When it comes to job search, everything is important – the looks, attitude, skills, experience, and resume. All of those things matter, but only if you land an interview; so, resume plays an important role of this first step towards employment.
Considering the latest tendencies around the world, finding a job becomes harder and hard, especially when talking about highly-populated countries such as India. This is why having a great resume is so important – competition is stiff and jobseeker needs to have all the advantages and edges that are possible. This guide will provide you with some important information on writing a resume in India and its format in general.
What makes a bad resume?
Recruiters usually take only several seconds to look at a resume and identify whether it’s good or bad. So, it is important to know what should be avoided when creating a letter:
- The objective;
- Inconsistent formatting;
- Overdose with employment history;
- Lies;
- Buzzwords.
Explanation
More details on all these things. When thinking of objective, you should keep this part as brief as possible and highlight how your previous experience can be valuable – too much is a no-go. As for formatting, everything is obvious and a mess of a resume will be a red sign for any recruiter. This mistake is avoidable if you include those jobs that can show your potential value; no-one needs a whole list. As for lies, there’s no need to explain. Finally, buzzwords – hiding behind them isn’t a good way to show your achievements.
What to do when developing a resume in India?
Format
When it comes to India, competing with the best minds often calls for creative solutions. Still, this may not be a go-to with every company and usually, recruiters prefer not-so-shiny but classic formats that do not distract from exploring information about a potential candidate. That’s why a classic template is a good option while getting creative with pictures and fonts might backfire – it’s up to you.
A picture
This might sound odd but the Indian resume format often involves a picture of an applicant in sharp contrast to the traditions of the US and Europe. Although it’s not a rock-hard rule to follow, if you decided to add your photo to the paper, it should be a passport-sized professional one. There’s no room for a photo from some hike or party.
Self-declaration and signature
Now, this may be one of the things that are quite distinguishable when it comes to Indian resume format. Self-declaration is a vague thing and you can write anything you want; however, be smart about that. Also, don’t forget to include the date and signature when finishing the resume. Sometimes, contacting top resume writing services may help a lot to avoid any of the slightest mistakes, but be aware, though, and only best of them, so finding top resume services review might be of great use here.
Length and layout
Similar to other countries, do not make your resume longer than two pages – recruiters don’t like that everywhere. If your CV is longer than two pages, consider omitting some details: maybe you’ve put too much emphasis on previous jobs or your skills. As for the layout, the Indian resume format is all about being as clear as possible to make reading easy; however, it was mentioned before that some creativity won’t hurt if it’s appropriate.
Final thoughts
All-in-all, the Indian resume format is not that different from the others. However, it allows the use of photos, self-declarations, signatures, and creative layouts. These several distinguishing features are among the factors that can land an interview or completely ruin job-hunting. Anyway, it’s important to remember that a good resume is great but you should customize it according to the industry and even company that you want to apply to.