9 Actionable Resume Writing Tips For Freshers | Resume for First Job
Well, here are
9 actionable tips that make an impressive resume.
- Write an impressive headline
- Professional Photograph
- Elaborate Academics Section
- Relevant skills
- Contact Details
- Do you know more than 1 Language?
- Make it easy to read
- Reverse chronological order
- Tweak your resume
1. Write an impressive headline –
The headline of your resume is very important because it will give a glimpse of how you can prove yourself valuable to employers.
So, you need to mention here about your career objective that should be in 2-3 lines, The objective is a short statement at the top of your resume. Keep it simple, crisp, and easily readable for an employer.
Sample Career Objective – “I am looking for an establishment which I can help to meet its targets and goals with my skills and personal values”.
2. Professional Photograph –
It is important to know that a professional photograph on the top of the resume always gets the attention of the interview panel. In a situation where hundreds of resumes are received,
the few will be with photograph and hence there is a 3x chance to get shortlisted in the initial screening.
Please ensure that the
photo clicked must be in a formal dress. Resume with a photo always gets more responses from the recruiter rather than a resume without a photo.
3. Elaborate Academics section –
Write about your academics as much as you can. Highlight achievements, projects, position, scholarship, etc which might be relevant to the employer. You can write about your skills in this section by giving an example of a project which you have handled. By this example, you can stand out from the crowd, as
you can talk about what initiatives you have taken so far, were you a self-motivator, team worker, or if you have shown your leadership skills in driving that project. Also, don’t forget to highlight this section.
4. Relevant skills –
Since you are a fresher, you cannot mention work-experience. So this is the section which should
talk about your qualities apart from academics. In this section, you can include the certifications you have got during schooling or in college. If you have done any other course i.e.
Basic Computer course, IT course, Hotel management, etc. Don’t forget to include it. If you have done any
online certification, and any freelance job, ensure to mention that also.
5. Contact Details –
On top of your resume where you have mentioned your name followed by the rest of the information which should include your relevant phone number with country code and an appropriate email address. Please choose
an email address that looks official. Here you can mention your linked profile also, but make sure it should be updated and matches the resume.
It is also advisable to mention your current as well as a permanent address.
6. Do you know more than 1 Language –
This is a wow factor in most of the cases and for many profiles. If the answer is Yes, you should mention in your resume – In the column of Languages known. It is always beneficial to know more than one language. It may be an Indian or any other International language. Because most of the companies work
PAN India and even across the globe, they need employees like you who know multiple languages.
7. Make it easy to read –
Your resume should be easy to read for the employer. Keep in mind to use some basic fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, Courier New, etc., Keep the f
ont size not regular not too big or small, it should be between 10 -12. Use Bullets, Pointer for any important information, or you can show important points by using Bold, Italics, or underline. By doing all this, your resume will look legible.
8. Reverse chronological order –
This is a very important point, this point explains about mentioning the latest important things on top. A
fresher’s resume may look bare with mentioning every single detail. But it will solve the purpose only when it is mentioned in reverse chronological order. Ensure to mention the latest skills, certifications, internships, etc on the top and that the previous ones. So they don’t get miss from the employer's eye. Mostly the latest one is more relevant and hence needs to be on top of every section.
9. Tweak your resume –
This point explains about doing variations in your resume as per the Job and organization you are applying for. Keep your resume always ready but have variations of your resume with minor tweaks depending on the position and company you are applying for. In simple words, read the job description before sending your resume. Check out if all details, skills, and certifications they have asked for are there in your resume. Just fix if anything is getting missed.