RESUME

When writing a letter of application for a job, we promise to offer our services
or OSpective empioyer. in other words, we are trying to sell our services. Hence, e
oeneral principles governing a sales letter will also be applicable to job application iettes
Job applications are always accompanied by a resume or a curriculum vitae (C)
Resumes are technical as well as marketing documents that present the candidates
past and present performance to the prospective employers so that they can assess
his/her future potential. In tact, a prospective employer forms his or her first impression or
the candidate from the resume. Of course a good resume is not sufficient to get a joD, DuE it can help the employer to shortlist the candidates to be considered. Employers usuaily have more applications than they can handle and hence, they naturally look for ways of narrowing down tne candidates to a manageable number. An effective resume will put the candidate into that shortlist. Hence, a job application letter should always have two essential parts: a cover letter and a resume. We have already studied the covering letter that accompanies a resume.

In this section we will discuss resumes in detail.

Resume, Bio data and Curriculum Vitae Although the terms resume, bio data and curriculum vitae (CV) are synonymously used, they differ from each other in certain aspects. In French, resume means summary. It is usually one page long, Dut may extend to two pages Sometimes. It includes the gist of an individuar's education, past employment and skills for tne new position. The features of a resume include the following:

Summary of educational qualification
Employment history
Professional affiliation
Written in points
Objective and formal in approach
Written in third person
Name and address of the applicant SKil sets
A resume is sulted tor any posion in an organization Fersonal iniormation sucn
as age, date of birth, marital status, nationality and gender are generally not
included in a resume. it is Suilable tor almost all types of organizations. it can also bee
modified according to the skill sets required by a particular job. For instance, if
engineering studenis wish to apply 1or the post of software executive post, they may
nigrilignt thneir sKill sets in software.
A Diodata is a shortened form of biographical data and has now become an
obsoldte term. in this tormat, the emphasis is on personal details such as date of birth,
nationality, mantal status, gender and address. The applicant's hobbies may also find a
place in a biodata. These details are followed by the educational qualification, work

xperience and skills for the job.

What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

A Curricuium Vitae (C.V is a written record of a person's education and
empioyment that he sends when he is applying for a job.
A Curriculum vitae contains all the elements of a resume but it is more detaied
in terms of the academic credentials. It is generally used for a position in a researc

organiizaton or when the candidate applies for a research fellowship. A CV contains a
detailed account of ali the papers published, papers presented at the conterences
and research projects carried out. On the other hand, a resume may just menion tne
number of conferences attended/ number of papers published / a briet summary of tne

projects carried out. We can say that a CV is more knowledge-oriented whereas a
resume iS more sKIll-oriented.
Resume Design and Structure
A resume shouid present a brief summary of the candidate's personal details
followed by details such as career objectives, educational qualification, professional and
technical skills and extracurricular activities and achievements. It should not be very long,

as the applicant will get the opportunity to present detaiied information if shortlisted for the interview. APpearance and Elements A resume, like every important business document, should be impeccable. Any mistakes or sloppiness here could raise doubts in an employer's mind regarding the
person's capability. The purpose of the resume is to get called for an interview. It
must be wel-organized so that vital intormation is readily accessible.
A resume should retlect the professional image that we want to create. It should be
1. Neat and error-free with no whiteouts or hand corrections;
2. Legible and well-spaced;
3. Printed on good quality paper of A-4 size; and
4. Reproduced clearly on a high-quality printer or copy machine.
There is lot of debate on the ldeal length of a resume. The general notion is that the more the achievement in life, the lengthier the resume. However, the ideal length for resume S dround one page and it shouid never exceed two pages. Empioy a often unmpressed with longer resumes that are hard to read and can seem adderess especiuly wnen they come from people with comparatively littie jod experience. A resume may even prompt your disqualification early in the selection process. All the detais can De mentioned in brief. A concise, but complete resume saves the readers time and nence is more effective. If the employer needs further detail, it can be provided in the second round. whie resumes can be organized in more than one way, they will almost aiways contain the same basic information. Resumes are not autobiographies. 1ne purp0se is to gain the Opportunity tor an interview nd not to give a detailed history.

Personal Information

The first thing an employer needs to know is who you are and wnere you can o0
reached. o include your name, address, phone numbers, emall address and
website under this heading. Make sure that the information allows an interested
employer to reach you easily. If you are currently employed, this can be diticult and
delicate. Career specialists recommend that you proceed "carefully and cautiously and
Set up boundaries to keep your job search out of your current employment. You may not
want to list your current business phone or business email. A personal email address and
home or cell phone is preferable.

One might set up a separate email account especially for seeking employment.

Ensure that it sounds processional and does not sound frivolous. An email lD like may be okay for personal use, but a prospective employer
might not like it. A permanent postal address should be provided, indicating how long the
address will be valid .

Career/ Professional Objective
This element is optional. However, most employers agree that a statement of

professional objective should be included in a resume. while stating the objective, make it
effective by being as specitic as possible about the requirement or aspiration. For

example,

Entry-level position in design and development of microprocessor

circuitry; eventual advancement to position as project leader or

technical manager.

A software sales position invoiving international experience in a

growing company.

Educational/ academic Preparation
While applying for a job hen one is about to graduate, educational qualification and
experience are the highest selling points. Employers are usually interested in learning
about the candidate's academic trainina. especially education and training since high

school, degree earned, major and minor fields of stuay, oursos or projects done and also
the practical experience gained during graduation.
Begin with the most recent education and work backward. If the information will be


helptul and it space permits, we may consider listing notable courses taken. the grade

pont average or the candidate is impressive, it should be included. Finally, note any
honours earned. if the individual has received awards for other accomplishments, all
achievements can be listed in a separate section entitled "Awards and Honours"
Work Experience Professional Skills

A prospective employer would always be interested in a candidate's past work
experience. When describing work experience, list jobs in chronological order, with the

present or last one tirst. Include any part-time or summer internships or projects done,
even ir unrelated to the career objectives. It demonstrates the person's ability to get and
hold a job an important qualification in itself.
Each entry in this heading includes the name and location of the organization where

One nas Worked or completed an assignment, the job title/designation, tne aurauon or
Work and also a briet summary of the work.

Ihere is no need to use complete sentences; phrases will suffice. 5e sure to use
very concrete language, including technical terminology, to describe the work expenence.
Place this section either before or following the section on education, depending on which

will be most important to an employer.

Activities, Achievements/ Special Interests, Aptitudes, Memberships
Most employers want to know about special abilities that will make an individual a
more valuable employee. These include professional courses undertaken, community
service/volunteer activities, languages known (written and spoken communication),
knowledge of handling special equipment, relevant hobbies and so on. The key here is to
include only information that the employer will find useful and that casts the candidate in a

tavourable light. Activities can be grouped into categories such as College Activities,

Community or Social Services and Seminars and Workshops.

Mention awards or honours received. Give details regarding the nature of the award,
the activity for which the award was received, date or month and year of receiving and
also the authority from whom the award was received.

If we belong to any organization in our field, those can be listed under

Memberships, Be sure to include any offices Or commitee appointments held.

References
The section should always be the last one in a resume. For space and privacy
considerations, one may simply include the phrase References available upon
re uest and supply the names only wnen and it asked for, as employers rarely
inestigate references until the candidate IS under serious consideration.

If, however, the references are mpressive enough to merit listing, follow these basic
guidelines. Choose only the three or four people wno combine the best elements of
fa niliarity with the worK and a credible posiion., A rererence from a celebrity who barely
k 1ows you is not as good as one from an unknown person who has worked closely with
you. In any case, do get permission beforenand from the people listed as, references.