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Welcome to a session onWelcome to a session on

WRITING AN

EFFECTIVE RESUME

Your trainer today is

M.F. LOKHANDWALAM.F. LOKHANDWALA

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WHAT IS A RESUME? WHAT

ARE ITS FUNCTIONS?

1. The resume is your representative and gives asummary of your abilities, skills and personality.

2. It projects your image and your achievements till

now.3. It advocates your case and convinces the

employer, why you are the best choice.

4. It reflects your personality and your attitudes,to life in general and to the job in particular.

5. The experts can read a lot from your resume,including a lot of information you have not

written.

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WHAT IS ITS SIZE AND

HOW IS IT PRESENTED?

A resume must not be too short nor too long

The right size would be

1. For a fresher 1to 2 pages.

2. For a middle level executive 2 to3.

3. For a higher level longer.

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A GOOD RESUME IS

1. Clear and easy to read with all necessary

information easily available.

2 Tailor made for the requirements of the employer.

3 Based on research about the employer and theirrequirements.

4 Presents all the necessary information.

5 Avoids unnecessary details.

6 Tells what is completely true, but not necessarily

everything.

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WHAT IS THE LAYOUT OF

THE RESUME

Form1. PAPER-A4 size,white, at least 80gsm, used on oneside

2. Keep at least 32mm on the left and 25mm on the other sides.

3. Use a good quality printer to print the copies (no xerox)

4. Neatly stapled and if necessary neatly folded.

5. Use only one font (or at a maximum two) and a

maximum of two font sizes.

6. Keep a fixed / uniform spacing between lines.

7. Minimize the usage of the bold and italics functions

8. Check for spellings, grammar and punctuations.

9. Avoid all capitals, use the proper case throughout.

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LAYOUT OF RESUME

contentYour name, address, phone numbere-mail ID and the

most important information should be on

the first page.Other information should be presented in the

descending order of importance

When we say importance, it is ofimportance to the employer, not you.

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COVERING

LETTERA covering letter is required when :You are responding to an advertisement.

You have been referred to by somebody.

A covering letter is not required when :

You are responding to campus recruitment

You have been called by the employer on

basis of your reputation.

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HOW SHOULD YOU DRAFT

THE COVERING LETTERMention your contact details.

Address to the correct person and the correct designation

Write the Name and address of the Company.

Mention the details of the referral.

Avoid clichs.

Mention the name of post.

Be brief and business like.

BUT DONT BEG FOR A JOB !

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CAREER OBJECTIVEThis is not a mandatory part of your

resume.

If you write it make sure that :

1. It is clearly defined and specific.

2. It refers to some time frame.

3. It refers to your interests as well as that ofthe organization.

4. It should not indicate wishful thinkingGIVE IT SERIOUS THOUGHT, AGOOD OBJECTIVE CAN GET YOU AJOB, JUST AS A BAD ONE CANHANDICAP YOU.

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QUALIFICATION

This is the key element of your resume.

Present the latest information first.

Give only the important data with the dates.

Highlight any special achievements.

Reflect the fact that you are proud of the

institute you

qualified from.

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PROJECTS, SEMINARS AND

PAPERSThey are of two types :a. Part of curriculum

b. Additional

Stress on them if they are of relevance to theemployer otherwise :

Just mention them briefly.When you want to stress it mention :

1. The duration and when you did it.

2. The scope, in brief.

3. Name of the sponsor, if any.

4. Awards if an .

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TRAININGTraining is usually of three types :

1. Vacational training

2. Sandwich training

3. Apprentice / Industrial training

Stress on them only if they are relevant to theemployer otherwise just mention :

1. The period and duration

2. Nature of training

3. Name of the company name it properly.

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SOFTWARE SKILLS

Software skills are important in todaysworld. Surely you have skills at the higherend of the spectrum.

Dont trivialise them by stating things like:

I am good at typing.

MS Word, Power Point, just say MS Office.If you mention various operating systems

like Windows etc. Clarify whether youcan navigate in it or can program in it.

For higher end softwares, dont claim but

project your skill sets.

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JOB INTERESTS

It is important to have clarity about the

type of job / career you look forward to.

Dont write a big list of alternatives. It

suggests that you are confused / not clearabout your choices.

If you are not clear, dont mention anything.

PLAY SAFE !

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ACHIEVEMENTS

They are a very good way of projectingskills sets which are otherwise not seenelsewhere in your resume.

Employers are not interested in themotherwise.

Thus, it is important to understand what towrite under this

heading and also how to write it.

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WORK EXPERIENCE-1The proof of the pudding as the saying

goes is in eating.

If you have work experience, it is a very

important part of your resume.

Be very careful about what you write.

Do:

1. Mention the period of previous employment.

2. Name of the previous employer correctly.

3. Department and nature of job.

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LOYALTY

Employers are looking for a variety of personalitytraits like sincerity, hard work, loyalty etc.

Other traits are judged through the varietyof information you give.

Loyalty is also judged similarly from your reference:

1. To the Institutions you have learnt from.

2. To your previous employers the way you project

them.

Remember this is important to your employer.

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STRENGTHSBe knowledgeable about your strengths

and

Project them through information aboutachievements, rewards etc.

butDont make direct claims like,I amgood/expert/fluent in so and so.

becauseYou may invite uncomfortable questions on that

basis.

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OTHER DETAILS - 2e. Oath at the end you are expected to

tell the truth even otherwise.

f. Pay if it is negotiable dont even

mention it. If you specify aminimum value,be prepared for the

rejection of your resume. You may

not get a chance to negotiate.

g. Passport mention it only if you are

applying abroad.

DONT SPOIL YOUR CHANCES HERE !

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REVIEW YOUR RESUME - 1

1. Go through your resume to gather anoverall impression.

2. Check for spellings, short forms, etc.

3. See that all relevant information isincluded. Ensure that no unwantedinformation has crept in.

4. Ensure consistency.

5. Check for formatting.

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6. Ensure consistency of whatever style you

chose, e.g. similarity of titles.

7. If your mail id has an underscore, ensure

that your mail id is not automatically

underlined by word.8. Ensure that dates you have mentioned are

not confusing.

9. Look for the tone of resume. Does yourpersonality reflect correctly in the resume?

10.Does your resume cater to the needs of

your employer ?

REVIEW YOUR RESUME - 2

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The Path To Your Dream Job Is Now

Smoothed And Your Journey Ahead WillBe Comfortable.

ALL THE BEST!