Sambodhi Research & Management Institute

Writing a Resume
Corporate Readiness - Series Guidance Notes No. 1
What is it?

Difference between Resume & CV

Resume A summary of experience & skills most pertinent to the advertised position. Usually one page only. Multiple pages only for senior positions. Used for all jobs outside of academics and research.. Even a partial list of publications is rarely included. Curriculum Vitae A complete & exhaustive list of professional & educational history. Usually many pages. Length is not important.

What is a Resume?
A concise summary of the high points of your education, work experience, and other qualifications relevant to your audience's needs and to your employment interests. It is NOT a complete history of your life.

How long is it?

When do I use it?

Used for academic & research positions. A full list of publications is essential.

Does it include publications?

How important is style and layout?

Why have a Resume?

To communicate your professional qualifications to potential employers, to create their first impression of you, and to interest them in interviewing you. A Resume is a marketing tool and an introduction to you as a professional. Making a good Resume involves thorough research about the potential employer and the area of work. Accordingly, important messages are written and communicated succinctly and clearly in visually appealing format.
Should I modify it to suit the job to which I am applying?

Style and content are equally Style doesn't matter much. important. Bad style can hurt. Content is what matters most. May be adapted to fit specific jobs applied to. Does not need much alteration to fit specific job opening. Typically references are listed at the end.

Are references listed?

References are not listed unless requested.

Presenting your Resume Dos & Don'ts

Select a format that suits you. Do not blindly follow someone else's.

Resume Writing Tip!

Remember, your Resume also conveys your understanding of the potential employer's needs, priorities, hiring criteria, and vocabulary.

Stick to one page length. Two pages if you have an advanced degree or extensive experience. Make the page easy to scan and visually pleasing. Leave sufficient white space. Use bullets to emphasize your credentials. Use a conservative font (Arial or Times New Roman). It is safe. Use Letter or A4 size paper only. Use high quality paper ONLY. Do NOT take photo copies. Use laser printer to take a neat print.

What to include in your Resume? And what NOT to?

Include name, address, email id & phone number at the top of the page. Repeat your name at the top of the second page, if you have one! Include marketable and relevant data only. For example, include courses that have been important in your education and are relevant to the work you seek. Do NOT provide an extensive list. Highlight skills, accomplishments, capabilities,and work experience. Give evidence of your personal impact. Cite numbers to convey size and scale. Give examples that demonstrate desirable personality traits viz. leadership, interpersonal facility, teamwork, and initiative. Minimize personal, out-of-date, implicit and repetitive information - marital status, health issues, religious leanings, political affiliations, geographic descriptions. Exclude information on salary expectations, unless asked for. Do not include references. It is assumed that references are available upon request, so leave this phrase off.

Resume Writing Tip!

Ask a counsellor, friend, or someone unfamiliar with your background to review your Resume for clarity and effectiveness.

Resume Writing Tip!

Always bear in mind that the employer needs to feel that you are interested in the particular position with his or her company.

Do NOT use MS-Word templates. AVOID underlining & unnecessary formatting. Do NOT use font size larger than 12 points Do NOT use font size smaller than 9 points

Low Impact: Sambodhi Event Managers Co. Ltd. Bangalore, India May 2006-June 2008 Theatre Marketing Intern Responsibilities included coordinating artist press releases, compiling tracking sheets based on information from reservations and box office attendants, handling photo and press release mailing to media, assisting in radio copy writing and performing various other duties as assigned.

Pitfalls in Resume Writing

Too long - restrict your Resume to one page. Too cluttered - keep it simple with clean lines and white space. Too verbose - say as much with as few words as possible. Avoid jargon. Too many errors - proofread twice to eliminate errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Too abrupt - give details of dates, skills, accomplishments, activities, and interests. Too fancy - avoid exotic fonts, colored paper, photographs, binders and graphics. Too static - begin statements with an action verb to describe your past accomplishments. Too modest - be competitive and put your best foot forward without falsification or arrogance. Too generic - tailor each Resume to the job description.

High Impact: Sambodhi Event Managers Co. Ltd. Bangalore, India Theatre Marketing Intern

May 2006-June 2008

Coordinated artist press releases that contributed to an increase in annual sales by 10%. Compiled and maintained a mailing list of 10,000 customers, CPC's largest ever. Organized photo and press releases to XYZ Television and Cambridge Daily News. Contributed to the copy writing of promotional radio commercials for five events.

Sample 1 Making an impactful impression!

Resume Writing Style

Do not use the first person I or any pronouns. Be consistent in using the same grammatical style throughout. Use action verbs and strong adjectives. Describe accomplishments effectively and let readers decide. Keep it present or future oriented - I am this kind of person, with these abilities, as my record demonstrates. Choose headings that invite interest 'Experience', 'Leadership', 'Honors' rather th an 'employment' or 'other. Avoid implicit phrases - 'Duties included', 'Hired to', 'Project involved.' Avoid self-flattering terms - 'highly skilled', 'outstanding', 'excellent.'

Low Impact: Sambodhi Corporate Advisors, New Delhi, India June-July 2008 Marketing Analyst I analyzed competitive strategies for clients in the bio tech industry. Data gathered assessed profitability of strategies.

Sample 2 Making an impactful impression!

High Impact: Sambodhi Corporate Advisors, New Delhi, India Marketing Analyst

June-July 2008

Assessed profitability of expansion strategy in the biotech industry; results were used by the client to make market entry decision. Gathered data, as part of a three-member team, by interviewing over 100 potential customers and presented the results to the clients.

Sambodhi is a new age management education provider pioneering reforms towards inclusive management education. At Sambodhi, we strive towards crafting ethical, environmentallyresponsible and socially-sensitive value creating professionals. Sambodhi offers one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM), which is designed to address big-picture issues of building thought leadership and equip learners tackle the diverse challenges brought forth by an active business context. The programme is targeted at bright, inquisitive minds striving for professional excellence and eager to invest in building professional rigour and capacities.

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Sambodhi is a leader in Executive Development on evidencebased decisions for business solutions with almost more than 8,000 professionals from Asia, Europe and Africa subscribing to our programmes. We have our parentage in Sambodhi Research & Communications, a leading knowledge ware company which has renowned universities, transnationals and philanthropic organizations as clients and collaborators.

The Corporate Readiness Series

Guidance Notes No. 1 - Writing a Resume Guidance Notes No. 2 - Preparing for an Interview Guidance Notes No. 3 - Email Etiquettes Guidance Notes No. 4 - Art of Power Dressing Guidance Notes No. 5 - Dining Etiquettes Guidance Notes No. 6 - Body Language

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