Looking to land your dream job? The first thing you’ll need to do is develop an eye-catching resume that quickly gives an overview of your experience, skills, and abilities to the potential employer.
Although resumes may vary depending upon the education, industries, work backgrounds, etc. but following are the things that all of you MUST include in your resumes;
Name, Professional Title, Contact Information
Career Summary or Objective
Work History/ Experience (students of fresh grads may write about internship experience)
Education History
Relevant Skills & Abilities, Accomplishments, Certifications & Awards
1. Name, Title, Contact Information
Your resume should include your Name and Professional Title relevant to the position you’re applying for. For example, “Sales Manager” or “HR Generalist” or “Electrical Engineer” etc.
Contact Information is one of the most essential parts of the resume as it makes it easier to reach you. Make sure you provide:
Mailing Address (for local employers only, not recommended otherwise)
An active Phone Number
Email Address
LinkedIn Profile Address/ Any other portfolio website address if you have
There’s no need to include your gender, birthday, and marital status.
2. Career Summary or Career Objective or Personal Summary/Statement
Resume Summary or Statement must be concise and relevant to the position you’re applying for, highlighting your skills. You should briefly talk about your experience and relevant qualifications.
One tip in writing this summary is that you should not go for just one statement for all the positions you are applying for. Tailor it according to the job description provided by the employer or recruiter.
3. Work History/ Professional History/ Experience
In this section, you should include all the jobs you did in the past in reverse chronological order (means most recent first, and then go backward.)
Each job should include:
Company Name you worked for (e.g. Engineering works)
Your job title at that company (e.g. Engineering Associate)
Duration you worked (e.g. 2010-2013)
Duties and Responsibilities in bullet points (6-7)
In duties and responsibilities, you must highlight any points which are required for the position you are applying for. Most employers these days use software such as Application Tracking System (ATS), which filters out the profiles with the most matching keywords in the job descriptions (JDs), considering you most fit for the job. That’s why you must read the JDs carefully and include relevant keywords throughout your resume without unnecessary stuffing, to capture recruiters’ eyes.
Fresh Graduates or someone applying for a job for the first time, should skip this section or just include an internship or any certification experience.
4. Education History
Education History helps employers identifying your qualification or certification for the job. Just like Work History, Education History must also be written in reverse chronological order (most recent first.)
The education section should include:
Name of your school/college/university
Location of institution
The degree you obtained (e.g. MBA, MS, BS, etc.)
Field of study (e.g., HR, Marketing, Electrical Engineering. Etc.)
Graduation year
Your GPA (only if worth mentioning, e.g. above 3.5, otherwise leave it)
Any relevant honors, awards, or recognitions
Note: For experienced individuals, you should only write your most recent degree and one before that (no need to write about your secondary school.)
5. Skills, Abilities, Certifications, Awards & Accomplishments
This section of your resume must highlight your soft skills, technical skills, and any other skills. Though technical skills may vary from job to job, there are certain soft skills that everyone must possess such as Communication & interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving & Analytical Skills, Teamwork, Punctuality, etc.
If you have any certifications, or software tools that you’ve mastered, then it’s the best place to highlight your potential to the employer.
Again, ATS comes into play here. Look keenly for the skills the employer requires by reading the JD carefully and include all the relevant skills you have that match the ones in the JD.
You may also include your accomplishments and volunteer work in a separate section if you like.
Additional Tips for Resume or CV
Formatting of your Resume plays a very important role in grabbing or diverting the attention of the employer. Your resume should be easy to read, with clear and separate sections, mentioned above. It shouldn’t be too stuffy or look congested.
Tailor your resume/CV to the job description. Read each job description very carefully and include the relevant keywords and skills to make yourself a perfect fit for the job.
Don’t include irrelevant hobbies and interests unless they highlight your personality in the eyes of the potential employer. Include the relevant ones if you have got additional space in the resume left.
Don’t include your photo if the employer hasn’t asked for it. It doesn’t look professional.
Don’t add “References will be available upon request”.
Most importantly, don’t lie on your resume to land a job. It won’t be helpful in the longer run.
A well-developed resume will surely help you land your dream job.
If you want my help to develop your resume, or polish an older one, email me at maheenkanwal04@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to help and do it for you at minimal rates.:)
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