Are you a fresh graduate and wondering how to draft your first resume, which is impressive enough to fetch you a job interview? Well, writing resume for the first time is not as difficult or daunting as it sounds. Agreed!! The pressure of creating a professional resume especially for fresh college pass out is challenging, because of a higher rate of new graduates passing out each year and comparatively lesser job openings. In this scenario it becomes very important that your resume is drafted in a way that is not just eye-catching but also grabs the attention of the recruiters to an extent that they would want to meet you in person.
Some simple steps and quick tips can help you draft a perfect resume, just the way HR would like to see and is certain to leave them impressed. Prior to drafting your resume, on a sheet of paper jot down all your details, starting from your contact details, to work history, achievements, educational details, references, seminars or workshops you might have attended etc. Just make a note of all these things, so that while writing the resume you may not have to think too much and can quickly refer the paper. Read on to learn simple tips and tricks that should help you draft great curriculum vitae to strike the right note!!
Picking the Correct Resume Format: There are basically three types of resume format:
1- Chronological Resume
2- Functional Resume
3- Combination Resume
For fresh graduates it is highly recommended that they go with the functional resume type, instead of going for the traditional chronological resume format. The functional resume format, gives you an opportunity to highlight your skill sets, and relevant experience (internship, volunteer ship etc) first and than move on to showcase personal details. This makes sure that your most relevant work experience and education gets highlighted and is noticed by the recruiters.
Name & Contact Details: As basic it may sound, but it has been noticed that several candidates miss out on providing correct contact information. Your resume should always start with your name followed by your email address and phone number, for easy reference of the reader. Make sure to double check your phone number. An email address on your resume, especially when you are a new graduate gives a positive impression to the recruiter and they know at least you are computer savvy.
Career Objective: A well drafted career objective can present you as a sincere and professional candidate. Avoid writing general career objective. As a fresh graduate, we all tend to copy paste the same career objective and it becomes frustrating for the recruiter to see 100s of resume with same objective. So let your creative juices flowing and come up with a unique yet impressive career objective. Here is an example to help you get started: "Fresh graduate looking for an opportunity which can help me utilize my education and knowledge in the right direction and in turn help me reach my career goals successfully".
Educational Qualification: A well formatted and properly summarized educational history, help your resume stand out from other run-of-the-mill resumes. You should always mention your education history in a chronological order. Meaning the highest and most recent degree of education comes first, followed by other degrees.
Work Experience: As a fresh graduate there are chances that you do not have anything to show in your work experience section. This is the reason why, most of the colleges emphasize on candidates taking up internships in college or after graduation. If you have volunteered or taken up any internship than mentioning your experience here would be a good idea. Plus if you have attended any workshop or done a project related to the current job profile, it would be worth mentioning here. Other than that summer training or any kind of small related experience would be good enough for this section. Recruiters do not expect you to come with years of experience and hands on expertise as they know that you are fresh college pass out, but internship or summer training surely has an edge over others.
Achievements: This is the section where you can list down all your achievements and accomplishments, starting right from your school years. Any awards, certificates etc which you might have received should be mentioned here. Your achievements will show the recruiters that you are a great team player and an enthusiastic person with a sportive spirit.
Personal Details: This section comes last, as the recruiters are more interested in seeing your qualification and experiences. But it is always a good idea to give a concise personal summary like hobbies etc. Do not get overboard and keep this section short and to the point. In case they need more personal details, it could be discussed during the face-to-face interview.
References: Listing down 2 to 3 references is good enough. Do not have a page full of references. In case you are not left with any space on the resume, meaning it is exceeding more than 2 pages than you can simply mention "Reference available on request". Remember reference should be from people not in direct relation with you like your mom, dad, uncle, aunt etc. It should be a professional reference.
Some simple steps and quick tips can help you draft a perfect resume, just the way HR would like to see and is certain to leave them impressed. Prior to drafting your resume, on a sheet of paper jot down all your details, starting from your contact details, to work history, achievements, educational details, references, seminars or workshops you might have attended etc. Just make a note of all these things, so that while writing the resume you may not have to think too much and can quickly refer the paper. Read on to learn simple tips and tricks that should help you draft great curriculum vitae to strike the right note!!
Picking the Correct Resume Format: There are basically three types of resume format:
1- Chronological Resume
2- Functional Resume
3- Combination Resume
For fresh graduates it is highly recommended that they go with the functional resume type, instead of going for the traditional chronological resume format. The functional resume format, gives you an opportunity to highlight your skill sets, and relevant experience (internship, volunteer ship etc) first and than move on to showcase personal details. This makes sure that your most relevant work experience and education gets highlighted and is noticed by the recruiters.
Name & Contact Details: As basic it may sound, but it has been noticed that several candidates miss out on providing correct contact information. Your resume should always start with your name followed by your email address and phone number, for easy reference of the reader. Make sure to double check your phone number. An email address on your resume, especially when you are a new graduate gives a positive impression to the recruiter and they know at least you are computer savvy.
Career Objective: A well drafted career objective can present you as a sincere and professional candidate. Avoid writing general career objective. As a fresh graduate, we all tend to copy paste the same career objective and it becomes frustrating for the recruiter to see 100s of resume with same objective. So let your creative juices flowing and come up with a unique yet impressive career objective. Here is an example to help you get started: "Fresh graduate looking for an opportunity which can help me utilize my education and knowledge in the right direction and in turn help me reach my career goals successfully".
Educational Qualification: A well formatted and properly summarized educational history, help your resume stand out from other run-of-the-mill resumes. You should always mention your education history in a chronological order. Meaning the highest and most recent degree of education comes first, followed by other degrees.
Work Experience: As a fresh graduate there are chances that you do not have anything to show in your work experience section. This is the reason why, most of the colleges emphasize on candidates taking up internships in college or after graduation. If you have volunteered or taken up any internship than mentioning your experience here would be a good idea. Plus if you have attended any workshop or done a project related to the current job profile, it would be worth mentioning here. Other than that summer training or any kind of small related experience would be good enough for this section. Recruiters do not expect you to come with years of experience and hands on expertise as they know that you are fresh college pass out, but internship or summer training surely has an edge over others.
Achievements: This is the section where you can list down all your achievements and accomplishments, starting right from your school years. Any awards, certificates etc which you might have received should be mentioned here. Your achievements will show the recruiters that you are a great team player and an enthusiastic person with a sportive spirit.
Personal Details: This section comes last, as the recruiters are more interested in seeing your qualification and experiences. But it is always a good idea to give a concise personal summary like hobbies etc. Do not get overboard and keep this section short and to the point. In case they need more personal details, it could be discussed during the face-to-face interview.
References: Listing down 2 to 3 references is good enough. Do not have a page full of references. In case you are not left with any space on the resume, meaning it is exceeding more than 2 pages than you can simply mention "Reference available on request". Remember reference should be from people not in direct relation with you like your mom, dad, uncle, aunt etc. It should be a professional reference.
