Team-BHP - Effective Resume/CV creation, do's and don'ts, suggestions.

Assuming this for IT Oriented.

How to create a effective CV / resume ? . Formats , dos and donts , what to include and what not .

Managers browsing tbhp ,your inputs appreciated .:D .What do managers or HR first look or concentrate on a CV ?

Everyone asks the same question at every other interview. As an EX HR guy, here is my take on what the managers usually look at:

How well drafted, is the resume is?
Spelling mistakes in CV
Job Hopps
Salary
Achievements

Apart from this, it is the basic stuff of education and certifications. Usually the above mentioned parameters give an idea how confident or well prepared a person is for an interview.

Structure it well.

Start with your last job and then the older ones in that order. Then certifications, then education and then the rest - address, passport details etc.

Mention your achievements at the beginning.

My mantra, though I have changed my job only twice. Start writing a resume only after reading the job requirement :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire (Post 2322336)

I agree with Spitfire here. With regards to the achievements, mine are at the last page! Never had any issue.

It would better if you restrict the resume to 2 pages max 3 pages not more than that. If too long then it get put aside.

Be honest in your experiences, no need to bluff coz many IT co do a cross check and you dont want to be embarassed later.

Dont show in your resume that job change is only to get a higher pay. Also before you submit the resume either online or post, do know something about the company and try mentioning the co achivenments in the covering letter and that you want to be part of it.

I ll tell you what I like:

Resume/CV is an executive summary of your career/work-life.

1. Make is brief, preferably one page ONLY, i know its a hard work, but less is more.
2. Resume must generate interest/questions in reader. Reader should get an urge to know more about the person whose resume (s)he's been reading! How to do this? - use your creativity and be original! That's the key. There are no short cuts to it.
4. Use templates/formats, but do not religiously stick to them!
3. Describing projects/work in too much details is not only unethical, but also boring to read.
4. Rough Analogy: Resume is the "show-case" of your career life which is the actual warehouse!

Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghodlur (Post 2322382)

For an IT guy, having a 2 page CV would mean that he knows nothing! No offense but that's how it is considered. Ideally with an experience of 6-9 years, your resume is of atleast 5 pages considering 3 years in each company.

Yes, be honest in what you say. Having some information about the company can save a lot of embarrasement later.

Apart from what Spitfire and Amtak have already said, below are my two cents.

Look out for grammatical mistakes. Spelling mistakes stick out like a sore thumb and grammatical mistakes often take away the significance of the statement.

Also, clearly outline your contribution to a project. Don't just stop at description of the project.

Try to explain your project in layman's terms. If you are using acronyms (many CVs from telecom domain are littered with them) make sure they are properly explained.

EDIT: Not related to CVs, but to interviews. If you can not make it to an interview, don't just switch your phone off or ignore calls. If you don't want to attend an interview, then don't accept the invite.

First and foremost your CV should look neat i.e clean formatting and well formed layout. You dont want someone to see a scrambled page while judging you for the first time. As they say first impression is the best one, so make that count.

Then ensure the first page displays a quick summary about your skills, strong area and overall experience in a breif way i.e. a kind of total summary for your CV. Since no one in practical way has the time to read 5-6 pages irrespective of the kind of position or experience you have applied for.

From first half or second page start mentioing your job details i.e where you have worked, time period and your responsibilities and achievemnet in that particular role if any.

Summarize it with certifications done over your career span along with any trainings attended, ending with your educational background.

One of the most irritating thing I see in almost 80% resumes, specially from freshers is the word "Resume" at the top, centred.

A much better resume is where the name comes first. At the top, centred. Gives a far better impression.

Another word which puts off the interviewer is "expert". Are we sure we are experts in a particular area by working for 2 weeks, or 2 months or even two years?

Since I look at technical resumes, I try to ignore bloopers, because scientists are, well, in a different plane of being sometimes.

But smarter ones gets the job.

As most folks have pointed out, clear and concise explanation of experiences and skillsets are the key. We also try to give weightage to non IIT types and reduce importance of papers and publications. We have found spectacular folks with very humble backgrounds. But they had smart resumes.

Being an HR guy all my life, I agree with the page limit for a decent resume.
1.A long resume (5-6 pages) becomes boring to read even for IT. The ideal resumes I have seen are 3 pages.
2.You can state very briefly about your previous companies. Talk more about your current job. 1.5 to 2 page description of current roles and responsibilities is a no-no. (Don't go about harping about every little thing you have done).
3. Focus more on the relevance of your experience and skills to the job being applied for.
4. Avoid spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. They give a casual impression of the applicant.
5. Don't speak volumes about your projects. Be concise and to the point.
6. And oh yes, do not bluff. If at any point your reference check shows otherwise, it gives a very negative impression. Some companies deal with misinformation very strictly and also terminate candidature.
7. Stick to a standard format with consistent fonts for headings and body.
All the best..

After reading Kevin Fox's resume http://fury.com/resume/resume_kevin_fox.pdf I shortened my 12 yrs work to 1-page resume. Used it 2 yrs ago when changing job last. Boss admits it was a short but interesting one.

Any interviewer (for IT technical profile) would be more interested in,
1.) Projects worked on.
2.) Technologies where you have HANDS ON experience (Not all technologies which are/were part of your project)
3.) Your exact role.
Also do mention other tools like SCM/version control systems, defect tracking tools etc. , if you have exposure.

Resume should not be like an answer sheet for interview or an essay about yourself, Should be just enough as a starting point for interview.

As a hiring manager in IT field, I like to see short and crisp resumes. Preferably 3 or lesser pages. Rather than detailing the specifics of projects, it would be better to generalize and write in industry standard language. During the interview, the candidate can elaborate on the (job/project/company) specifics if needed.

And no, I do not consider that a 2 page resume in IT field means the guy knows nothing. I would rather go through the 2 page resume and check its content. If the content is appealing, candidate will be shortlisted for interview.

Always, always include an executive summary as a covering letter. The first 5 - 10 seconds decides whether the manager is going to read your CV further or not. I receive resumes all the time; if the email is poorly written, they read the same stuff (hard working, motivated blah blah blah) and are 4 pages long, I don't even bother.

Respect the recipients time. A short, concise executive summary will greatly help your chances.