports, some in music. So highlight your major sections well. Make a mention of these in your ‘Hobbies’ which is in the first page so that the interviewer will get an idea of your interests, at first glance itself.
Step 3: Do the MARIO-SCAN-SPAN
The MARIO-SCAN-SPAN is an algorithm devised by me which will scan for every minute error and span the entire resume. After you add all the data and finished writing everything, do the MARIO-SCAN-SPAN throughout your resume. This may make you a bit crazy, but remember this is your first proof to the employer to show your true personality. The MARIO-SCAN-SPAN will surely make your resume perfect to 100%!!! Here’s the algorithm for The MARIO-SCAN-SPAN:
- Read your resume letter by letter, word by word. Correct each and
every spelling and grammar mistake, punctuation, unwanted spaces from the heading till the end. Remember the ”,” (comma) comes soon after the word and then give space. Not the other way round!! - Repeat Step 1.
- Repeat Step 1 again.
- Check whether each section is completely within a page. Do not put the heading of a section in one page and start with the data in the other page. If this happens, add extra blank lines and adjust the spacing.
- Use “Justify” for the alignment of each section and paragraph (not headings).
- Check whether all headings, sections, paragraphs follow their respective margins.
- Repeat Steps 3 to 5.
- Check whether fonts and font sizes for different texts are proper. Bold, Italics and Underline what is necessary only! Don’t do too much of this. It will look like bad make up on Paris Hilton’s face.
- Check the line spacing, paragraph spacing. Delete unwanted blank lines unless really necessary.
- Repeat Step 3 and then go to Step 10.
- Your photograph, end name and signature must stick to the right side margin. Everything else must begin from the left side margin.
- Admire your resume.
Step 4: Follow some Tips
- NEVER LIE IN YOUR RESUME. Write only THE TRUTH.
- Write your resume thinking form the interviewers point of view too!
- Keep it strictly within 3 pages.
- Don’t write References of people you don’t know.
- Don’t blindly copy the Objective. Write your heart out there.
- Please know, understand and believe whatever you have written in your resume. Don’t just copy paste!
- Remember to put your photo and sign at the end.
That’s it. Your 100% Perfect Resume is ready! Admire it as many times you want and be proud of yourself. Don’t be over-confident. You’ll do good and your resume will impress the interviewer. Also read How to Crack your Campus Placements and How to Rock your Interview?
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