Successful Resume - Some Tips

For anyone about to appear for an interview, especially freshers, the resume is the most important document. It is a professional profile and is the professional pen picture of the candidate. A resume creates an image of the candidate before one walks into the room to face the interview, plays an important part in the selection of the candidate and even determines if the candidate will get called for the interview in the first place. The content of the resume is of course important but subconsciously the person reading it is observing a lot more.  

Now, if you check on the net you will find many formats of resumes. There is no standard correct or wrong format for a resume. You just need to remember a few tips while building your resume. Some of them are: -

1. When we appear for class 10th or 12th exam, we are told that the person checking the papers will have hundreds of papers to check so make sure that your answers are written in a format that is easy to read and understand. The same applies for a resume too. Do not make the interviewer struggle to understand your resume. Make sure the information is organized in a way that it is easy to comprehend. 
2. You can use creativity in formatting your resume if applying for a job in a creative field. That might work for you. But otherwise stick to a formal format. 
3. REMEMBER - Everything that you put on the resume can and will be questioned. Go through the resume and ask yourself what questions can be asked about everything. If you are not sure about something it does not have to be on the resume.
4. There is no need to attach a picture of yourself unless specifically asked for by the interviewing company.
5. No need to put a 'Career Objective' at the beginning. Even if it is there let it be a short and sweet one / two liner, not a paragraph. Remember, keep it simple.
6. No need to add a 'declaration' at the end about the information being authentic. It is not a legal document to be presented in a court of law.
7. Also, no need to put 'place' and 'date' in the end.
8. In case of educational qualifications just put the name of the school / college, standard passed, year and percentages obtained. No need for any further details as it will clutter the page. Besides, you need to keep something to tell them during the interview also, right?
9. One place where questions are sure to be asked is the 'hobbies' section. Make sure you put hobbies that are really your hobbies. Do not put a long list of hobbies to impress them. It will backfire. 
10. Best font is 'Arial' and do not have more than two font sizes. Ideal font size is between 12 and 14. 
11. Information must be to the point and in bullet points. Avoid paragraphs and elaborate descriptions. 
12. Keep margins on top and bottom and on either sides. 
13. DO NOT do a last minute job when it comes to printing the resume. Make sure you print it at least a day before it is to be submitted / carried to the interview. This is so that if the printer malfunctions, you have enough time to get the print from another place.  
14. Last but not the least, after the resume is made review it for grammatical and spelling mistakes. Any document that you send out with mistakes will jeopardize your chances for an interview call.

The way you treat the resume is a reflection of how seriously you take the interview and the prospective job. Instead of making a resume a day or two before the interview, you must try to BUILD the resume for maximum impact. Take your time and add things carefully mulling over how it is worded and what questions may be asked. In other words, look at the resume from the interviewer's perspective and build an image of the person it represents (which in this case happens to be you.) If the image is not a good one, redo the resume.

Your resume is 'you' in front of the interviewer before you physically appear for the interview. Just like you will present yourself with the best possible grooming, groom your resume to look at its best.