How to write a resume (for freshers)?
When it comes to the job search as a fresher in India, writing a good resume for the first job could be the difference between landing a dream job and being thrown out of the pile.
Crafting an excellent resume is essential in the competitive world of job search for freshers. This article is going to take you through the best tips and tricks to laying out an excellent resume.
Choose a Functional Resume
Most companies would not read a resume longer than two sides of A4, so ensure that your resume fits within this limit.
Don’t make the space too overcrowded with long paragraphs of text. In most cases, descriptive bullet points of your experience work well – make every word count!
There are 3 types of resume format
- The Chronological resume
- The Functional Resume
- The Combination Resume
The Functional resume is the skill based resume. This suits individuals who have very less or no work history.
The Combination resume is an hybrid of chronological and functional resume.
Contact Details always at the Top
You will need to include your contact details clearly at the top of your resume so that an employer can get back to you quickly for a job call back.
Ensure that you use an email address and phone number that you have easy access too and make sure the email you use is professional!
Don't use an email addresses such as "cool_chick97@hotmail.com" as they will come across as unprofessional juvenile.
For a graduate resume, you will not want to use email addresses such as “cool_chick97@hotmail.com” as they will come across as unprofessional juvenile.
The best practice is to use an email hosting service such as Gmail will is commonly used and have your name be your email address.
Education in reverse chronological order
It is a good idea to list your previous education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent experience at the top.
For University graduates, it is a good idea to put your degree first, alongside your grades and important classes that you have taken that will relate to the job you are applying for.
You can use this section to describe the topic of your undergraduate thesis and how this might relate to skills you need for the job sector you are applying for.
Describing any extra-curricular activities you have done will make you look like a well-rounded candidate who was able to balance other activities outside of academics alone.
This is also a place where you can detail any academic grants you have received or conferences you have attended, these will be looked at favorably for academic research positions.
Additionally, describing any extra-curricular activities you have done will make you look like a well-rounded candidate who was able to balance other activities outside of academics alone.
2. Extra-curricular activities is a plus, don't forget to add!
Work Experience and Achievements
If you have any relevant work experience, you should also detail it in this section in reverse chronological order with your job titles, dates worked, and main responsibilities.
Be sure to word this section in a way that demonstrates your achievements at the job role you were in.
For example, if during a sales internship you were able to make the most sales then you should detail this on your work experience section.
This would also be an excellent place to indicate whether you have done any certified training that would be relevant to future job roles.
Freelancing Experience is a plus
Freelancing is replacing full-time work experience since 2007.
I still remember how I had roamed around every single street of Chennai looking for an IT job.
If somebody had told me about the existence of Freelancing economy back in 2007, I would NOT have joined a full-time job.
Instead, I would have built an Online Business Empire by now.
Do freelancing to earn positive client reviews on the freelancing portal. Then share the link on your resume.
No Typos and Grammatical errors: Use FREE softwares like Grammarly to fix all your grammatical mistakes, punctuations and typo errors.
Learn New Skills online
If you do not have extensive work experience then you may choose to make a “skills-based resume” which focuses mainly on the skills you have gained during your degree.
Here you should indicate “hard and soft skills”. Hard skills will be those that are technical and directly related to the job role, whilst soft skills will be transferable skills such as teamwork and leadership skills.
You will need to evidence experiences where you have demonstrated these skills in bullet points.
No hard skills yet? No worries
Learn a new skill on Udemy or Linkedin Learning and add it to your resume. This shows that you are highly proactive and highly updated on the latest trends.
The online coaching economy has boomed like never before. You can take up a course, learn a skill, and become a professional
Tailoring your application to the Job Ad
When applying to graduate roles you do not have to limit yourself to a single generic resume.
If you are looking into jobs in different fields then you can tailor your resume accordingly.
For example, if you are searching for a research job or PhD then it may be worth expanding on the academic section, further expanding on any grants you may have received or presentations you have done.
If you are looking for a technical industry job then you may want to expand the skills sections where you can demonstrate the skills you have that meet that job description specifically.
In conclusion, it is a good idea to make a concise resume that is easily read by the employer and details your experience in a way that best shows off your skills and attributes. You will want to make a resume that shows off the best you, and these tips will get you there!
2. Customize your resume as per the job field.
Useful Tools
Graphic design tool
FREE graphic design tool to create unique and beautiful resume templates.
Premium resume templates
Ready-made resume format downloads in MS Word.
Resume writing courses
PAID Udemy Courses on Resume Writing. Stay ahead of the crowd!
Grammarly
FREE writing assistant to help you write best resumes and cover letters for your first job.
Some links mentioned here may be an affiliate link. There is no necessity that you need to buy from them.
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Hey Prabha mam ,
Excellent and well-written post. I truly appreciate your hard-wok.
It is my first time commenting on your blog post and i am glad to say that you have done a fab-work and suggested helpful tips to write Resume for freshers.You have provided all the necessary information regarding resume preparation and cleared the concept too.
You have explained the topic very nicely that is well enough to understand and is providing better understanding as well. Adopting the tips will be a great helping hand. I really gain helpful ideas through this post and your blog works like a knowledge-booster for me.
Eventually thanks for spreading your knowledge and such a wonderful content.