A resume is the first piece of information that reflects your experience and achievements; however a Good resume is one that presents the information with good use of language in a well-structured format. Every year there are millions of graduates that are in the market hunting for good jobs, thousands of aspirants looking to change their jobs and many others looking at promotions in other companies. The basic thread that binds these categories of people is a good resume.
A good resume will pique the curiosity of recruiters that will definitely get you a call for an interview. Outlined below are basic steps or features of a good resume:
Presentation: No one has the time today to read endless pages of your 10 years or 15 years of experience or for that matter even 5 years of your detailed resume. You have to learn to make your resume in an easy-to-read format that reflects not only your work summary but concise information about your achievements and personal information. Make sure you do not clutter in too much information making it hard for the recruiter or hiring manager to read.
Verbiage: The first person who screens your resume is a recruiter or a hiring manager. You have to make your resume clear of too much technical language and keep it simple and easy to understand. When we say simple, it is best to not go into too many details on paper but to try including the aspects that are vital to your profile and the job clearly.
Grammar: If your resume has too many spelling errors and punctuation errors, the meaning of the resume is lost. It is better to ensure the use of spell check or cross check your thoughts and language with a person who is good at it. It is good to depict your work summary through the use of action verbs. This creates an impact on the mind of the reader and also gives out the meaning of your work in a structured and clear manner.
Flow of the resume: While it is important to present your resume in a simple and error-free manner, it is also imperative that you maintain a flow in your resume. Jumping topics, such as Work Experience to Educational Qualifications, abruptly creates disconnect in the mind of the reader. Make sure that you give it a good flow to make your resume impressive. For example, highlight your skills, mention your recent work history to former along with duration and KRAs, and move onto additional responsibilities, then to additional qualification and then to educational details and a brief personal outline.
These are some basic steps that can get the attention of a reader and make sure that you atleast get a call for an interview. After all, a resume is just a reflection of what you are actually capable of doing and achieving. Go ahead, create a good resume and make a good impression!