1. What is a Resume? A one or two-page itemized description used to present the educational background, work experience, skills, and accomplishments of a person. It helps apply for a job or position in an organization. Resumes help secure interviews with recruiters. Understanding what is a resume is vital to creating an effective one.
2. What is the meaning of a Resume? Resume comes from the French word ‘résumé’. It means a summary. And that’s exactly what it is supposed to be – a summary of the qualification, skills, and achievement – in academics and at work – of a candidate who the resume belongs to.

What is a Resume - What is the Purpose of a Resume? Recruiters no longer hire candidates solely on the strength of their resumes. It is only a means of knowing the candidate on paper before the eventual meeting. It is not advisable to sit in for an interview riding only on your resume as every data mentioned will be substantiated by the HR personnel/ interviewer.
Hiring managers or more resume tracking programs skim through resumes looking for key details, phrases, terminologies, job titles, etc. to come up with a few finalists who are in sync with the company requirements. Thus, it is really important to word a resume efficiently – using keywords that attract and impress a potential employer.

What is a Resume - One needs a resume for:

a. Interview Preparation: Resumes serve as a guideline when a candidate gets interviewed. Questions relating to information provided are the norm.
b. Organizational Capabilities: Preparing a resume helps a candidate assess his skills, evaluate his employability, and the options available – an effective job search thus ensues.
c. Future needs: It is always good to have an updated resume at hand – helps access all employment opportunities at short notice.
d. Calling card: One can use an updated resume to test the waters – explore potential job opportunities through mock interviews.

How is a Resume used by the Interviewers or admissions team? Hiring managers, interviewing panels, and admissions teams care about the value you have to offer. The things they immediately notice include:
1. Keyword Research They skim through resumes to identify keywords matching the job description before calling you for an interview. Thus, each time you apply for a job, it is really important to first create a list of skills and knowledge traits required for the position and whether they match your skillset or not.
2. Embellished Skills Exaggerated resumes with over-the-top embellishments are a strict no-no. They are quick to spot a lie, thus one should never include skill sets that they don’t possess. Supporting stories for each accomplishment help verify the data provided.
3. Career Progression Resumes need to outline key responsibilities held by the candidate and hoe it has contributed to their success. Resumes must do the job of telling a story well, holding the interviewer captive to your journey before he/she decides your fate.
4. Personal Brand Hiring managers are known to snoop around your social media presence in order to learn more about you. Thus resumes must include social media links, LinkedIn URL, Twitter handles, etc. that makes it easier for a recruiter to hire you.

What are the different sections in a Resume? A resume must contain everything to convince the employer you are the perfect candidate for the job. A complete resume contains the following sections:

1. Contact Information 2. Resume Profile 3. Work Experience 4. Education Qualifications 5. Skills

1. Contact Information What your contact information should look like in chronological order:

• Name
• Professional Title
• Mailing Address
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Social Media Details
• Online Portfolio

The components of the Contact Information Section can be arranged as such:
2. Resume Profile To hook the recruiter at the very go, you need a resume profile – a short summary of skills, educational and career highlights that shows you are the right fit for the job in question.
It is the topmost section of a resume where key experience details, skills, and achievement sare highlighted. What is it that makes you a better candidate than the rest? That is what a Resume Profile/ Professional Profile is out to prove.
Types of Resume Profiles: Objective – Brief paragraph showcasing key skills; for entry-level positions or career changers.
Summary – A paragraph meant to highlight work history and key achievements; for more seasoned professionals such as a Project Manager
Qualifications Summary – Short paragraph in bullet-point style; versatile and useful for students.
How to Write a Resume Profile:

• Work at your Resume Profile after preparing the resume
• Don’t forget to address the specific needs of the employer
• Use keywords from the job offer as a guide
• Quantify your entire experience

3. Work Experience The most important part of your resume – this is where you highlight your achievements to stand out from the crowd. How well did you handle your challenges - that’s what your recruiters want to know.
This is what you need to mention about your past work experience:
4. Educational Background Essential pieces of information about educational background must be mentioned, such as:

• Name & location of school
• Dates attended, graduation date
• Name of degree attended – major/minor, field of study, GPA earned
• Relevant coursework, academic honours, student activities, etc.

How to Write:

• Start with the highest degree
• Mention all degrees in reverse-chronological order
• College graduates need not add high school information

5. Skills 75% of HR professionals feel a shortage of skills in candidates applying for job openings. The Skills section is meant to show the recruiter that you have what it takes to get hired – the right set of talent required for the job. A resume that fetches you a job shall need to show your expertise in both types of skills:
Soft Skills: How you’ll perform Interpersonal communication, active listening, empathy. These are general and Universal.
Hard Skills: What you know/can do Formal education or training that is teachable and measurable too. These are job-specific.
Top Skills to Mention in Resume:

• Decision making
• Leadership
• Active Listening
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Willingness to help clients

Most Desirable Skills Employers seek, as seen in studies:

Resume vs. CV : What is a Resume? It is a concise document usually just one page in length that helps the candidate stand out from the competition. Resumes should be tailored according to each job you are applying for – a constant task of tweaking & tailoring, in order to match the requirements of each specific post.
Features:

• Highlights key achievements, latest work experience
• Is not always chronological
• Highly customizable document

Resume vs. CV : What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)? CV or Curriculum Vitae, meaning Course of Life in Latin is a career biography that lays down in detail all achievements, and accomplishments of a candidate. It can cover two or more pages wherein the educational background, awards, honors, etc. of the job seeker is penned down.
Features:

• Overview of the full career
• Chronologically arranged
• Static; no changes can be made thereafter

Writing Resumes It is not uncommon to get your resume wrong, especially if you are a fresher out of college or just have not had the habit of interviewing that often. Faulty resumes are a big red flag that leads to hiring managers immediately putting you out of the list of considerations for a post.
6 Easy Steps to Write an Effective Resume