Crack the resume code right in student life!
Garima Upadhyay Rawat
We all love to hate the placements monster, but let's face it that everything in a student’s life is aimed at landing their dream job. There can’t be a better reason to step out of your comfort zone and leave no stone unturned to get the job you have always wanted. The job market is getting extremely competitive by the day. And in these turbulent times when jobs are getting fewer by the day, learning the art of writing a resume will keep you in good stead.
‘Winning resumes and successful interviews’, penned by Munish Bhargava, the corporate and placement advisor at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, helps you create refined resumes that can be your potent resource while scouting for the perfect job. The book is full of advice and case studies for job seekers who want better jobs.
“In my career spanning many years, I have seen how deserving students often don’t get their dream job. This book tries to address this phenomenon and suggests ways to create right resumes. The only purpose of a resume is to solicit interview and that’s it. Once you reach that stage, you should be able to perform in the interview,” says Bhargava.
Ask him what are the key areas where students fail to impress recruiters as far as resumes and interviews are concerned and he says, “Many candidates don’t present their credentials well in their resumes. Often, the content is not appropriate for the position being sought. And even if they get a call, often students don’t prepare for the interview and take it lightly. Also, most of them don’t pay any attention to what goes in their resumes. For most of them having academic qualifications, marks and mentioning extracurricular activities is enough. These are some places where students falter.”
Advising students on how not to fall into the trap he suggests, “First half page of any resume is extremely important and the way you begin your resume is extremely important. Don’t generalize a resume; it has to be your paper profile. Know yourself and mirror it in your resume. Show your desire to work in a specific domain by knowing what your employer is looking for. Your resume should be methodical, should have proper font size, look, consistency, chronology of information and font style.”
Some tips to build a strong resume:
1) Content: Accurate and precise content is the backbone of any resume so ensure that you pick the right things to feature in your resume.
2) Character: Your resume should reflect your character, so highlight things that make you what you are. Bring to light instances where you have been successful and rewarded.
3) Clarity: Refrain from repeating yourself. Your thoughts should be uncluttered and flow in harmony.
4) Confidence: Mentions instances that say, “I led/ pioneered”, because these show your leadership potential and also shows that you are competent enough to lead the show.
